by Julie Desmond

Quick! Why did you leave? Every interviewer wants to know, and if the answer to this question is longer than 8-10 seconds, it is too long. Long-winded answers to negative questions are distracting and detract from your appeal to an interviewer. Employers are not intimately interested in why you left your last position. They are required to ask the question, primarily to learn what it would take for you to leave them, your next employer. Plan your answer so it is brief, true, and leads to a better place in the conversation.

Interviewers are busy people, possibly teetering near a layoff or recovering from one themselves. Be brief in your answers. Ten seconds. Not long when the World Cup is on the line. Forever when your job is to interview 15 people in one day for a part time customer service position.

Some applicants see the Why did you leave? question as an invitation to bad-mouth the last boss or to pontificate on the state of the economy. Forget about it. Times are tough enough. Interviewers have heard it all, literally, and been through some of it themselves. Make someone’s day by dropping your baggage at the door and bring only positive, straightforward conversation to job interviews.

Mass Layoff? If 50 people were laid off the day you packed your box, say so, and say why. Over the last two years, hiring managers have come to expect and accept downsizing as a reason people leave good positions. They know or can easily find out whether your employer went bankrupt, restructured or merged with another company. Adding a positive, “That was a great place to work,” or, “We had an awesome team,” tells the interviewer there’s no visible chip on your shoulder, no anger he or she will have to quell later on.

Fired? If you stole something, broke something, lost a huge sale or fell asleep during a meeting with the CEO, you might have been escorted out in an unpleasant way. Most people will say, “It didn’t work out.” This is an interviewer’s cue to ask, “Why not?” One response here might be, “They were looking for someone with a different skill set,” which is true; they wanted a person with an ethical skill set, maybe, or someone who is more attentive during meetings.

Add a statement that takes the sting and the attention away from the layoff itself. For example, “I learned so much from that experience.” Now the interviewer has to ask, “What did you learn?” The conversation can naturally move forward from there. It might come up again, but the ice is off the lake; it will be easier to discuss because you’ve shown maturity and integrity by owning the experience.

Interviewers are keenly tuned in to body language; if an applicant avoids a question or deflects with humor, the interviewer will tend to focus more closely when asking the question again. Your brief, rehearsed and positive response to, “Why did you leave,” is welcome. Time it, get comfortable, and practice with your friends or your dog until you can convince even yourself that you had a bad run of luck, but things are much better now.

Julie Desmond has fifteen years career counseling and staffing experience. She currently leads job search workshops in Edina, Minneapolis and St Paul. Find job search resources at www.helpwantedworkshop.com or write to Julie@helpwantedworkshop.com.