How to Answer the Question: 'Why do You Want to Change Your Job?'

Why do You Want to Change Your Job

Job seekers often wonder why interviewers ask certain questions and it is a good practice to dig deep into what’s going on in the interviewer’s mind. Every interview question has a specific purpose which helps the interviewer to judge their candidates on certain parameters. Hence, knowing the reasons can make all the difference as to how you should approach a particular question especially the following ones –

 

Why do you want to change your job?

Why are you looking for a new job?

Why do you want this job?

Why do you want to leave your job?

 

All You Need to Know About Answering “Why do you Want to Change Your Job?”

 

Recruiters and hiring managers are often interested in knowing their prospective candidates’ reasons for a job change. In fact, this is one of the most common job interview questions asked by recruiters hiring for any industry, be it the aviation industry or banking, accounting & finance. Even when hiring engineers. Although it is always advised to be honest with your answers, the above-mentioned interview questions should be answered tactfully. You need to be more wise than honest while answering such a question.

 

To help you prepare the best answer for stating your reasons for leaving the current job in the interview, let us first understand –

 

Why do employers ask this interview question?

Various researches have been conducted to know why employees leave their jobs. It is often found that employees leave because of common reasons which are also known to the employers. The reason why interviewers ask this question is that they want to understand the candidate’s motivation behind looking for a new job. However, that is not the only thing they want to know. They want to know whether a particular candidate is progressive in his/her approach or s/he dwells too much in the past.

Depending on the kind of answers candidates give, interviewers judge how serious they are regarding such a big decision. If the answer fails to convey the same, employers instantly get to know that the candidate is simply wasting their time.

Also Read – Different Type of Interview Questions the UAE Employers May Ask

 

Tips for Answering – Why You Want to Change Job?

No matter how tempted you may feel to spill the beans about your current employer, bear in mind the following things –

1. Think through your reasons: Most job seekers either want to switch their jobs because of one or more of the following reasons:

- Lack of Career Growth Prospects

- Zero Work-Life Balance

- Low Salary

- Mediocre Job Role

- Unpleasant relationship with current boss/colleagues

First, identify what is/are your reason(s) for the job change. Being clear on this is important because then you will know what to base your answer on.

Also Read: How to Know If It Is Time to Change Your Job?

 

2. Answer honestly: If your reasons come close to the first four categories shared in the above points, you can base your answer on the same. It is completely acceptable, to be honest about one’s aspirations. However, make sure to check that you are not being unreasonable with your demands. Often job seekers have unrealistic expectations in terms of salary packages and designations which can put off any employer.

Do a quick research on industry benchmark for salary for your experience and understand the appraisal policy at the company at which you are applying for the job. Don’t state monetary benefits and a higher designation as the only reasons for a job change. Back these up with your desire to grow as a professional and expand your skill set.

 

3. Leave out the negative part: If you want to change your job because you don’t share a good relationship with your current boss and/or colleagues, it is better to leave out the details about how rude your boss is and how non-cooperative your colleagues are. Talking negatively about your boss and colleagues does more damage than you realize. It leaves a very negative impression on the employer.

Every time you say something negative, it sends out a clear signal to the interviewer that probably you are difficult to work with or you lack commitment. The employer might also feel that you will not think twice before quitting the job the moment you are met with criticism or face disagreement from the team members on work-related things. Nobody wants to hire such an employee.

 

4. Focus on the future while answering: While stating your reasons for leaving current job, focus more on what you are looking to achieve in the near future rather than talking about what you wish to avoid at present. You can highlight those aspects of the job you have applied for, which carry more responsibilities than your current role and which you believe will assist in advancing your career. You can also talk about how you feel the new role is more aligned with your long-term career goals. An answer that constitutes all these aspects is highly appreciated by the employers.

Also Read: 5 Underrated Soft Skills to Help You Get Ahead in Career

 

What your answer should reflect?

In short, your answer should reflect the following:

- Your aspirations for career growth

- Your aspirations to take on more responsibilities

- Your aspirations to take on a more challenging role

- Your aspirations for expanding your skill set

 

When tackling this interview question, it is easy to think about all of the things you don’t like about your current job and employer. However, that’s not what the interviewer wants to know. What s/he wants to hear are thoughtful reasons behind looking for a job change. The interviewers want to be sitting across a candidate who has a positive attitude and a definite career plan in mind. Your answer to this question will help them judge all these qualities better. Hence, answer with caution.

All the best!

 

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