Hi there everyone! Thanks for the great response about my article. I must say that I think I struck a nerve bringing up people saying that it was a mutual decision when they left their job. In case you missed the article you can read it here:
In the article I described that the term “it was a mutual decision” is widely viewed as a euphemism for I got fired. I stand by this. However, I’ve had several people reach out and ask what if it truly was a mutual decision. One person I know well told me about a situation where he and the company both agreed that they made a mistake in offering and accepting the job and that it was best for both parties that they moved on.
Look! I realize that each situation is unique and that people don’t quit or get fired. There is most definitely a lot of grey areas. That said, as a candidate you need to understand that in this market employers are talking to as many as 15 – 50 candidates for each opening. That is a lot of people who are saying anything and everything to get hired. Many of them have been fired and are doing their best to position themselves to look good in the eyes of a future employer. While I realize that there is a lot of grey many employers don’t. So you have two options when explaining to an employer why you left in the event of a mutual decision:
- You can make it easier for the employer to understand by saying that you resigned or were fired. You aren’t lying by saying this – you are making it easier for them to understand. The key is to share what you learned from it and why it makes you better today.
- You can tell them it was a mutual decision. However, you can’t just call it a mutual decision and move on. That looks like you are hiding something. If you truly feel that you have to share this then you need to share the entire situation with firm details so that they know you are telling the truth. Remember it isn’t the company’s fault for being skeptical. It is your fellow job seekers you have to blame for using a legitimate reason for leaving as a cover for being fired.
The second option may seem like a better one because it is telling the full truth. However, I disagree for a couple of reasons. The first is more of a statement about people in general. I want you to think back to the last time you went out to eat and your food was running late. There are two ways to handle it. One server will come out and give you a really long story about why it is running late – the oven is broken, then a dog died, then the server slipped and fell and then INS came and raided the kitchen. But don’t worry your food is now on it’s way and should be there soon. The other server comes up and says – “I’m really sorry about this – I know it is taking a long time – I want to let you know that it is on it’s way and will be there shortly. Here is a free appetizer. Which one makes you happier? I really hope it is the second example or my little example really missed the mark.
Employers are the same way – they don’t want to know the dirty little secrets about why you left your last job. They just want to know that it happened, that you left professionally and that it makes you better for them. So if your mutual decision story takes longer than about a minute you run the risk of boring or annoying them. It’s kind of like talking about your last break up on the first date. Maybe this is a better analogy…
The second reason this is a bad idea is because you typically have a finite amount of time to conduct an interview. The more time you spend talking about why you left your previous company means that there is less time to talk about why you are so awesome. You need to maximize your time.
So what say you? Did I do a better job explaining myself? Do you guys agree? Have a great week and as always please feel free to email me direct at sthompsn@insurance-csg.com or leave comments.
Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:
No comments:
Post a Comment