"Reason for Leaving" Questions

[Jenny in Florida]

As some of you may know, I accepted a job in April that turned out not to be a good fit for me. I resigned last week, without having my next job lined up yet, which means I am now job hunting full time.

When  I'm filling out online forms that ask for a "Reason for Leaving," I have been typing something short and sweet like "The position was not a good fit." However, in phone conversations and face-to-face interviews, I need to have a brief, canned response ready to use when interviewers ask me for more information.

The facts are that the owner of the company, who was also my boss, has been running a one-person show for many years and just isn't prepared to be a good manager. He doesn't clearly express what he wants or needs from his employees (all two of them, one now that I've left), provides little to no feedback either positive or negative and then over-reacts when things don't go well. He often makes very quick decisions and adds or changes assignments in ways that he later forgets or changes again, seemingly on the spur of the moment.

In addition, I spent the first few weeks working on tasks that did not at all match my skill set or the job description. 

The final straw for me was that it turned out one of his regular clients happens to be an organization that I have made a conscious decision not to work for, even though they are a major employer in my area, because one of their major lines of business conflicts with my personal values. Had I known before I took the job that they were on his client list, I would not have accepted the position. I held on, hoping I could avoid the issue until I found another job, but last week he directed me to work on a project for them. So I resigned. (He was very kind and respectful about the whole thing. We had already had a couple of conversations about the fact that I wasn't feeling great about the job, so the resignation was not a surprise. He invited me to touch base if I need anything from him in the future, so I feel like I am leaving on decent terms.)

But this begs the question of how I can distill these facts into a sentence or two that is honest without making me seem like a whiner or a flake and that doesn't make me look inflexible or too demanding. I also don't want to throw my erstwhile boss under the bus, in case someone decides to contact him.

Thoughts?

 

[Clemsondana]

Maybe something about the transition from one-man-shop to company being a difficult transition for everybody, neither you nor your boss were clear about the job description until you actually started, and what the job ended up being wasn't a good fit?  More polished, obviously, but that makes it a unique situation that isn't likely to apply if you're interviewing with an established company.  And, it doesn't really throw the boss under the bus - you were both learning a new job, and didn't mesh well in the process.  Anybody who has ever been on the early stages of something (a committee, lab, or company) will get that the process of building an organization is different from the day-to-day job of working in one that is established.  

[Carol in Cal.]

"I found that the company was too small to have development opportunities for my skills.  I enjoyed the experience of wearing a number of different hats, but prefer to be a bit more focussed in building skills that enhance the ones I already have.  And frankly, it turned out to be low level work compared to what I can do, so it just wasn't a good fit."

[Carol in Cal.]

Another option is just not to mention that job on your application.  Since you weren't there very long, it's not particular material to other positions.  The danger is that you might be asked about the 'gap'.  I don't know how that is viewed there.  Around here it is not the fatal problem that it used to be.  

[Lori D.]

Several times in the past, I've been part of a volunteer team that teaches a 4-session jobs training class at our local food pantry to help people with resumes, job interview, applying for jobs, and keeping jobs. All the information I have read over and over in prep for my session states NEVER say negative things about past employers, even if they are 100% true.

Previous posters provided some good alternate statements that focus on the positive side of leaving. Another possibility:

"The last company I worked for was very small, and in order to grow, was moving in a direction that was no longer a good fit for either of us."
""The last company I worked at was so small that the tasks required did not match with my personal career growth goals."
"Because the previous company was so small, I spent much of my time working on tasks that did not match the actual job description or my skill set."

I caution *against* leaving out a job, even if you only had the job for a brief time, because employers don't like to feel mislead by omissions, and wonder WHY you left the job off of your resume. Employers are *much* more used to seeing job applicants have one or more jobs of very short duration on their resume. (And that's where having a short, solid statement about why you left helps so that it doesn't look like you were fired, or were irresponsible or flighty and "just left".)

You can also explain gaps in a positive way:
"Since I left my previous job ___ months ago, I have been working on honing  _________ skills (or learning ______), and I am eager to put these new skills/learning to use."
"I was working in a volunteer capacity with ________, doing __________. As a volunteer, I  __________ (list job skills/duties)."
"I was in school working towards ________ (degree, certificate, etc.), and now am ready to put my education and training to work."
"I temporarily left the work force to provide care for (child, ailing parent, etc.). That responsibility has been completed, and I am ready to resume my career."

BEST of luck, and may you quickly find the job that is a terrific match for both you and your future employer! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Jenny in Florida]

58 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Another option is just not to mention that job on your application.  Since you weren't there very long, it's not particular material to other positions.  The danger is that you might be asked about the 'gap'.  I don't know how that is viewed there.  Around here it is not the fatal problem that it used to be.  

 

22 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

I caution *against* leaving out a job, even if you only had the job for a brief time, because employers don't like to feel mislead by omissions, and wonder WHY you left the job off of your resume. 

 

Yes, the first interview I went on after I had the new job, I sort of obscured the issue and spoke as though I were still in the previous, longer-term position. But I found that was extremely awkward to talk around, especially when I was asked direct questions about my role there and had to answer in the present tense. I just felt icky about it, and I worried that if the potential employer spoke to my previous employer, it would be clear the dates didn't match up.

Also, as part of my short-term job, I needed to update my LinkedIn because that employer used our accounts to promote things we were doing. So anyone who looked at that would see the short-term job listed there.

I don't think leaving the job off applications is a good plan.

[Jenny in Florida]

1 hour ago, ClemsonDana said:

Maybe something about the transition from one-man-shop to company being a difficult transition for everybody, neither you nor your boss were clear about the job description until you actually started, and what the job ended up being wasn't a good fit?  

 

27 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

"Because the previous company was so small, I spent much of my time working on tasks that did not match the actual job description or my skill set."

 

I like both of these a lot. Thank you!

[Liz CA]

2 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

"I found that the company was too small to have development opportunities for my skills.  I enjoyed the experience of wearing a number of different hats, but prefer to be a bit more focussed in building skills that enhance the ones I already have.  And frankly, it turned out to be low level work compared to what I can do, so it just wasn't a good fit."

 

Something like this. Along the lines of "I went as far as I could there and there was no opportunity to move forward."

[ktgrok]

I might just say that the job itself didn't match up with the description provided, and the actual position was not what you were looking for or a good fit for your skills. 

[bolt.]

"My previous position was as a (official title) in a very small owner-operated company. The owner, having built this company from the ground up, had a very independent and entrepreneurial style. As one over his/her earliest employees, it was difficult for both of us to adjust to the things employees need from management." (Pause to see if that's enough.) "Things suffered due to a vague communication, mis-matched expectations, and a degree of impulsive decision making from the owner: which I'm sure is a plus in a single-person entrepreneurial venture, but there were definitely growing pains."

[kbutton]

Maybe something like, "What the employer thought he needed is what he hired me for. What he actually realized he needed later turned out to be different enough that it was not a good fit."