How to Answer the Question “Why are You Job-Hunting?”

It is weird how job-seekers can be made to feel bad about the fact that they’re currently unemployed or trying to get out of a bad job, when everybody knows that great people are unemployed or are working in lousy jobs.

I wish that job interviewers would keep in mind that being unemployed doesn’t mean that a person has defects or is undesirable. Look at what has happened in the economy over the past eight years! Almost every large employer underwent huge layoffs during that time. Of course people are unemployed.

We all have to get good at answering the interview question “Why are you job-hunting?” We have to stand back from the question instead of taking offense to it. The question itself is harmless.

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It’s the wrapping the question so often comes in (the interviewer’s raised eyebrow and accusatory tone of voice) that bugs us, but we have to cultivate a confident smile and a quick and breezy response to the question. Not every interviewer we meet will be skilled or adept at conversation.

Here are a few sample answers to the question “Why are you job-hunting?” to get you thinking about your own situation:

Why are you job-hunting now?

I moved up the ranks at Acme Explosives and was running their local distribution center until Acme was sold to Toon Town Industries in April and they closed the warehouse. That’s why I’m looking for something  new.

I was a Senior Contract Administrator at General Hospital from 2011 to last October when they reorganized and cut back staff. Since then I’ve been working on independent projects and enjoying a little time off!

I’m working at Angry Chocolates which has been a fantastic place to work but which doesn’t have any career advancement opportunities for a Marketing person like me, so I’m in search of my next adventure!

If you were laid off from your last job, you have nothing to apologize for or feel embarrassed about. How many working people do you know who have never been laid off or fired? It’s hard to find one! Certainly anybody who has ever taken a career risk has gotten laid off or fired at least once. It’s not a bad thing to change jobs more often than the average person does. You can only grow your muscles by trying new things!

Source: Follow Liz Ryan on LinkedIn