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Five Good Answers To 'Why Are You Job-Hunting?'

This article is more than 6 years old.

Dear Liz,

I can't stand my job and I'm desperate to get a new one. Luckily I've got three headhunters sending me job opportunities but I haven't found the right job yet.

A lot of the jobs they send me are too low-level for my background, and some of them are located too far away from my apartment.

I have trouble with the question "Why are you job-hunting?" that comes up at almost every interview.

I don't want to say "I'm job-hunting because I hate my job" but that's the truth.

I don't want to say "My current company isn't doing well" because it isn't true and it also doesn't speak well of me to suggest that I'm afraid of getting laid off or losing my job.

What do  you suggest?

Thanks,

Keenan

Dear Keenan,

Here are five ways to answer the common interview question "Why are you job-hunting?"

Why are you job-hunting?

I loved my job at Acme Explosives and learned a ton for the first two years, but now the company is going in a different direction that doesn't make as much sense for my career progress -- so I'm looking at new opportunities, like this one.

Why are you job-hunting?

I worked at Angry Chocolates for four years until last December, when they closed their Edible Nail Polish division and I left the company along with my team. Since then I've been doing a little consulting, networking and looking at other cool companies in the area -- including yours!

Why are you job-hunting?

I helped to build a great Customer Service program at Wiggly Devices but it's more of a maintenance job now, whereas I'm looking for another big challenge. This opportunity really spoke to me because you're launching a new call center, and that's my specialty.

Why are you job-hunting?

I worked at the community college in Admissions and realized that I really like helping people sort through their career issues. Admissions gave me a taste of that activity but not enough of it -- that's why I'm applying for this Career Counselor job in your agency.

Why are you job-hunting?

I retired from my job at the post office in 2015 and had a great time doing creative projects and helping my daughter and son-in-law with their small kids. After a couple of years though, I got bored and decided to go back to work. Now I'm excited about helping a company run their office so things are smooth and low-stress -- that's the kind of work I love!

End of Script

When you get the question "Why are you job-hunting?" the most important thing to remember is that you have nothing to apologize for. Your background is incredible -- but only when you see it that way!

Before you can confidently answer the question "Why are you job-hunting?" you may need to think through your career story and turn it over in your mind until it feels solid and worthy to you.

The question is just a question. It's not an accusation ("What's wrong with your current job?" or "How dare you be unemployed?") unless you interpret it that way. Your answer will reflect your confidence in your own story.

Growing your job-search mojo is a job-seeker's most important job -- whether you're trying to get out of a bad situation or you're unemployed right now.

Because you feel desperate to get a new job quickly, you're  likely to carry more apologetic, grovelly feelings into your interviews than is healthy. The more you focus on your job search as a long-term project that may move slowly at times, the less your current workplace will bother you.

Your focus will turn in a different direction. People around you at work may notice. That's okay. It doesn't matter. Your eyes are fixed on the prize -- and you won't settle for just any job offer when you know you're worth much more!

All the best,

Liz

 

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