How to talk positively about a negative experience in your next job interview

There are a host of reasons why you might decide to leave your job. Ranging from the easily explainable––you’re ready for your next opportunity and would relish some stretch goals––to the harder to explain: the company is so toxic you’re rapidly developing an allergic reaction.

Then there are other factors too. For example, according to the Pew Research Center, the top reason an employee leaves a job is poor pay. Others leave because they want more learning opportunities, and others still are disengaged or burnt out. Consider also a lack of flexibility for working parents, microaggressions, or feeling disrespected… the list goes on. 

While the average job tenure in the EU is 9.8 years (compared to the median employee tenure in the U.S. at 4.3 years for men and 3.8 years for women), there is a lot of movement in the European labour market, according to a 2022 study from Owl Labs. The study found that 31% of European employees changed jobs in the past two years, and of those who didn’t change jobs, 21% are actively seeking a new opportunity. 

So if you are looking for a new job this year, your reason for leaving matters less than how you present it during the recruitment process. This is because being overly negative about a previous employer can be a red flag for a prospective employer. The thought process goes like this: if you are willing to speak poorly about your current employer, how will you speak about them?

Fudge the truth

This is one area of recruitment where you can actually fudge the truth a little. When asked why you want to leave your current employer, avoid saying it is because you don’t get along with your boss and they are terrible at people management. Instead, explain that you’ve learned a lot in your current position, but are now ready for a new challenge.

Likewise, if your reason for leaving is because you’re being poorly paid, presenting remuneration as your number one priority may come across as not caring about the job, just the salary. Keep your motivation to yourself and let the interviewer know that you’re really impressed with the company, its ethos and products, and would relish the opportunity to become a part of the team.

The secret here is to present your rationale in a positive light. That way you’ll appear professional, engaged, and a great fit for the new role. Ready to practise on a real life recruiter now? The Silicon Canals Job Board contains thousands of exciting career opportunities, like the three below.

Cybersecurity Manager, Northrop Grumman, Cheltenham

Northrop Grumman is hiring a Cybersecurity Manager to be accountable for leading UK cybersecurity compliance and operations, and legal and accreditation frameworks. You’ll lead a team of cybersecurity professionals to optimise and scale operations and will work collaboratively to meet cybersecurity event/incident management and reporting requirements. Extensive experience leading cybersecurity professionals in the defence industry, engaging at VP and director level is required, with a proven track record of effective leadership with excellent interpersonal skills across a wide range of stakeholders. Plus, you’ll need extensive knowledge of UK government security standards ISO27001 and experience with security certifications. Find out all the requirements for this role here.

Senior Software Developer (m/f/d) Java, T-Systems, Wolfsburg

T-Systems works together with customers to change their digital world and help them achieve business success. The company is seeking a Senior Software Developer (m/f/d) Java to be responsible for the conception and specification of system architectures and their implementation for customers. You’ll work with the latest software technologies, developing complex Java EE applications in an agile environment and will plan the development and introduction of large IT systems, acting as the contact person for customers with technical questions. To apply, you’ll need a degree in computer science, or will have completed technical vocational training, or a comparable qualification. At least five years’ of professional experience in agile software development projects, familiarity with Java JEE7/JEE8 or microservice technologies such as EJB, CDI, JPA, JTA, REST and SOAP is also required. Get full information on the job here. 

(Senior) Software Engineer – All Teams (m/f/d), Trade Republic, Berlin

Trade Republic is on a mission to democratise wealth, setting up millions of Europeans for wealth with fast, easy, and free access to capital markets. In addition to learning and growing with a world-class team, the (Senior) Software Engineer – All Teams will build a destination for everyone across Europe to put money to work as part of cross-functional product teams delivering mission-critical features and services. You’ll build and test services and products using modern tools from the JVM ecosystem such as Kotlin, Spring and Vert.x, Hibernate or jOOQ, design cloud services focusing on high availability, low latency and scalability (on top of AWS) and ship products via a CI/CD pipeline based on Github pull requests, Buildkite, and container orchestration. You’ll need three years’ experience in software engineering (preferably in the JVM ecosystem) and you’ll have developed and shipped scalable features within a service oriented architecture. Apply for this role here.

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