jobs

One of the most common interview questions — and one that easily trips up many candidates — is a simple one: “Why did you leave your previous employer?”

People leave jobs or look for another position while still employed for myriad reasons. Some are admirable, such as having a desire to take on new challenges and grow professionally. Some are innocuously unavoidable, such as moving due to a spouse’s relocation or to care for aging relatives.

But many times we look for a new job for the same reasons that some couples seek a divorce: irreconcilable differences. So, when it comes to that question during the interview, the candidate will have an urge to speak the truth: “My old boss was a jerk.”

Never a good idea, even if your previous supervisor was, in fact, Attila the Hun.

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