Who to justify answer about frequent job change in an Interview? Frequently changing jobs in a brief span of time may caution your potential employer about your retention, if a job offer is made. Many professionals change their jobs because they find better growth opportunities or the new job pays better. Learning about the interview questions on frequent job changes helps you give impressive answers. In this article, we review a variety of interview questions about frequent job changes and their example answers to help you prepare well alongside exploring some tips that you may keep in mind to succeed in the interview.
We at gradjobopenings.com provide free job alerts of freshers job drives. In this website we list on campus job openings for freshers and off campus job openings for freshers and also work from home job openings. This is the best website to apply for off campus drive in India. Visit our website for government job alerts and private job alerts. We also list free interview notes and study materials, one of the best interview study website.comfortable to face the interviews:
Interview questions about frequent job changes
Interview questions about frequent job changes may not always be easy. Such questions require you to thoughtfully prepare answers that highlight your skills, goals and character. Here are some commonly asked interview questions about recurring job changes with answers:
1. What is the reason behind you changing jobs so frequently?
A suitable answer to this question allows you to explain the valid reasons as to why you left previous jobs. You may have changed jobs to pursue a better opportunity, get a higher salary or a promotion. Consider giving a balanced answer that supports your reason.
Example: ‘In the past two years, I have changed three jobs. With each job, my expectation was to expand my knowledge base and learn the nuances of the industry. In the previous organisations, my knowledge curve has not been steep. A few months into each job, I realised that I was not engaged in meaningful work. The work that my managers assigned also did not add value to my career aspirations. Collectively, these factors made me change jobs as I wanted to grow professionally and work with an organisation that helps me move ahead in my career.’
2. What are your career goals?
Through this question, the interviewer wants to understand if you have set some career goals. In the answer, include points that highlight your will to learn and grow. Consider mentioning how you plan to achieve your career goals.
Example: ‘I prefer to match my career goals with my individual capabilities. My career plan guides me to develop a strategy that helps me determine my skills and interests, set career goals and take actions that may help me reach them. I consider looking for opportunities where I can fully utilise my skills or gain desired experience. I wish to take part actively and positively in conferences and events that apply to my industry. I also want to learn objective-setting techniques. These techniques may help me determine what all is going well, what is behind schedule and explore solutions to problems.
I am also aware of the SMART goal-setting method, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. This methodology helps me simplify my goals by setting smaller milestones that I can comfortably achieve. The SMART methodology allows me to set short-term and long-term goals and find out ways through which I am able to measure or track my progress.’
3. Have the job changes added value to your career goals?
Through this question, the interviewer intends to learn more about your career goals. List some factors to show how frequent job changes added value to your professional journey. Consider including points that show you are a career-driven professional.
Example: ‘My last couple of job roles were not conducive to me to enhance my skills or gain industry knowledge significantly. Even in these jobs, I worked with honesty and integrity. Every experience is a learning opportunity and with these jobs too, I managed to learn many things. Sometimes, there were episodes of mismanagement. I was always quick to take part in problem-solving sessions.
When I changed jobs frequently because of dissatisfaction, I was also able to work on my patience. I kept faith in my abilities and patiently looked for a better opportunity to enhance my industry-specific knowledge to realise my career goals.’
4. If another organisation offers you a higher salary, will you consider leaving this position?
Here, the interviewer wants to know your course of action if another company offers you a better pay package. Give a thoughtful answer to this question to impress the interviewer. Consider mentioning the factors that make your work meaningful apart from money.
Example: ‘Being a person who is keen on adding value to my professional journey, I look for work that is meaningful. Meaningful work has autonomy, complexity and a correlation between effort and reward. Money is only one aspect of work and while evaluating an opportunity, I try to understand from the interviewer the other important aspects of the job apart from money.’
Example answers about top reasons for job changes
The answer to the question regarding the reason behind frequent job changes includes several situations, like an individual was not getting a higher pay or simply did not get chances to grow in their previous organisations. Each individual may have their own reasons. Examining some of the situations helps you present appropriate explanations. Here are some scenarios that contribute to frequent job changes along with their sample answers:
Individuals looking for a better pay
Money plays a significant role in job satisfaction. When the salary is satisfactory, an individual may not look for another job opportunity. Sometimes, a low salary may be one of the main reasons for a job change.
Example: ‘I believe that my compensation has to align not only with market standards but also takes into consideration the time and value that I offer the company to meet its business objectives. With rising inflation and cost of living, my family’s healthcare expenses are also rising, which I have to plan for. A satisfactory compensation also enables me to plan my personal financial goals better.’
Individuals looking for better opportunities
Sometimes an individual signs up for a job, but soon realises that the role is not aligning with their career goals. To enhance your skills, you look for better opportunities. If this is your case, then consider mentioning in your answer how you enjoy challenging roles to grow in your career.
Example: ‘I worked with a multinational corporation for over four years. Initially, the role was challenging, but with time, I felt comfortable achieving the company’s goals. I quickly realised that to grow, I need a more challenging role. To find such a role, I changed a number of jobs. In these companies, I did not find my work exciting and meaningful. I appear for this interview because I feel that this organisation may provide me with challenges that help me enhance my skills and abilities as a digital marketer.’
Individuals looking for promotions and career advancement
Working with an organisation for a number of years and not getting a promotion is one of the major reasons why people change their jobs. If this is your case, in your explanation, mention how important it is for you to advance in your career. Remain focused on your professional growth.
Example: ‘I am a career-driven individual who is always looking for growth opportunities. I worked with my last organisation for two years and did not receive much appreciation for my efforts from the management. My performance was outstanding and colleagues found me to be dependable and hardworking, but because of management reasons, I was unable to get a promotion. After that, I took up another job where something similar happened because the company made some losses the year I had joined in. As I want to progress in my career, I am appearing for this interview focusing on career advancement and personal growth.’
Individuals looking for a healthy work-life balance
A good work-life balance allows you to stay physically and mentally healthy. Many people leave their respective jobs when they realise they are feeling overworked. Having a good balance between work and life also allows you to spend time with your family members.
Example: ‘My past couple of jobs paid well and allowed me to challenge my abilities, but the amount of work required me to put in extra hours almost daily. This resulted in fatigue and I was also not able to time-off after working hours. After some time, I started feeling exhausted. It was then when I realised that I may look for another job that allows me to work at a comfortable pace and leaves me with enough time which I can spend with my family.’
Tips for answering questions during a job change
If you are preparing for an interview during a job change, you may keep these tips in mind:
- Be positive. When talking about potentially negative situations, give an answer that highlights your positive perspective and problem-solving skills.
- Be direct. When talking about potential drawbacks or lack of skills, be direct about them and explain how you are willing to develop new skills.
- Be enthusiastic. During a job change, enthusiasm and motivation may help you show the potential employer that you are excited about the new role.
- Be specific. When talking about your previous work experience, use numbers and references that help you present the interviewer with your in-depth evaluation of your performance.
