I quit my job without having another position because the culture was toxic. How do I explain to a prospective employer why I left without another job? Will they think I got fired?
Yes, they will. That is the first instinct virtually every prospective employer has whenever someone leaves a job without having another position lined up, because very few people can afford to do that voluntarily without a severance or unemployment package that helps in the transition. The good news is that even if you had been fired, the reality is that with all of the business disruption today, many very talented people find themselves involuntarily unemployed. The market accepts that that’s just normal business. That said, you can rebut that assumption by explaining that you left voluntarily because you wanted to spend all your time looking for the right role and you had the luxury of being able to afford to do that. Complaining about the toxic culture is negative and, even if it’s true, you don’t want to have a negative narrative. Keep it positive.
I don’t have a complex employee-relations issue about crazy co-workers. I have a very basic but important question. How the heck do you answer the question, “What are your greatest strengths?” on job interviews? What are they looking for? Personal strengths, business strengths? Doesn’t everyone repeat the same adjectives?
Correct. Most applicants recycle the same adjectives that only serve to highlight how you sound like most other applicants. Worse is when interviewers ask you to name your top three strengths. I’ve seen applicants sweat over which ones to pick. But here’s the deal: No matter what question is asked, your sole mission in the interview is to differentiate yourself in showcasing why you’d be a great hire. How about saying something like strength of character is most important, because that value transfers to the workplace and drive how people think, make decisions and interact with others? For strengths, give examples of how you’ve demonstrated the skills necessary to actually do the job. Then drop the mike and walk out.
Gregory Giangrande is a chief human resources and communications officer in the media industry. E-mail your career questions to gotogreg@nypost.com. Follow Greg on Twitter: @greggiangrande. His Go to Greg podcast series is available at on iTunes.
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