Whether you get fired, get laid off or quit your job, there will come a time when you will face the interview question “Why did you leave your last job?”  You need to be ready to answer this question in a way that does not bring up red flags with the interviewer.

The answer you should always give: “I left to do x.” And you fill in the x.

What you do with the time between your last job and your next will be very important in answering that question.  Your focus should be on expansion—expansion of knowledge and experience.  This is what you are going to talk about in job interviews.

Right now, finding a job takes on average six months. This is a big chunk of time that you can either put to good use or let waste away.  What will do with your time that you can be proud to discuss during your next interview?

Spending your time wisely and productively is good for you mentally – because doing something meaningful keep our spirits up.

Here are five ways to start your story about what you did with your time off:

1. Start with a Plan.  Write down the projects that you would like to do during your hiatus.  Do not worry about forecasting how long you will be outside the workplace, just write. These projects can be wide ranging, but they have to demonstrate your interest to grow.

2. Do Not Focus on the “Work”, but on the ambition and execution. Pick something that you have always wanted to learn—let’s say you wanted to learn how to play the violin.  You will need to take lessons and you will need to practice.  You will eventually accomplish your dream of playing the violin.  When an interviewer asks you why you left your job, you can tell them about how you gave yourself time to fulfill some of your goals.

3. Start a blog. Blogging is the “In” thing right now and it exhibits to other people that you are up on the technology. Blogging is connection to the working world.  It is a good way to keep up in your industry and you can network without looking desperate. Blogging can be your way to the next job.  Put your thoughts and ideas out there for other people to see; get noticed.  Bloggers are always thinking about issues in their industry and people within that industry are reading those blogs.

4. Start a company. If you have an idea for a company or you have always wanted to start your own company, while you are unemployed what is stopping you?  A friend of mine was known in our circle for his amazing pizza. When he was laid off after several loyal years with the same company, he decided to open up his own pizzeria.  He has now opened up his second location and doing very well.

5. Practice talking about yourself with everyone. Interviewing well takes practice.  Most people never practice, especially with someone else.  Think about what you would want to say about yourself in an interview and talk about it with everyone – the more comfortable you become with telling your story the better you will be when it comes to the real interview.

Your next job will come around and someday down the road you will think back on the time you had away from work.  Make sure that when you do think back on this time you see it as productive and a growing experience. Let go of the loss of your last job.  It’s done, it’s over. It’s time to move forward and start building a new story.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 7:43 pm and is filed under Lay Offs, Work/Life Balance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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