How to explain leaving a job or business
If you left a job recently, it's important to have a good story for why you left (be positive, be gracious, and be clear). Don’t over-elaborate on what happened — that may lead to difficult questions. Be able to tell them how you benefited from the position, what you achieved and what your responsibilities were. Even if it was a nightmare situation, highlight what you learned from it. For example, if you had a boss who couldn’t give clear messages, you could reframe the situation, saying that you learned a lot about communication. If you had a huge workload, you could reframe the problem, saying that you learned how to manage multiple competing priorities. Reframing is really all about being able to say “the glass is half full rather than half empty”. If you want to come across well in an interview situation, I suggest you reframe negative experiences into positive learnings.
Key steps to explain a difficult story
Explain what happened in a positive light
Attribute positive intention to those involved
Outline what you learned from the experience
Address possible misunderstandings about what happened
State your current plans with clarity and conviction
How can you explain a business or self-employment that failed? Your story could be something like this, "I started a business in the XYZ industry, doing everything from operations and sales to project management and relationship management. Then, after X years in business, I decided to make the difficult decision of moving on. However, I have to say that I learned so much from the process: I created a business plan, bespoke services, pricing strategies and marketing plans. I did everything from marketing and selling to delivering the services. I built strong relationships with clients by understanding their needs and concerns before going above and beyond to provide an outstanding experience."
EXERCISE: Outline a cohesive narrative using reframing where necessary.