Explaining at interview why I want to get out of management

minifistpump

I'm currently a manager and hate it. It's my first managerial role and a great learning curve but I inherited a difficult team in the midst of disciplinaries for conduct so they have been challenging to say the least! Although I do earn a good salary for it, the stress, extra hours and never switching off just aren't worth it for me. I'm jobhunting at the moment as I'm hoping to relocate, and the roles I'm applying for would have a similar salary bracket but are not managerial roles.

The thing I'm coming up against at interview is why I'm looking to 'get out of management'! They put it more diplomatically but that's the question they're essentially asking, and I'm looking for an answer that doesn't make me look like I have something terrible to hide. The truth is I can't wait to just be part of a team again rather than managing it! Interviewers seem perplexed as to why I'm looking to take a step down careerwise (their words, not mine) and short of regaling them with tales of nightmare employees and being unable to take leave I'm stumped as to how to answer the question.

I'm a hard worker and have excelled on paper in my current role, but at the cost of my wellbeing and personal life. Another management role may be different but for now I'm happy to take a step back from being a manager. How would you package that to an interviewer?

Teyla Emmagan

I'm sure there are better ways to handle the issue, but why don't you roll your CV back to when you were a team member and not the team lead? Or say that you were doing the manager role while x was on maternity and now you have your old role back and with the extra experience are looking for a new opportunity.

I'm sure whoever promoted you did so because you are capable, so with a different team you might love the job. On the other hand, management roles can be a pain in the backside :-)

minifistpump

Thanks for the reply. I was recruited externally to the management position so have no prior involvement with the company and as most employers seem to insist on the most recent employer being a reference I can't really downplay too much what my role is.

You're right, with a different team it would probably be better!

Mr. Loverman

If you were an engineer type you could say you have realised you far prefer engineering to management.

As an engineering type who moved into management, I would believe you.

cml387

What I would say is that my great strengths are in hands-on role and that you felt that while you enjoyed (!) the managerial role it was getting you away from that close involvement.

BizzyC

Just say something along the lines of

"While I'm glad to have been given the opportunity and challenge of taking on managerial responsibilities in my current position, my interest has always been [insert field here] first and foremost.
So, while management roles do offer some obvious advantages, my priority is to find a role that will continue to provide a challenge at a core [insert field here] basis within [insert relocation area here], with management exposure as an added bonus."

Don't tell anyone that you didn't like management or want to get away from it.
Makes it look like you lack ambition/drive, not good things for a prospective employer.

Mr. Loverman

I think a lot of managers regret moving into management.

I think they will be able to empathise, unless they are the jealous begrudgery types, which they might be.

Eoin

What industry are you in? In some areas, you can be senior without managing people - especially if it's an engineering role as Mr Loverman says.

What are your career paths if you do move back to being a team member?

_Kaiser_

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

I think a lot of managers regret moving into management.

It does have it's issues alright..

- Getting anything done can be painfully slow sometimes
- Meetings about meetings
- Politics ramps up significantly (especially a pain if you'd always managed to avoid that side previously)
- Never being truly "off work" anymore (at least not if you plan to get any further)
- Managing staff can be challenging, especially keeping them motivated after they're there a while

That said though, for me the alternative would have been to pump thousands I didn't have into training courses every year so I could compete with graduates who are willing/able to do the same job for 50% less - not quite as easy when you have bills and responsibilities. I was also tired of crawling under desks/into crawlspaces chasing cabling or swearing at some piece of software/hardware that just wouldn't do what it was supposed to, or having a simple 10 minute job turn into an all-day nightmare.

Plus, it can be rewarding if you own whatever it is you're responsible for. Sure that means the buck stops with you, but it also means you get to define exactly how things are done to deliver on the requirement. Nothing worse than unrealistic targets set by someone who doesn't understand what you do.

I'm half-looking as well for a role that would be better located for my family needs but it's even tougher going at this level I think, especially as every company is even more different the higher up you go and personalities play a bigger role.

If anyone has any use for a used (occasionally abused!) IT Manager let me know

minifistpump

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. I'm not in engineering or IT (sadly), I work in programme management for a semi state. The main part of my role that is not for me is people management - I'm a people person but I wouldn't be a natural leader as they say. Coupled with the team I inherited it has been a miserable slog. My predecessor leaving without working his notice should have been my first clue.

I enjoy the policy decisions, the meetings, managing projects, budgets, complaints, you name it. Except people. I have no desire to manage a team ever again at this point! I know I've been unfortunate with the team but it's been a real eye opener all the same. If I were to go back a step it would be to programme officer/analyst.

Eoin

Are there not at project/programme management roles that don't require people management? So it's not a step down as such, but more focussing on the actual project/programme delivery.

My main experience with PM is in IT, but very few of the PMs I've worked with have had direct reports. Perhaps it's different in your industry though.