Quit my job due to family issue

Th3N3xtLife

hello all
i recently left my employer due to a death in the family as i thought at the time i would need 1 to 2 months off due to family commitments which ended up been shorter that i though.

i have an interview today and was wondering how i could say this so the interviewer will inderstand

Enright

How about the truth? Best of luck in the interview.

Hoboo

Th3N3xtLife wrote: »

hello all
i recently left my employer due to a death in the family as i thought at the time i would need 1 to 2 months off due to family commitments which ended up been shorter that i though.

i have an interview today and was wondering how i could say this so the interviewer will inderstand

First things first, how long did it end up being?
Did you leave on good terms?
Did you give fair or agreed notice?

whomitconcerns

Be straight with it. We have all been through it or will go through it. It's never easy and everyone can understand.

OMM 0000

Th3N3xtLife wrote: »

hello all
i recently left my employer due to a death in the family as i thought at the time i would need 1 to 2 months off due to family commitments which ended up been shorter that i though.

i have an interview today and was wondering how i could say this so the interviewer will inderstand

Just tell them exactly what you told us.

No need to overthink things.

Hoboo

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Just tell them exactly what you told us.

No need to overthink things.

Do that, and next questions will be;

How long did it end up being for?
Did you leave on good terms?
Did you give fair or agreed notice?

No interviewer worth their salt will accept the OPs original story with zero detail. They can't understand something with next to no information.

OMM 0000

Hoboo wrote: »

Do that, and next questions will be;

How long did it end up being for?
Did you leave on good terms?
Did you give fair or agreed notice?

No interviewer worth their salt will accept the OPs original story with zero detail. They can't understand something with next to no information.

I find it very hard to believe even 20% of interviewers will ask those questions.

Certainly I've never been asked those questions, ever, and I've had probably 30 interviews in my life.

Interviews aren't interrogations, no interviewer "worth their salt" is going to grill you on why you left your previous job. They might ask why you left, and then that's it.

seamus

"Did you leave on good terms", "Did you give fair notice", are not questions an interviewer will ask. The candidate is always going to say that they did.

Nobody is going to say, "I had a barney with my boss because he made a mistake on the rosters for the tenth time, so I called him a stupid prick and walked out".

"I had a family bereavement and felt like I needed more time off than was fair to ask of my employer, so I gave in my notice", pretty much covers everything.

OMM 0000

seamus wrote: »

"Did you leave on good terms", "Did you give fair notice", are not questions an interviewer will ask. The candidate is always going to say that they did.

Nobody is going to say, "I had a barney with my boss because he made a mistake on the rosters for the tenth time, so I called him a stupid prick and walked out".

Hoboo claims to be a HR director. :rolleyes:

Rows Grower

Hoboo wrote: »

First things first, how long did it end up being?
Did you leave on good terms?
Did you give fair or agreed notice?

Don't be so nosy.

seamus

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Hoboo claims to be a HR director. :rolleyes:

They're certainly questions a recruitment consultant will ask. They want to find if there are any dodgy/missing references or cover stories that need to be invented.

But I've never asked or been asked those questions in an interview.

Rows Grower

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Hoboo claims to be a HR director. :rolleyes:

I didn't know that but I love these Walter Mitty type posters, very entertaining without meaning to be.

OMM 0000

Rows Grower wrote: »

I didn't know that but I love these Walter Mitty type posters, very entertaining without meaning to be.

Although HR is probably the most useless role in a company, often staffed with complete idiots, so who knows...

Rows Grower

If the job is to be offered references will be checked, that's it.

Rows Grower

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Although HR is probably the most useless role in a company, often staffed with complete idiots, so who knows...

A lot of them are idiots I agree but I don't think any of them are stupid enough to boast about it on a public forum.

Hoboo

Hoboo wrote: »

Do that, and next questions will be;

How long did it end up being for?
Did you leave on good terms?
Did you give fair or agreed notice?

No interviewer worth their salt will accept the OPs original story with zero detail. They can't understand something with next to no information.

Ignore this, there is absolutely no way you'll be asked that and if you are it's probably a place you don't want to be working.

OMM 0000

Ernesto Victorious Tether wrote: »

Ignore this, there is absolutely no way you'll be asked that and if you are it's probably a place you don't want to be working.

It's like they're trying to warn you it's a toxic work environment.

whomitconcerns

Hoboo wrote: »

Do that, and next questions will be;

How long did it end up being for?
Did you leave on good terms?
Did you give fair or agreed notice?

No interviewer worth their salt will accept the OPs original story with zero detail. They can't understand something with next to no information.

That’s just not true. If I don’t trust someone’s answers in an interview I don’t hire them, simple. I’m not going to request a death certificate to validate.

I have interviewed and hired hundreds of sales people over the years. I would ask why someone left but the above reason would be ok for me, once it made sense in greater sense of interview.

And if it didn’t, then no second interview

IAMAMORON

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Although HR is probably the most useless role in a company, often staffed with complete idiots, so who knows...

You should maybe consider a career in HR?

Thoie

Th3N3xtLife wrote: »

hello all
i recently left my employer due to a death in the family as i thought at the time i would need 1 to 2 months off due to family commitments which ended up been shorter that i though.

i have an interview today and was wondering how i could say this so the interviewer will inderstand

Possibly too late (best of luck with the interview!) but I'd just say something like

"There was a complicated situation around a family bereavement, which originally looked like my full time presence would be needed for months. Thankfully the issue was resolved earlier than anticipated, and I'm now available for full time work again."

If it was something like you thought you might have to become a full time carer, but other arrangements were made, and you're comfortable sharing that, just say it outright.

Hoboo

seamus wrote: »

"Did you leave on good terms", "Did you give fair notice", are not questions an interviewer will ask. The candidate is always going to say that they did.

Nobody is going to say, "I had a barney with my boss because he made a mistake on the rosters for the tenth time, so I called him a stupid prick and walked out".

"I had a family bereavement and felt like I needed more time off than was fair to ask of my employer, so I gave in my notice", pretty much covers everything.

Seamus these questions aren't asked to get a specific or correct answer, they're asked for cross referencing, during interview and post interview with both candidate and referee/ex employer.

That answer may get them through the question, it won't get them the job of there's more to it. Which is the point.

Questions aren't just asked for an answer, and it's why interviewing is not just a about asking questions.

The OP didn't provide enough info to be advised how to answer, and what they've now been advised is nothing more than what the fella down the pub, from his experience, would say.

There's a reason I stay out of these threads usually, it gravitates to unqualified opinion, name calling, group think and a fair bit of inverted snobbery.

wally1990

How did the interview go OP??

OMM 0000

Hoboo wrote: »

Seamus these questions aren't asked to get a specific or correct answer, they're asked for cross referencing, during interview and post interview with both candidate and referee/ex employer.

That answer may get them through the question, it won't get them the job of there's more to it. Which is the point.

Questions aren't just asked for an answer, and it's why interviewing is not just a about asking questions.

The OP didn't provide enough info to be advised how to answer, and what they've now been advised is nothing more than what the fella down the pub, from his experience, would say.

There's a reason I stay out of these threads usually, it gravitates to unqualified opinion, name calling, group think and a fair bit of inverted snobbery.

This makes no sense.

All you need to do is check references and if the employer says the person didn't give notice then you can follow up with the employee.

Instead you're treating the interview like a police interrogation.

Rows Grower

Hoboo wrote: »

Seamus these questions aren't asked to get a specific or correct answer, they're asked for cross referencing, during interview and post interview with both candidate and referee/ex employer.

That answer may get them through the question, it won't get them the job of there's more to it. Which is the point.

Questions aren't just asked for an answer, and it's why interviewing is not just a about asking questions.

The OP didn't provide enough info to be advised how to answer, and what they've now been advised is nothing more than what the fella down the pub, from his experience, would say.

There's a reason I stay out of these threads usually, it gravitates to unqualified opinion, name calling, group think and a fair bit of inverted snobbery.

Hmmmmm, maybe this guy does actually work in HR.

Hoboo

Hoboo wrote: »

Seamus these questions aren't asked to get a specific or correct answer, they're asked for cross referencing, during interview and post interview with both candidate and referee/ex employer.

That answer may get them through the question, it won't get them the job of there's more to it. Which is the point.

Questions aren't just asked for an answer, and it's why interviewing is not just a about asking questions.

The OP didn't provide enough info to be advised how to answer, and what they've now been advised is nothing more than what the fella down the pub, from his experience, would say.

There's a reason I stay out of these threads usually, it gravitates to unqualified opinion, name calling, group think and a fair bit of inverted snobbery.

There's no requirement for an old employer to provide a reference or go into these details. If you ask a candidate for a referee they're obviously going to pick someone who has a favourable opinion of them. So I really am curious who you'd expect to be speaking to this about in detail.

As for unqualified opinion, do you think you're the only person in the thread who has conducted an interview or made a hiring decision?

IAMAMORON

Hoboo wrote: »

Seamus these questions aren't asked to get a specific or correct answer, they're asked for cross referencing, during interview and post interview with both candidate and referee/ex employer.

That answer may get them through the question, it won't get them the job of there's more to it. Which is the point.

Questions aren't just asked for an answer, and it's why interviewing is not just a about asking questions.

The OP didn't provide enough info to be advised how to answer, and what they've now been advised is nothing more than what the fella down the pub, from his experience, would say.

There's a reason I stay out of these threads usually, it gravitates to unqualified opinion, name calling, group think and a fair bit of inverted snobbery.

Not all employers are looking to employ critical analysts either, they usually have one of those, they can be easy enough to find.

If I want someone to sell lots of my product I am looking for someone affable, organised and someone who can spoof with impunity. That last trait is never available via cross reference. More often than not a business needs a seat filled and fast. It is basically down to the employer liking the candidate, the rest is just the spoof and waffle they tell HR to tidy up afterwards when proving the psychometric test. All appointments are a shot in the dark at the end of the day. You can dress up the interview anyway you like.

Experts like you are well of this?

Just saying.

Tony EH

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Although HR is probably the most useless role in a company, often staffed with complete idiots, so who knows...

And they have far, far, too much power these days.

Th3N3xtLife

just to let you know i am the OP of this thread, interview went fine , they didnt ask why i left my previous employer , thanks for the replys