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Hi all, I have never had a problem getting jobs. Somehow they seem to just come to me, and what I am about to ask about has never affected me, to my suprise, I have been able to easily gloss over it and I dont know why (something about my trustworthy face!?).
I was recently recruited for a job I really really want (love it when that happens) but I am afraid this is the first time this little blip will become important.
Long story short -- I had a job with a high profile company working for the military. I only stayed for 7 months. It was extremley good experience (and part of why I still get the calls) but I never know how to fully explain away what happened (Though I seem to have done a good job thus far, with other jobs that do not involve the DOD).
Truth -- I was a young woman, very sharp, all alone, moved across the country for said job. The guy who was my co-consultant (we were alone there with no one else from our company) made my life very difficult, often yelled at me and I knew he was very concerned about his reputation etc, he was a control freak and I really believe he hated that I was younger, a girl, and a bit of a threat. We also had very different personalities anyway. Yes, he did like me 'that way' though I never knew it til I left.
Yes, I left. I was miserable. Our boss who was a civilian employee (not our real boss, but the only one on base that we knew) left -- she was very cool and kept me sane and she understood the dynamic and helped me. She left due to issues with her family and I was left alone with the crazy guy who was constantly trying to make me look and sound stupid at work.
I decided to leave before things got worse. They were getting ugly and I feared the worst.
I went home and told future employers I came home for various reasons, mostly to be with my family, that my mom was ill etc (she was but it was not the main reason, obviously).
Ive since went to grad school and improved my confidence, no longer scared of bullies at work and know how to deal with them.
But I have a very important interview coming up and I KNOW they will ask about this because again, it would be for a DOD assingment, very similiar, and I would again have to move across the country.
Its been 4.5 years. I'm older and more mature and more skilled. But I am not sure the best way to handle this in the interview. I want to convey the fact that I can be trusted not to quit. I've read its not good form to talk about personnel issues at past jobs. But I am not sure if the 'had to go home for family and grad school' thing alone is going to fly this time!
I wouldn't get into details at all, but IF they ask, just say it was a personal issue at the location, that you were afraid would affect the job that was being doing and you felt you needed to leave in the best interest of yourself and the completion of the job. The issue was left behind at that site and has not been a factor sense, nor will it become a factor in the future.
From what you have said here, that would be close I would assume, and accurate about the future.
I would leave much of that out and say you decided to return for graduate work ;in that I assume you are going to work in the field that has to do with that. I wouldn't whine about the tough time with you former workmate.Leaving to return to school is a common thing.
I don't think it's as bad as you think it is. Very normal for people to move far away from home and realize real quick they made a mistake. I would just say you loved the job, loved what you learned there, but all indications pointed to you coming back home - family issues, a desire to attend grad school back home, just being a tad bit homesick. I don't think I would say anything about the jerk. I might even say you would have stayed had the job not been across the country and tried to keep working there and do grad school at night. You might even say you were disappointed about leaving the job because it was such a great opportunity.
I agree w/FND. Too often, we think that others can see right through us as to our motives. You already have two reasons that you stopped working there. Mom, and grad school. They don't need to know the third.
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