HELP! Interview later today, need to know how I explain...

[emsiewill]

...why I want to leave my job when I've only been here a year.

I am currently working in a small business where it's me and 1 other person. She approached me last year at a time when I was starting to think it was time to make a move from my last job, where I'd been for 6 years, but was very much in my comfort zone, and where there were no real prospects for advancement. Redundancies had just been announced, and the future wasn't looking too bright, so I decided to take a chance and throw my lot in with this woman.

At first, things went well. I was thrown in at the deep end, as the girl I was taking over from had to finish 3 weeks early, as she went into labour in the office, 3 days after I started! However, I think I coped well, and managed to keep things running.

My boss is the qualified / authorised person in the business, and I am basically doing everything else - which is great in terms of the experience I am getting, and the things I am learning.

SO, (I hear you asking) what's the problem? Well, the office is based in my bosses house - which has been having a lot of work done to it, plus her elderly parents also live here. Not long after I started, her husband announced that he wanted a divorce, and that he was going to move back to the US. These things have of course meant that my boss has not been as focussed on the business as she could have been, but apart from that, she is the most disorganised person I have ever met.

She is useless at issuing clear instructions, leaving me to have to guess what she wants me to do half the time, or constantly ask, which makes me feel like I am incompetent. I have tried to introduce some systems and processes into the business, but I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall, as she is enthusiastic at first, but then goes on doing things her way, which is extremely frustrating. She is easily distracted, starts one thing, thinks of something else and moves onto that, stops doing that to start something else...you get the picture.

Also, the job itself is not what I really imagined it was going to be - she wants me to do more selling than I thought, and it's just not me.

These are the main reasons I want to leave. I don't dislike her as a person, and I feel bad that I will be letting her down by leaving, she took me on hoping that I would help her grow her business, and I feel I am just costing her money.

But how do I explain this all in an interview without sounding like I'm just slagging her off, and without making myself sound like a complete loser?

HELP!

None of this makes you sound like a loser!
I think if you focus less on the boss and more on the specific job-related issues you'll be fine - e.g. the job-spec has changed since you took the job and involves more selling, you feel that the time spent selling inhibits the development of your other strengths, you're concerned that the job will not allow you a chance to develop your skills etc. And a year is a reasonable amount of time to stick with a job - it's not like you're quitting after a few months. Plus you can make it seem less like you're leaving the job because you hate it and more like you're leaving the job because you're so enthusiastic about this great opportunity to work for Company X, IFSWIM. Good luck!

whatever you do not, dont put down your present job too much as it will make you look desperate to leave. I got turned down for a post for this. As hassled said, It should be more about why you want this post, rather than why you want to leave other.

good luck, let us know how you go

Thanks Hassled and emandjules.

The agency who put me forward for the job have obviously already asked me this question, and I said that I had realised that there were limited opportunities for progression where I am currently - and also that I had realised that working with just one other person was "difficult if your working styles don't match".

I don't know if that is too much to say in an actual interview, though.

Anyone else?

hi! in interviews, the people who come across as ones we really want to employ are ones who have a bit of info about what the job they're applying for involves, and show themselves as enthusiastic to learn. just pull out "well i've got experience of doing xx from my current post" - no comment on why you're leaving. it stands to logic that to be applying for a new job, you have reasons to leave your old one, but be wise and use the 'would like to progress / learn new skills / work in xx environment (office/hospital/centre)' lines rather than referring back to current issues with your employer. if they ask you directly (though they probably shouldn't, these things are usually on the application form and no need to discuss at interview) just say that you would like to use your skills in a new environment and move quickly on to asking what training they provide
Remember, interviewing is a two-way process, if you get some stuff in mind to ask them you will feel more in control!

BTW, i don't think i would refer to 'difficulties'/ styles not matching; whilst this was an appropriate answer to the agency, i think that you'd be better to say "i would like to ...." (work as part of a team etc) which implies pretty much the same but is positive rather than picking out difficulties, in the way that you put it.IYSWIM. you can also say that you value communication, organisational skills, and you feel that you can analyse the working context (bla bla) if such a question crops up, which again refers to your skills rather than any negative points about your current employer.
HTH

Thks for the advice - will focus more on how I've learnt so much from this job, but would like the opportunity to learn more and progress further.

depending on your job, you could say that - whilst you ar happy to work on own and own initiative you miss working within a team and being a team player

It is actually true that I really miss working with a variety of people, if my boss is out there's only the cats for company here...as well as her dad who pops in occasionally with his stories of Dunkirk...

I am literally in the middle of nowhere here, a big house in the country, which is nice, but v isolated.

The job I'm going for will be working directly with only 1 other person, but within a larger team of people, which will be different, I hope.

Agree with everyone else, avoid negatives. A year isn't that bad anyway. It sounds like you have lots of positive reasons for things you hope to gain from the new job as well. Definitely don't say about difficult working with one other person if working styles are different. That sounds like 'I don't get on with my boss', which isn't something a new employer wants to hear.

Good luck

Well, I don't know why I was worrying, it was a very casual interview - done by someone who obviously wasn't used to doing them, and who hadn't really had time to read through my CV etc.

He didn't even ask the dreaded question, didn't seem at all bothered about why I wanted to leave...

As to how it went overall, I think it was quite positive, but for me the real downside is that it is full time (9-5:30), and I currently work 9-3, so will involve a big change in our lives, which I'm not sure I really want to make...I should hear soon one way or the other, I hope.