Landing on Your Feet

If you have been working for any number of years it is likely that you have had one of the following things happen to you. Your company is down sizing, it has merged or been acquired or you have been fired. In the past it was common for one to work their entire career at a single company. Today, not only is it common to change jobs frequently, some believe it is a great way to maximize your salary and career advancement. There are some who switch jobs every two-three years because they are no longer interested in the work they are doing. Whatever the circumstances might be you will be interviewing for the next job and asked "why did you leave your last job?" If fired, the natural tendency is to become defensive. Once you do your body language will project this immediately. Look for the positive in the situation. Perhaps there was a large number of employees that were released. You can explain that it wasn't just you and the question is satisfied. If the acquiring company brought in it's management team and didn't consider your skill set it's hard to say you did anything wrong. Remember to be prepared for the question, have a good answer so you are not caught off guard. Focus on the positives and you will be on to your next question without missing a beat.