The Laid Off IT Guy! The Career Consultant

Instead of leaving town for the reality break that I craved having just been fired, I kept a networking lunch that I had previously scheduled.  I received such encouragement from one of my mentors there that I decided to seek additional counsel. 

I was told at my termination meeting to “update my resume’”.  Ha!  I didn’t have a resume.  I hadn’t been on the job market since 1997!  I think technology has changed a bit since then.  I sought the advice of a Career Consultant; a person, whose job it is to help me find a job.  Interesting…

So, I’m on my way to meet with the Career Consultant.  The first concern of mine in the car on the way there was how to address the dreaded question, “So why did you leave?”  Well, that’s an easy one if you chose to leave, but in the circumstances of being surprisingly let go, I still don’t understand the answer I was given. How on earth was I going to explain it to someone else?

I was so pleased that the manual they provided me addressed that concern right up front.  Sometimes your personal reasons for leaving, and/or why the company has undergone the changes that impacted your job, may not serve you well on your job search.

I think you’ll like some of their answers:

Business Reasons                                   Individual Reasons
Reduction in force                                   Didn’t get along with the boss
Merger/Acquisition                                 Didn’t fit into the culture of the company
Reorganization                                        Said/did the wrong thing at the wrong time
New management brought in                 Didn’t get along with subordinates/peers
Projects cancelled                                   Not suited for the job
Headquarters being moved                     Burned out-bored, overworked, stressed, etc.
Buy Out                                                    Personal situation

Let me hear from you.  Post some additional creative reasons for leaving.