Page 90 - How To Answer Interview Questions (II)

Job Interview Question 43

If you knew things at your company were rocky, why didn't you get
out sooner?

LOYALTY

You may get asked this question if you were laid off in a massive restructuring, downsizing, or other
shakeup, and you need to have a good answer.

This is a good place to underscore your loyalty to the company you work for:

“I was so focused on doing my job well and taking up the slack where others had left or been laid
off that I just didn’t have the time to look around for another job. I was hoping that it would turn
around, because that was a great company, and a great place to work for many years.”

You would never want to answer this question by giving the idea that you were clueless (“I didn’t
know it was as rocky as it turned out to be”) or helpless (“I tried to look for something else, but no
one else was hiring”). Both of those kinds of answers make you seem weak and less-than-desirable as
a new hire.

Always answer questions like these in a positive way that shows that it was your choice, that you
stayed out of loyalty, and that you fought until the bitter end.