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A few years ago I immigrated to another country and early last year I managed to get my master's degree. Back then I was desperately looking for a job and I was fortunate to get offered a job in a small software development company. For the record, back in my home company, I was a well-known developer with a very good track record and I used to work as a senior developer and team leader for a software development company.

Now after more than 1 year, for both technical and non-technical reasons I want to leave my current job. I can tolerate some of the technical problems we have but our manager and team leader are constantly disrespecting me and communicate with me in an offensive and belittling manner and for times and times this has made me feel depressed, anxious, stressed, and what not.

Now my question is, how should a person in my situation, respond to "why are you leaving your current job?". Obviously I cannot say "because my manager is a psycho who is disrespecting me and offending me all the time and I have had enough". How do you think I should respond to questions like this?

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You could say that your current job is not challenging enough and you feel that you could do more than your job allows. Therefore, you are looking for new oportunities.

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  • This is the best advice. I would be very very careful with blaming your manager in an interview it could be misinterpreted.
    – OemerA
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 11:57
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    +1: NEVER air dirty laundry in a job interview. It just makes you look like an unpleasant, negative person.
    – Satanicpuppy
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 16:28
  • @Satanicpuppy, but it is best to explain the real reasons for leaving, in order to prevent burnout 2.0 If the new company is no different, then they will reject the new candidate.
    – Job
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 22:13
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    @job: That's why you take your prospective coworkers out for a beer later. There is nothing wrong with being honest, but don't be negative. Managers imbibe that "power of positive thinking" crap with their breakfast cereal every morning.
    – Satanicpuppy
    Commented Sep 10, 2011 at 0:26
  • Really late to the party here, but I think that saying "I am seeking a better fit for my personality and skillset" could be professional yet straightforward.
    – user26452
    Commented Jun 21, 2013 at 0:41
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It's important to be honest in situations like these but you also don't want to seem petty. Don't go into too much detail but explain that your current manager isn't professional and you don't feel respected in the company. Give one quick (not too extreme) example of how they have been unprofessional in the past.

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Don't mention the manager issues.

Say you wanted to expand your horizons, work in more challenging workplace with more career potential or some such.

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    That answer will just make them think he did something wrong
    – Tom Squires
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 10:53
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    Complaining about your first and only manager will make you him look like a potential problem. I don't see your point - people don't move jobs? more money? better conditions? more potential?
    – Jonno
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 10:57
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I don't think you need to mention anything about your previous manager issue.

You can just simply tell the interviewee

  1. don't like to work on the technology that your previous company possess
  2. the current's job salary is very low
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  • #2 is the best possible way to offend the interviewer. His immediate question will be "So you will leave us too as soon as you find an even higher paying job???"
    – Yasir
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 11:19
  • @Yasir: perhaps we can say ...the current job's salary is too low for me and it is not acceptable.
    – Kit Ho
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 11:35
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    @Yassir: every reason can be used this way. 'So you leave us as soon as you [get bored by our technologies|disagree with our decisions|move somewhere where you have a longer commute|...]'. An interviewer who thinks a job is a marriage is a bad sign.
    – keppla
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 11:54
  • @Yasir - companies wouldn't offer higher paying jobs if they didn't think it would attract quality candidates. Unless you've choosen to live on the street, don't tell me money insn't a factor during an interview. That would offend me.
    – JeffO
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 12:07
  • My point is that saying anything like this will make you look like money is TOO important for you. Its fine as long as it is VERY important but when you say this, it is TOO important. @keppla When you say "everyone was racist at my current company" the interviewer won't say "so you will leave us when we become racist too". The point is that money has a slightly different impression than other things... OR may be this is just my point of view. Do let me know if I am taking the whole thing wrong.
    – Yasir
    Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 12:17
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From my limited experience I would say be honest but phrase it in a professional way, so say things such as, “I disagreed with some of my manager’s decisions at a technical level, but I know that those decisions had to have nontechnical issues factored into them.” and so on.

Don't moan or appear over-critical/personal as that will not help you at all.

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