Interview questions and answers are never complete without the question – “Why are you looking for a job change?” Mostly, all other reasons are acceptable, if properly justified, however, when this decision was influenced by unhealthy relationships with the manager or the team, it becomes extremely difficult to justify the cause. In this article, we will discuss specifically about one of the major reasons to look for a change, which is, when an employee doesn’t get along well with the manager or the team members. Unless, it was a case of sexual harassment or worse, as a rule, an interviewee can’t gripe about the current company, manager or the team members, because that would make recruiter suspicious about the candidate’s own behavior, and ability to gel with people around. Even if you are the only right person in the entire company, a recruiter can’t promise you a favorable environment in the new organization, and I believe neither can candidate himself. It also negatively highlights the people handling skills of the employee.
An ideal advice to such a candidate should be to go back, and stop applying. Sit back, and think; analyze the situation. Realign the focus from “Who’s wrong?” to “What’s wrong?” If there is a problem with the manager, fix up a one-to-one meeting. Take feedback, and understand the expectations. Sometimes, rather most of the times, no one is culprit, except the differences in perspectives and expectations. Make the notes or the minutes of the meeting, and assure your manager that you would work on the shortcomings. Once both of you will be on the same page, I am sure that you won’t have to look for another job.
Let’s talk about the differences with team members. I understand that the problem is bigger, because the biggest hindrance is your ego. The first and the most difficult task, is to put your ego aside. Once it is done, go and speak to them, but only in separate meetings. Try, and explore if everyone thinks alike about you. Find out the reasons, but don’t talk about the issues that you face because of them. The key is to change your own behavior, reasonably of course, and starting a spiral of behavior change in the rest for you. As an interview coach and a soft skills trainer, I have mostly observed that team issues vanish very soon if there is leadership support. Leader must always be kept in loop while doing all this so that he or she knows, and recognizes your steps and efforts. At the end of the day, the leader will garner the credits for entire team’s coordination and performance.
Ideas proposed above, were for people, who have a long term career approach, and wish to make things better through right channels. For others, however, the best way is to keep lying until someone believes you.
Good Luck!
Vaibhav Gupta