Just Tell 'em the Truth

I'm currently working on a resume for a client with a stellar employment background but one major concern. She took a position 6 months ago that she now wishes she hadn't.

The company assured her that they wanted to make great strides in her area of expertise (online marketing) and that she would have complete autonomy over strategy and execution, as well as considerable influence on the budget.

But once she started, it became clear that she was caught in the middle of a feud between the company's President and her boss (the VP of Marketing). She couldn't get an adequate budget, and she found that many of her plans were rejected because of a lack of support from the President. She has been plugging away for 6 months, but the position is far below her capability levels and she is both bored and frustrated, which is why she's decided to look for a new position.

Her question to me was 'how do I address this in interviews?' She's concerned that she has 'failed' and that potential employers will judge her based on this. But she hasn't failed, so much as she just found herself in an impossible situation. Being honest is the best approach.

I already hear people saying 'but you can't be negative in an interview!' That's true, but there's a way to be truthful about the situation without being negative.  For example, my client can explain her decision to leave this way: "the position just didn't work out the way I had expected. It turned out that the President had some very strong objections to online marketing and that he was against my being hired in the first place. If I had known this, I obviously wouldn't have taken the job. Now that I'm there, I've worked hard to make the best of the situation - and I've been able to achieve some successes - but I know I'd be much happier in a company that values online marketing and can really benefit from what I have to offer. That's why I'm so interested in this role ..."

That's not a negative answer - it's an honest one.

The negative answer would be 'well the President is a complete ass and doesn't understand the first thing about online marketing. Plus my boss totally lied to me when she hired me. Oh, and the person in the next cubicle doesn't seem to shower more than once a month. Honestly? I'm mad as hell at the whole situation."

Now that would be a bad answer!