Posted By Adrian Watson
You left for career development reasons.

Regards Adrian Watson

Posted By ITK CMIOSH
Honesty is not the best policy in this instance.

Say "I am looking for a new challenge which working for your company would provide."

Posted By Jim Walker
Never ever slag off a previous employer.
You can easily do this without lying, not telling the whole truth is not a lie.

If you need to comment on previous jobs, think of something (that is true) that was good about previous jobs.

As others have said, you want to develop & stretch yourself.

Posted By John Watson
Merv

I agree and would like to think you are right. I would still ask to see what my ref looked
like though. Forewarned is forearmed!

Regards

John

Posted By Pete48
My understanding of the term "bullying" is that it is "repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful person by a more powerful person".
As the previous employer did not accept that bullying took place; the description in the post is a personal one that says the person "felt bullied". Although they may well have been the victim of bullying in reality; it was neither proven nor accepted. Therefore it is only an allegation or personal perception. To mention as "bullying" in an interview is to be perceived as "winging" or "carrying a chip".
(If the bullying had been proven and accepted then it should be mentioned as the reason.)
However, a really honest personal assessment of why this person left is the first step; to do anything else will result in failure without any doubt. (Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive?)
This assessment may help identify certain business cultures or areas that may not suit this individual. It may also give a clear picture of what the response to the question should be in truth.
It might AS AN EXAMPLE be:"I could not find any way forward with a very difficult working relationship with a senior colleague." "After months of trying to resolve the matter to mutual advantage including seeking guidance from other senior staff, I recognised the difficulties this was causing both me and the company and so I have decided (in agreement with my employers?) to move on and seek a fresh start elsewhere."
OR just simply say "I came to realise that the culture was too aggressive for me".
Just because something doesn't work out as we hoped, it doesn't follow that someone is to blame or has failed, it is human nature. Just make sure that any lessons learned are clear and focused.
So go for no lies-white or otherwise, no flannel which most decent interviewers see straight through anyway, no deception to keep up, no hidden agendas.
Best chance of continuing success. Honest!

Posted By Christopher
having been advised to apply for a post formally, and that the organisation was interested. I was politely honest about my reasons for leaving. The result was that this post has been readvertised. I was not considered for the post.

The message that this gives out to any health and safety professional who chooses to raise their head above the parapet is that they might find that they have to find a different career direction. Perhaps when there are serious issues of safety being compromised, the Health and Safety Advisor should be questioned in the dock as to what actions they took on matters they knew were unsafe.

Posted By Andy Brazier
My understanding is you have a legal right to find out why you were not offered the job. That should include interviewers' notes and any other documents that show how the decision was made.

Posted By Lilian McCartney
I've jsut remembered why I left my last job.

I said it was that I thought I had done all I could and that it was time for new ideas from new poeple.
I wasn't being bullied but was getting a bit annoyed with internal politics - different scenario but a good reason to use as it could be used in your case.

Lilian

Posted By Laura Burden
Hi Christopher

I am sorry to hear about your predicament. It really is unfortunate that as an OHS professional the very thing that we are there to improve can get us too.

I once worked for an organisation that to say the least had a very old fashioned culture where as a senior manager in a company of over 9000 employees you could get away with murder. Morale was very low in the company and as the only OHS professional for 4,500 employees I heard some of it.

Bullying is rife in some companies and unfortunately it will take more than a few OHS people to improve it - especially if they haven't had the displeasure of encountering it before. My experience is that it seems to be learnt behaviour passed through from the top down or possibly people of this nature are drawn to certain organisations and industries. The best thing I did is learn from my experience and be picky when choosing my next position.

I would recommend that you find a manager that can sing your praises and I would definitely put a positive spin on your leaving. Remember to talk to someone close about how you feel and what happened if you haven't already.

Good luck,
Laura.