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Quit a job for ethical reasons

SirAltsalotSirAltsalot Registered User new member
in Help / Advice Forum
I recently quit a job for ethical reasons and I'm currently trying to figure out how I will deal with this during job interviews. I was only at this job for a few months before I felt I had to quit, with no other work lined up. The things I had a problem with were of a nature that isn't technically illegal, but would almost certainly cause articles to be written about them if I went to a newspaper. I wasn't directly affected by what went on, but I came into contact with its effects on a regular basis. My boss and the entire corporate structure were very much aware and benefiting from it, which made me intensely dislike them. In my position I had no chance whatsoever of causing any change in this behaviour, so I saw no other recourse than to quit. Luckily I was in a financial situation and living in a country where this was an option without totally screwing up my life.

My problem now is how to deal with this in job interviews. Obviously, the reason for me quitting after a few months will come up, but I'm not sure how to deal with it. I am not comfortable lying about it, but it isn't like I can just tell the interviewer about it either. I'm applying for jobs in a completely different kind of business where this sort of thing would never happen and they would probably be horrified about it if I told them, but doing that isn't really a viable option.

Any suggestions for how to handle this? I'm sorry that I'm being vague in my description, but I'm trying to be a bit careful about what I put out there on the internet.

Posts

  • SkeithSkeith Registered User regular
    Is it possible for you to leave the job off of your resume, or are you uncomfortable with leaving that kind of a gap (or lying by omission)?

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  • Conroy BumpasConroy Bumpas Registered User regular
    (sorry about my spelling) why dont you just tell them that, you didnt like the way the company and the way some of the people condudced themselfs. you felt that ethicly your only option was to leave. i run a small business and i get people comming in from cometitors wanting jobs becasue they are unhappy moraly by what they are being asked to do. over selling, telling people they need stuff when thy dont to hit targets ect. if it was bad enough for you to leave. then i think its ok to tell an interviewer. you dont have to go into detailes

    Please note I cannot be held responsible for any mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, karma, dharma, metaphysical, religious, philosophical, Logical , Ethical, Aesthetical, or financial damage caused by this post
  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    "I wasn't comfortable with the work environment and some of the items I was asked to do"

  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    schuss wrote: »
    "I wasn't comfortable with the work environment and some of the items I was asked to do"

    I think if this is gonna be a make or break issue for you it'd be better to find the job where they're cool with it than find another job where they view it as a negative and you find out too late.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »
    schuss wrote: »
    "I wasn't comfortable with the work environment and some of the items I was asked to do"

    I think if this is gonna be a make or break issue for you it'd be better to find the job where they're cool with it than find another job where they view it as a negative and you find out too late.

    Job interviews are both ways, so if they have an issue with an employee having moral qualms with things, probably best for both not to start in the first place.

  • SirAltsalotSirAltsalot Registered User new member
    Yeah, I'm leaning towards saying that there were certain aspects of the work environment that made me very uncomfortable and that I couldn't in good conscience keep working there, without really going into any details. Like you guys say, if they have a problem with me having principles then it probably isn't a place that I would want to work at anyway.

    Leaving the job out of my resume wouldn't really work since it would lead to questions about the gap. As it is, this is a tricky situation to handle, but I think it would look even worse if I was caught trying to hide it.

  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    Not everyone has the stuff to do that, I'm kind of proud of you honestly.

    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • JohnnyCacheJohnnyCache Starting Defense Place at the tableRegistered User regular
    If you want to convey that you are principled, but not come across as a whistlelower/not a team player

    Consider the line "they asked me to execute my duties in a way that potentially opened both of us to liability"


    I host a podcast about movies.
  • Reverend_ChaosReverend_Chaos Suit Up! Spokane WARegistered User regular
    "The job turned out to not be a good fit."

    “Think of me like Yoda, but instead of being little and green I wear suits and I'm awesome. I'm your bro—I'm Broda!”
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    "I decided that I didn't like the new company dress code; orange jumpsuits don't match my hair."

    Just keep it short and simple. Any half-decent manager will pick up on the story.

  • lewsivlewsiv Registered User regular
    As someone who has interviewed hundreds of people I would say that you would be very safe saying something like you stated above.

  • SirAltsalotSirAltsalot Registered User new member
    I figured I would give this thread some figurative and, if a mod passes by, literal closure. When I started it I had two interviews lined up and I approached the issue of my previous employment in the way I described above. Basically, I was honest without going into any details. For me, this really made things easier since I didn't feel like I was lying or deceiving anyone and I was therefore much more comfortable during the interviews. Neither interviewer seemed to think it was strange or put any particular weight on it and I felt that both interviews went very well. This wasn't just my imagination either because I am happy to report that I am currently employed. I'm not making quite as much money as I did before, but who cares. I'm happy and that's all that matters. I haven't regretted quitting for a single second.

    So if someone else is in a similar situation, hopefully this thread will stand as a testament that a happy ending is possible. It definitely was for me.

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