I posted here a few months back about taxes and was helped out greatly and i appreciate it. As i continue to read, people here seem to be very restless. Hopefully, I don't get flamed too bad. I recently graduated from a big ten university and I have been working at a very large retailer for 3 years and want to quit due to some things occuring that I do not want to be associated with. I know I'll hear that i should just suck it up and be a man about it until i find another job, but I have sucked it up for 2 years and feel I am at my breaking point. I'm talking about working directly with known felons (credit card fraud and identity theft) that brag about stealing from the very company we work at, or my boss telling me that I need to flat out lie to customers to bring in additional $200 in labor revenue, or i will be "replaced with someone who will." I have called HR and they even suspended all the parties involved with the theft to perform an investigation. However, due to insufficient evidence, all the suspension turned out to be was a 3-week paid vacation. I have spoke with the GM of the store and he told me not to worry and assured me this is a very ethical company. Because I recently expressed my concerns with upper management, I feel like my days are numbered. I've put up with this for so long because i was making $14 an hour as a college student and was paying for school. Now, my only expenses every month are my cell phone bill, gas and food. I have enough money saved up to last me several months as I continue my job search. I'll also probably hear that if i want to quit, i should stop being a pussy and do it. I'm just concerned that if I get asked in an interview about why i left my previous job and i tell them the truth, i'd be committing an interview sin by bad mouthing my previous employer. I have been interviewing at a few companies and they just ask bs questions like what are some things i learned at my previous job that would help me if i was hired. If asked, will I lose points if I tell the interviewer the truth about why I left? Or is this one of those things that if i do lose points, then that's not a company I want to work for anyways? Or am I an idiot for wanting to quit in this terrible job market? Anyone had any similar experiences?
No, you're not an idiot. Get some good managerial references - perhaps not a direct super - and interview at other places. Once you've signed another contract, give your 2 weeks and leave. I had a similar experience at a major telcom, doing Corporate wireless sales. Bait-and-switch, false representation, screwed clients (price and service). That was the 'norm'. Our competitive advantage was the customers ignorance. The culture was A Cult. Only the smoothest and most relentless Company Men were promoted. Sales Launches and Quarterly promo events resembled Hitler Yougen rallies. Well, you get the idea. This all took place in a heavily-protected market (wireless telco), so the customers got royally hosed. And still are, to this day. Canadian wireless providers charge top dollar relative to foreign counterparts. I was left with the strong impression that to get ahead in the Corporate world without specialized knowledge (technical, legal etc) , a person had to have a flare for sociopathy. Saw a lot of that in Sales, Management, and Marketing "fields". Now I'm a day-trader
When asked about the circumstances for leaving, simply state that you came across some disturbing improprieties and are legally restricted from speaking about it. Unless the interviewer has his own skeletons to hide, they should be appreciative that you raised your concerns. It also shows your ethical standing when you chose to leave, which is a rarity in today's society.
Think about the other path for a moment. Imagine you stay until you find a new job. Then you are in an interview for a new position, and the interviewer asks you why you are looking for a new role. You tell your story, then they ask you: "WTF are you still working with a bunch of crooks?' Every situation is different, and requires evaluation by the individual involved. However there are pros and cons to both.
Never do that. Do not say any more than a few sentences about why you're leaving your past job. Your answer should be vague & neutral. In an attempt to be honest (not really a good idea in any corporate bureaucracy), you can say: "I did not agree with the company's sales approach and do not think that their style allowed me to progress" But really, you say something along the terms that you want a change in companies because you want to find a good fit for you where you can grow & evolve with the company. All that corporate blah blah blah.