Ask a Recruiter: I Quit Because of Sexual Harassment

Question: I worked in my last position for 6 years.  During that time I experienced regular sexual harassment.  When I reported it to my supervisors, they blamed me for the harassment. I could not see any end to the harassment so I quit. Now I have been looking for a job for the past nine months and I don’t know how to respond when potential employers ask me why I left my last job. How should I respond?  (P.S. I filed a lawsuit against my former employer about two years ago, but it hasn’t gone to trial yet.) - Between a Rock and a Hard Place, a Workforce1 Career Blog reader

This question was submitted by a Workforce1 Career Blog reader.  If you have a question for a recruiter, ask us. This reader’s question was answered by Angie Kamath, who overseesWorkforce1 as the Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development at the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

Angie Kamath

Answer: First, I am so happy that you got yourself out of what seems to be a terrible situation. It is a tough bind when your financial security is also tied to such a complicated situation that impacts your emotional and physical well-being.

My advice (and I recognize that there are multiple viewpoints on this given its sensitivity) would be to approach the answer in the following way:

1. Recognize the positive attributes of the work and your experience – maybe you learned a great deal, connected with the mission or vision of the firm, had lots of responsibility, helped to grow a business – whatever the case might be. Start out positive.

2. Transition next in your response to the fact that 6 years was a good and long commitment to the work, that you felt you made a significant contribution, and that you felt you hit a ceiling in terms of your personal growth. You decided to look for a new role and firm that connected better to your long-term personal goals. Reiterate that you resigned and were not laid off.

3. Lastly, talk about the future. Talk about that you have taken the last 9 months to think hard about what you want in a job, how you will be fulfilled, what your strengths are, how you are self-aware of what environments will be most supportive and beneficial to you.

While the context of harassment is awful, this 3 step response is what should work in any situation about transition. Be positive, acknowledge you made a decision to move on, and describe what you are looking for.

Good luck.

If you liked this post, don’t forget to share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and email.