Pls help (job application/s)

i’m applying for a job and obviously it’s a right ballache

on the form i have to give a reason for leaving my current job (tho i haven’t left). my current job is a repetitive entry level job (tho the people are lovely and i like the organisation i work for), i’m applying for this one cos it’s a much better one - better pay, more varied. basically i have much much more to offer an employer than i am currently doing, how do i word that?

i left a job in Feb for a massive list of different reasons. i was out of a ‘real’ job for three months, during which time i worked on a music project. i did technically get paid a little,do i add that to the ‘work history’ section of the application so there’s not just a gap?

and is it reasonable to put my reason for leaving the job as being that i wanted to do music for a few months?

there’s a bit where i can say what dates i can’t make an interview. i’m going to boomtown so have booked thursday-tuesday off work (got a coach+festival ticket so i can only arrive on the coach on thursday morning). do i just say i can’t make those dates? i mean i guess i could make an interview on the monday or tuesday if i really had to… but it would be a real shame and i probably wouldn’t be in peak condition

any advice appreciated

The advice is always to not say anything bad about your present employer. Instead, focus on what it is about the new job that you like – smaller team, more dynamic work environment, change in industry, opportunity to work for a company that is rapidly expanding. The key is to link this change with a characteristic of yours that’s a good fit.

e.g. something I wrote for an accountancy job
I feel, the size of the department and firm, and its desire for dynamism and to accomplish are well suited to my qualities.

Yes, it is sycophantic but the message is you are acknowledging what the company prides and how you fit in

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You’re looking for more challenge and greater satisfaction.

They will ask about the gap in your employment so I would put a bit of detail about what you did while you weren’t working, then you can expand on that if they ask.
The part about why you left your previous job, other than you just wanted to do music for a bit (which is fine), you may also want to say how it maybe didn’t stretch you enough or you felt your skills weren’t being utilised to the full etc etc.
As for dates, I would say be honest, say you’re going away and the first couple of days after would not be ideal as you would like to prepare and be at your best for the interview.

Good luck with it!

aah there we go that’s the thing i mean, “more of a challenge” is the way to say that my current job is only entry level, cheers keith

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Here’s my 2 cents. Take it with a pinch of salt.

You could say something along the lines of “Although I have enjoyed my current position, I feel I could be better utilised in a more challenging position” or “I feel I have the relevant skills and qualities to be successful in a more challenging and rewarding role”.

I would mention the music thing, but wouldn’t say that’s what you left to do. Maybe just list it as another job – as you got paid, give it a title. Otherwise you could position it as “Due to unemployment I --did whatever it was you were doing-- in music. This gave me the opportunity to take a step back and define where I wanted my career to go” or some such bollocks.

Just list the dates you can’t do. They’re usually pretty flexible, and will likely have other candidates they can see when you’re unavailable. Lots of people applying for jobs can’t make certain days for work/family reasons, I’ve never known it to be a problem.

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I’m better than this.

So much this. I would go a bit further to say that it is worth adding something specific in this bit to show that you know what the company does, know its ethos really clearly and have done your research. I am sifting through job applications at the moment and it is so clear when things are generic and ‘tacked on’.

IMHumbleO I would add the music thing but maybe not make too much of a deal of it, unless the new job is creative/music-related. Hard to tell whether an employer would see it as admirable that you followed what you wanted, or whether it would be seen as a bit of a ‘drop-out’ thing.

my employment history since the age of 19 is:

8 years in company A across various jobs
6 months in company B
3 months doing music
2 months in current job

i left company B cos i hated it and i just wanted a break. so it could be spun by someone else as a drop out thing, or spun by me as a positive step to doing something i was actually interested in!

i do have lots of the relevant experience so i’m pretty sure i can get an interview

That’s fair enough. I guess my feeling is that I wouldn’t want to open myself up to that risk, but if you’re confident with it I’d say go for it!

Make the reason is there isn’t a particular opportunity, which there is at the new role. But don’t choose something that is so essential at the new role that you need to have already done it. Does that make sense.

Or you go for something beyond your control. Something on the horizon for the company that will affect you but doesn’t reflect on you.

Just put ‘resignation’ or leave it blank if you’re still in the job. They only want to know if you’ve been fired.

yeah id just leave it blank, or put ~career progression~ or something. surely no one gives a shit why you dont want to do your job any more