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The company I used to work for outsourced my job. Now I am starting to apply for positions and want to know if an interviewer can ask why I'm not with them anymore.

What is the best way to explain that I was outsourced without making myself look bad from the moment I answer this kind of question? Are they even allowed to ask this? It's also possible if they talk to my references this information of me being outsourced will appear, so I am trying to know how to deal with this honestly and effectively so I don't look totally awful/stupid.

BSMP
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Parkaboy
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    Note that there is no shame in your job being outsourced. – Gregory Currie Sep 13 '22 at 01:14
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    An interviewer can ask you anything they like, unless it's illegal, however you've not provided any information about your location, so we can't really comment on that. – Gregory Currie Sep 13 '22 at 01:16
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    This is a very standard question, and one to prepare for, since it often requires some degree of diplomacy; you don't want to make either yourself or your past (or current!) employer look bad – Jiří Baum Sep 13 '22 at 03:21
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    Does this answer your question? How do I answer why I left an employer when it wasn't my choice to leave? – gnat Sep 13 '22 at 08:09
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    If you ask whether something is allowed, you need to specify the jurisdiction, since employment laws vary greatly among countries and states. – Barmar Sep 13 '22 at 16:51
  • I have a lot of jobs where I was let go due to Reduction In Force. I had some HR comment that I was job hopping and couldn't stay long. Some companies wanted to let go of hundreds of employees. One company asked for 500 for Voluntary Reduction in Force and got 700. I actually had one employer get rid of position (and me), not due to anything I did. So keep reminding yourself that RIF and getting rid of positions is not your fault, and move on. – Thomas Matthews Sep 13 '22 at 21:35
  • BTW, there is no way you can predict whether an organization you want to join will RIF or get rid of positions. One company I joined was around for over 100 years, so I thought they would be a stable place to work. Unfortunately, stockholders wanted more money and the company chose to RIF to answer the demands of the stockholders. – Thomas Matthews Sep 13 '22 at 21:37
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    @GregoryCurrie - An interviewer can technically still ask anything they want, including something illegal, which is why you are free to avoid answering those questions. In general any interviewer that is asking something illegal, likely isn;t anywhere you want to work anyways, so you have not harmed your chances by not answering something that isn't allowed to be asked. – Donald Sep 14 '22 at 03:00
  • @Donald If the question is, "Is the interviewer able to speak any combination of words", then the answer is "yes". However I don't think that's what the OP is asking. – Gregory Currie Sep 14 '22 at 03:36
  • @Donald And there is a common fallacy that an behaviour of the interviewer is always representative of the entire workplace. I have worked in places where the interviewer has nothing to do with the work at all. – Gregory Currie Sep 14 '22 at 03:37
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    Aside - consider that the interview question has an obvert and subvert component. There's the literal answer to the question asked, but a skilled interviewer will read you like a book. If your answer is evasive, they'll notice. Same goes for spontaneous answer vs a pre-prepared one. The distinction is hard to miss to the interviewer, and that contributes to their overall opinion of you and how you'll fit into the existing work environment. – Criggie Sep 14 '22 at 09:47
  • @Parkaboy Most people who've been in the business long enough, will lose a job due to cheaper outsourced competition sooner or later. It's a fact of life that most businesses will try to minimize cost short-term without considering long-term effects. Nothing to be ashamed of and any experienced interviewer will understand the situation (and understand that it most certainly had very little to do with yourself or your skills). – Voo Sep 14 '22 at 12:39
  • In my experience (software industry, UK) this is a very common question. It's probably worth thinking about you'll answer this question for each job you put on your CV. – anaximander Sep 14 '22 at 15:00
  • @GregoryCurrie I submitted an edit to change "Can an interviewer..." to "May an interviewer..." in the question title just for you. – user3067860 Sep 14 '22 at 16:23
  • @user3067860 I know exactly what the OP means. As you can see, I'm responding to Donald. – Gregory Currie Sep 14 '22 at 16:34
  • Be aware that interviewers sometimes ask illegal things. There's really not too much you can do about it, if you actually want the job. – Dawood ibn Kareem Sep 14 '22 at 19:48
  • I think we can safely interpret a question of "Can an interviewer..." as "Is it legal for an interviewer to.." and move on. Of course an interviewer can do something illegal, but that isn't what OP is asking here. – Seth R Sep 15 '22 at 15:36

6 Answers6

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Can an interviewer ask me why I'm no longer with my past employer?

Yes. It is a perfect question to get to know you and your work history.

What is the best way to explain that I was outsourced without making myself look bad from the moment I answer this kind of question??

You can tell the truth, which will not make you look bad at all because that was a business decision by the company.

Job_September_2020
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    I don't mind telling the truth, despite very apprehensive is how it makes me feel, sigh. Thank you for reminding about the business decision part, they actually said that. I wanted to verify it's a legitimate interview question so I can be apprehensive ahead of time. :) – Parkaboy Sep 13 '22 at 01:09
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    @Parkaboy - don't be apprehensive, be prepared. Plenty of resources online to help you with preparing for an interview. Good luck! – ShellGhost Sep 13 '22 at 12:56
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    @Parkaboy: "I wanted to verify it's a legitimate interview question..." Pro tip: Also prepare for illegitimate questions. – Heinzi Sep 13 '22 at 13:59
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    @parkaboy : "They outsourced my position." Simple statement of fact and everyone knows what it means. If you want to elaborate "I really liked what I was doing at X but they outsourced my position. It was unfortunate for me, but I realize that business is business." Practice saying it so that it sounds like a simple statement of fact when you do it. It helps that it is a simple statement of fact :). But it might have been an emotional thing to go through, so work on saying it matter-of-factly until it's matter-of-fact to you. – msouth Sep 13 '22 at 20:04
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    @Parkaboy: Potential phrasing -- "Our team was successful/high-performing/recognized within the company, but there was a business decision to outsource the department/work/all X activity". – Thomas W Sep 14 '22 at 00:31
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What is the best way to explain that I was outsourced without making myself look bad from the moment I answer this kind of question?

Be honest. Explain that your job was outsourced. Explain that lots of jobs in your company were outsourced (if that's actually the case). It's not unusual. It happens. Hiring managers will understand this.

Are they even allowed to ask this?

Yes. At least in my part of the world they are allowed to ask this. Laws and customs in your locale may differ.

It's extremely common to ask why you are leaving your current job. When I am the hiring manager, I always ask.

Be ready with a good answer.

Joe Strazzere
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    Exactly this but to make the it more about the situation rather than me personally, I'd push it as high as you can: My division/department/team was outsourced rather than "me and my job specifically". One sounds like you were caught up in a large strategy, the other could be interpreted as being related to you in particular. – LoztInSpace Sep 14 '22 at 13:45
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Questions like these are very probably more about putting the candidate in a slightly uncomfortable position with a perfectly legit question and observing their reaction.

They are expecting an answer that matches the answer of your references and/or the knowledge they might have from your previous company. Explaining that it was due to outsourcing doesn't look bad. And that especially if it was a really big corporation, that cuts whole departments for whatever strategic reason.

Bad answers are all those around bad mouthing your previous company or boss, how they won't keep long in business without high-flyers like you.

Really bad answers:

  • I got caught stealing
  • I sexually harassed an intern
Quora Feans
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    Really bad answers: (continued). "I beat my boss up" (I actually got this answer in an interview. I wound the meeting down as quickly and as tactfully as possible). – Simon Crase Sep 13 '22 at 23:22
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    @SimonCrase, Well, you dodged the bullet, thankfully. Imagine how you would feel if you hired that applicant, and later on, he told you that he was fired for beating up his old boss ? BTW, did the interviewee even bother to explain to you why he did that (for example, it happened in a bar when both him and his boss were drunk...) ? – Job_September_2020 Sep 14 '22 at 02:02
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    "I sexually harassed the CEO" - is that a worse answer or not? – gnasher729 Sep 15 '22 at 08:43
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It's not a great question, but it's not illegal either.

But there's no shame in being outsourced, and it usually says more about the company that did the outsourcing than the person who lost their job.

Try to approach the situation with a "one door closes, another door opens" mindset - now that you're being forced to look, maybe you'll find something much better than what you had. Try to pivot interview discussions away from "what happened at the last place" to "why you're excited about working at this place"

LeLetter
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Your actual question: Yes, they are allowed to ask. And yes, you are expected to give a truthful answer (that puts you in the best light).

"My job and xxx other jobs were outsourced" - that's the best possible answer. It's not your fault, not your responsibility, nothing you could have done about it. Nobody can blame you or think any less of you because your job was outsourced.

I once answered "My manager was told: There are four people under you, and five are leaving". Truthful (yes, that's what he was told), not my fault, plus a good laugh. In other teams, the manager had to select one or two people to leave - that's a less good situation.

gnasher729
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Grin, and then say something like "well, a politician would say that he wanted to spend more time with his family".

If pressed, wipe the smile off your face and be 100% honest while doing your best to /not/ criticise your former employer, and being very careful not to give away any sensitive information (e.g. cashflow figures which have not yet been published). It's reasonable to assume that your former employer will do the same if approached.

Mark Morgan Lloyd
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