I voluntary quit PhD in june after two years into it. Been having trouble answering "why u left phd" interview qns during job search. I cant state the real reasons of toxic lab environment and depression without it been seen as negative by prospective employers.

I have been shortlisted for an interview this Thursday for a science position but in a different field so the "im not into research anymore" excuse wont work. What about the below answer?

"I find that it just wasn’t for me and I only decided to do something about it 2 years into the program. i chose my previous lab because it specialises in a protein that i was interested in, POPX2. But after i had entered the lab, i was told to research something on mechanobiology. At first, I tried to stick with it hoping my interest will grow with time but it didnt turn out that way.

I do like research but I find myself doing something that i dont enjoy. I got depressed. I reached a point where I had to choose between sticking with something i dont enjoy or move on to something else and here I am."

I voluntary quit PhD in june after two years into it. Been having trouble answering "why u left phd" interview qns during job search. I cant state the real reasons of toxic lab environment and depression without it been seen as negative by prospective employers.

I have been shortlisted for an interview this Thursday for a science position but in a different field so the "im not into research anymore" excuse wont work. What about the above post answer?

Hi, iwan,

Perhaps you can consider: "I accepted the PhD offer with the understanding I was going to work on a particular topic. However, upon starting, my supervisor changed my topic to something completely different and unrelated. I was determined to continue my PhD despite this major set back and gave my best to work on this new topic hoping my interest will grow with time. Unfortunately, despite all my efforts, it was not meant to be. I also strongly considered about whether I would like to pursue a life long career in academia. After much thought, I decided that I did not want a career in academia and therefore decided to cut my losses and left my PhD for a different future."

Your original response has negative elements including words like "don't enjoy" and "got depressed". These words should never be used in an interview. Your future employer may interpret this as you having mental health issues or that you have difficulty staying focused and interested in a role for long. All your responses to an interviewer must be in a positive light.

Hi, iwan,

Maybe remove the bit about academia then.

About mentioning financial stuff, I really can't quite comment on it. I guess you would be best to judge the local and cultural perception on talking about that. However, would the interviewer then question why you bother starting a 3-4 year knowing full well that you wanted to settle down and buy a house in the very near future? Just a thought.