You may be freshly employed or stepping into the fifth year of employment or recently unemployed, searching a new job itself is a heavy task. However, you always gain some experience in the current/previous service. So when it comes to preparing for the new job interview, you are ready with the updated attitude, skills, and knowledge.

Subsequently, there is one typical question which every interviewer will ask, and each job candidate will try to dodge at first. The question is, “Why did you leave your job?” Despite that you are the best suitable candidate for the vacant job position, your response to this question can either elevate your profile or land you in a mess.

Draft Reason Statement

Basically when facing such awkward situation, follow one rule, “Be honest in your job interview”. You certainly have a reason to quit the job. Right! You just need to articulate the reason in such a way that it reflects your positive outlook. Compose a statement which includes a specific reason with a brief description, do not trail the history. Put the focus on the positive past experiences as well as the optimistic future role. And then practice your answer. Practice will make you feel guilt-free and will bring confidence & clarity to you during the job interview.

We are here listing few sample answers to the question, “Why did you leave your job?”

Modify the response as the situation demands during the new job interview.

• I was working as “xyz” in the earlier organization for quite a long time. Gaining in-depth knowledge of the specific designation, I was assigned to train few new joiners too. I was ready to take the ladder up but my company had no openings. That’s why I have to look outside the pool.
• I had a difficulty to manage work-life balance in the earlier job. The position demanded to remain available on-call evenings as well as on weekends. It was quite complicated to arrange childcare on short notice. The Flexi-timing on this job will allow me to set an ideal schedule to handle my job tasks as well as family responsibility.
• There was no issue with my ex-employer or past job profile. The only reason to leave the previous job is that I had to commute an hour and a half to reach my office. Earlier things were going okay. But the long distance started taking a toll on my health and lead to the reduction in my work productivity. I took a break to get healthier and now I am ready to take work responsibility. Also, this time I do not want to repeat the previous mistake. This office is quite close to my home.

You just need to articulate the reason in such a way that it reflects your positive outlook.

• I accepted the earlier job offer hastily. I found out my skills were of no use to my previous employer’s needs. Then I tried to search for a job that fits my qualifications and where I can help the company to grow. The current profile, I believe, is an excellent match for my work expectations.
• I had taken up the job immediately out of the college. I had a wonderful grooming and learned a lot of professional skills required. Over a time, I felt that my learning graph reached a stagnant growth rate. I am young and energetic. I wish to keep the fire of learning alive and hence I thought to move to a more responsible job opportunity. And that is how I landed up here.
• I had quit my previous job due to certain circumstance (such as you met an accident and was bed-ridden for a long while) or any family circumstances (like to take care of an ill-member). However now I (or family member) have fully recovered and can focus on full-time opportunity.
• I had been working as a ‘temp’ for a long time and the work responsibilities seemed repetitive. Now I am looking for a new permanent profile where I can apply my learned abilities and grow further.

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