During an interview for a graduate program or role, a recruiter may ask you why you left your last role. Answering this question as a grad can be challenging, confronting or uncomfortable. However, with the right strategies, an answer to this question can demonstrate your experience, skills, values, and career goals to the interviewer.
This article will breakdown the most common reasons for why you might have left a job and strategies to use to effectively answer this question in an interview.
Why do interviewers ask this question?
This question is not meant to trip you up. Instead, it allows the interviewer to assess whether a candidate is a good fit for the role and company. It also allows the interviewer to assess the risk of hiring a potential employee. Whether you had a good reason for leaving the job and whether you left on good terms with your previous employer demonstrates to the interviewer that the reason for your exit from your previous role will not impede on your ability to effectively fulfil the obligations for your new role. Asking this question also allows the interviewer to establish your level of commitment to a role. A fresh grad who looks like they're prone to jumping from one job to another is unlikely to be an attractive candidate. Employers are typically looking for a long-term employee. This is because having to frequently find a replacement for a role means additional company time being spent on recruitment and training and may diminish their ability to accomplish their goals. If leaving a role due to performance issues, a hiring manager may question your ability to complete the requirements of the job. A response to this question portrays the kind of employee you are likely to be and the manner in which you conduct your professional work.
What are some reasons for why people leave their job?
As a graduate, you may have switched jobs multiple times already. Whether that be casual retail or hospitality jobs in high school, or part-time positions during university, graduates are likely to have several roles up their sleeve. It is also natural for people to move around early in their career as they experiment with different positions and industries. This is especially true for students working part-time jobs.
You may have a singular or a combination of reasons for why you chose to leave a job. These reasons may be personal or professional, or a mixture of both. They may also be voluntary or involuntary.
- A voluntary decision: the employee resigned from their role
- An involuntary decision: the employer terminated the employee’s contract.
Here is a list of common reasons why people may leave their job:
Competitive salary
The new role may provide a more competitive salary that you find attractive. Your previous role may not have provided a salary that reflected your education and experience. You may have been seeking a promotion for which you were unsuccessful and have thus decided to look for job opportunities elsewhere.
Business shutdown
You may be looking for a new job because your former place of employment went out of business.
Dream job
The new role you are applying for may be your dream job.
Company restructuring
Your previous role or place of employment may have undergone organisational restructuring, meaning that the requirements and obligations are no longer what they were when you applied for and began the job. Factors such as travel, office relocation, or work load may make retaining the position no longer tenable.
Dissatisfaction with employer
A poor working relationship with a manager, supervisor, or colleague may propel an individual to leave the position.
New challenge
After working in the previous position for a substantial amount of time, you may feel as if your career is in stagnation and you need a new challenge.
Advance career
Your current position may be an entry-level or mid-tier role and you are seeking to advance in your career, which the new position can facilitate.
Career change
After working in a particular industry you may desire change. You may also want to pursue a new field of interest that you believe you can excel at.
Different values or goals
You may feel as if the company culture or workplace environment is incompatible with your values or career goals.
Personal reasons
These include a range of factors, including health reasons, career responsibilities, travel restrictions, and parenting obligations.
Work-life balance
Your previous role may have been incredibly demanding and you wish to have a job that allows more time for yourself and your family.
Relocation
You may have moved to a new area which made working at your previous job impractical.
Termination
You may have been terminated from your previous job because of misconduct, performance, or redundancy.
How to answer this question?
As this is a common question that the interviewer may ask, it is important to prepare a suitable response before stepping in (or logging on) to the interview. Here are some tips to help you craft your answer.
Understand why you left
It is important to first personally understand why you left your previous job. Maybe it was something that you had been considering for a while or a spur of the moment decision. Regardless, by understanding your motivations behind your departure you can better describe your reasons. It may be beneficial to consider the list of reasons provided in this article to see if something particularly speaks true. Reflecting on what you want out of your career, what you seek from this new role, and what was missing from your previous employment can help you break down the decision to leave.
Be positive
Refrain from being overly negative or critical about your previous job and employer. It is acceptable to describe why you left the role if it was not the right fit for you. But, maintain a professional attitude when talking about your former employer. The company you are interviewing for may have a close working relationship with your former employer. The hiring manager may know the former employer. If the company or the hiring manager has some sort of connection with your former employer, speaking negatively may stop you from getting the job.
Being too negative can also be a poor look as it may suggest that you are not a team player or have a poor attitude. That’s not to say that if you have a negative experience you should suggest the opposite. Instead, a simple “it wasn’t the right fit for me” is sufficient. Even if you did have a negative experience, it is still worthwhile to evoke some benefit you may have gained from the position, such as honing a particular skill or gaining some valuable experience in the industry. A positive response demonstrates that while the position is no longer ideal for you, you maintain a level of respect for your previous employer.
Be Honest
It is an accepted fact that candidates interviewing for a position are doing so because something was not ideal about their last role. Whether it was the commute, work load, or pay, a hiring manager recognises that regardless of who they hire, the successful candidate will have left their previous position for a reason. As a result, it is important to be honest and transparent. The hiring manager may also contact your previous employer, so it would be a poor look to be caught out in a lie.
Be Concise
It is important to be concise and keep to the facts as they are confirmable. You do not need to recount a lengthy story behind your departure. It is best to answer in a few sentences. You can mention the goals you accomplished in your previous employment and that you are ready for a new challenge.
Be Confident
Be confident in your answer. Uncertainty or hesitancy suggests that you are being dishonest or hiding something.
How not to answer the question?
There are some things you should refrain from saying when answering this question. This does not mean that you should be untruthful. Rather, you should avoid the following to optimise your chances of being successful for the job.
Do not criticise your previous employer
It is important to remain calm while you answer this question and refrain from badmouthing your previous employer. This is because the interviewer may feel that you may similarly represent their company in the future once you move onto another position. Regardless of whether you were treated unfairly, there are more appropriate avenues for complaints than a job interview.
Do not be defensive
This means to not attempt to justify any wrongdoing on your part or deflect blame. Acting defensively will suggest to the interviewer that you were in the wrong for your actions to warrant a defence.
Do not overshare
The interviewer does not need to hear a lengthy story about why you left your job or the drama that unfolded at your previous workplace. You should also not share in-depth personal information. If you left your job because you were struggling with a health condition, you do not need to state what it was. It is sufficient to merely say that you had to take time off work for health reasons.
What if the interviewer asks follow up questions?
The interviewer may ask you follow up questions about why you left your previous job. This is more likely if your answer to their initial query was vague or overtly negative.
Here are some follow-up questions that may be asked:
- Did you leave your previous employment on positive terms?
- Was there an attempt at resolving the issues you had with your former supervisor/team/management?
- How would you act differently if you had the chance?
- What did you learn from that experience?
- What strategies or skills will you implement to prevent similar miscommunication from playing out if you were to work here?
These questions will attempt to examine your suitability for not only the role but the workplace culture. If the circumstances behind your decision to leave your previous job were less than ideal, then it is a good idea to consider how you would answer these follow-up questions. Again, it is best to be honest. This will be appreciated by the interviewer as it shows that you have accepted and grown from your mistakes.
Example Responses
✏️ Career advancement:
I was working as a graduate lawyer at a small boutique firm. I am a hardworker and seeking a long-term place of employment as I am eager to advance my career and become an associate in a few years time. However, due to the size of the firm, any career advancement, regardless of my skills, would be unlikely. |
✏️ Career change:
I worked for nearly ten years as a chemist. Recently, I decided to go back to university and complete my masters in teaching as I felt passionate about getting more young people interested in STEM. That is why I am applying for this position as a graduate teacher. |
✏️ Termination:
Unfortunately, I was let go from my previous job. My understanding about the expectations of the role differed from my supervisor. However, I greatly valued my time at the company. I was able to gain some valuable experience in coding and improved my communication skills. |