Why You Left Previous organisation?

During interviews, you’ll likely be asked that why you left your last job, and answering this correctly can be tough, and answering this question is actually an art. Let's learn here.

So first, let's see a few simple questions and we’ll learn career-specific examples.

a.      Reason Of Change/Leave – Laid Off, Personal, Better Opportunity, Terminated, etc

Now if you choose any of these reasons then how will you justify your reason in front of a recruiter? It’s very tricky, as your answer will decide many things during your interview. So here are a few examples that you can share with the recruiter as a response to the query “ Why you left your previous job ”.

Example 1 – If you say reason as – Better Opportunity

a.      I wanted more responsibilities

b.      I wanted full-time work with a better job profile

c.       Career advancement was limited

d.      I wanted to experience in a different industry ( but this will depend on the situation)

Example 2 – If you say reason as – Laid Off

a.      The company went out of business

b.      As the company went through a restructuring

c.       Because the company outsourced our vertical/department/work due to merger & acquisition (but this will depend on the situation)

d.      Due to the loss of business contracts during COVID time

Example 3 – If you say reason as – Personal Reasons

a.      I was suffering from illness & was advised full bed rest (but this will apply if you have a medical report for that period, as they might ask to see)

b.      I took sabbatical

c.       I need to relocate to another place with family & unfortunately my company had no presence at that location

d.      I decided to study further & now as I am done with my higher education so I am looking for opportunities

Example 4 – If you say reason as – Terminated

a.      It’s always better not to show if the termination is related to COC (Code of Conduct/ Misconduct). Trust me you won’t get selected for this reason

b.      If performance issue – Then you can say on a positive note that, how you performed, what were your positive areas during your PIP (performance improvement program), how you managed to cope up with

Regardless of why you left your last job though, you can prepare to give interviewers the kind of answer they want to hear by doing two simple things:

a.      Focusing on the present opportunity and not your past exit

b.      Keeping your answer positive  

The best response to this question to the recruiter –

I have really enjoyed my time at [Company Name]. I’ve learned a lot about [role type] in [industry name] and was given the opportunity to hone my [skill type] skills. I have come a long way, but I am ready for a new challenge. I hope to apply my new skills and develop new ones, and the [target job title] opening at [Company Name] is the perfect opportunity to do just that. I’m so grateful to have gained [current role experience], and I’m ready to take this knowledge and combine it with my [current ] skills.