Why You Left Your Last Job - Sample Interview Answer

Why You Left Your Last Job - Sample Interview Answer
How to answer this interview question. In this video, I will teach you how to answer why you left your last job so you can stand out in front of hiring managers and land more job offers.

You will learn how to answer the reason why you left your job question with ease by implementing these tried and true tips.

There are many reasons why you may have left your job, but I will show you a way that will always get the employers’ attention so that you can be hired!

0:00 - intro
1:32 - what are they looking for?
2:24 - the strategy
3:11 - toxic workplace
3:48 - boredom
4:18 - outgrowing the job
4:39 - recruiter contacts you
5:13 - layoff
5:30 - other valid reasons
5:55 - if you were fired
6:52 - if you need help
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Are you struggling with your job search? Applying for job after job and not getting any interviews? Perhaps you’ve gotten a few interviews but always seem to get passed over for the job? Or maybe you’re not satisfied with your current career and want a change. Well you’ve come to the right place.

As a corporate recruiter with over 20 years of experience hiring thousands of employees at all levels into major corporations, I’m going to spill the beans on how to get noticed by recruiters, start getting more interviews, navigate through each step of the hiring process and ultimately land the dream job you deserve.

But that’s not all - I firmly believe that in order to truly experience career success, you need to think bigger. Multiple streams of income and budgeting are crucial to forming a layoff-free lifestyle and helping you achieve your goals.

If these are things you’re struggling with, that’s what I specialize in. I’ve got a website called A Life After Layoff. It’s loaded with tips and tricks on how to get noticed, interviewed and hired by your dream company. Make sure you check it out!

I’ve got weekly videos coming at you so make sure to subscribe. You won’t want to miss a post. Join me as we explore these things, all from an insider’s perspective!
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[josephj]

“I left due to financial reasons and career progression”. In every job I’ve left, these have been every reason. The best pay rise is to move on to something new.

[scottevans]

"I terminated my last employer because they weren't meeing my performance expectations in terms of offering career-enhancing work opportunities and career advancement prospects at competitive rates of pay. I put them on a PIP, but they failed to reach their goals at the end of the performance year, so I let them go."

[uacbpa]

I was fired from a job (a non-profit that supposedly helps the community), and when interviewing for another job I was asked that question. I said "I'm just going to give you the facts".
1. I was hired in 2011
2. My Director went on maternity leave at the end of 2012
3. I was promoted to a higher position early 2013
4. My director returned later that year and I was fired for "intimidating my staff". I didn't get any severance because I refused to sign their doc where I can't speak about them
5. I was the only person in management who was of any kind of racial or ethnic minority
6. Later there were protests in the city asking my director to step down and to audit that organization for discriminatory practices. They reached out to me several times begging me to stay quiet about what I knew about that place
7. The director "left because she wanted to spend more time with the family"
8. That non-profit lost a lot of funding and was under investigation

Then I said "feel free to verify any statements I made, and please make any decisions based on what you find". I was hired and been working there for seven years. I doubled my salary too.

There are many bad and unethical companies and nonprofits that incur in illegal practices, and get rid of people who are not aligned with them. Interviewers must take that into consideration.

[breatheliveandthrive]

"I didn't leave my last job. Most productive and underrated employees leave toxic workplaces. As much as I didn't want to, there are circumstances that we really have to move on for a hopefully better place . My mental health is my priority to get things done at my desk."

[randyriegel]

I worked at a company in Pittsburgh, PA (downtown). IT manager that hired me got along great and was easy going as long as I got my work done. Which I did. He left and a lady took over that was a project manager but not from IT area. She was dumber than a brick and "micro-managed". I sat in traffic almost 1 1/2 hours every day on way to and from work. She wrote me up for being 5 minutes late one time because traffic wreck that was out of my control. Eventually she let another guy and me go. I just told my next employer that it was a "downsize in the dept" issue. They didn't ask anything else. I technically didn't lie. They downsized by getting rid me me and other guy :)

[AK-ISTHEWAY]

"Less-is-more" Exactly! That's why if you were fired from a job that you didn't spend a whole lot of time at I wouldn't even list them on the resume. If your potential employer asks you why there's a gap in your resume just say you have been working construction or doing freelance work for cash.

[Miz-Newsy]

Easy: the contract ended. As a contractor, that is usually why I leave a job. Love your answers!

[justinwhite]

My last job interview didn't ask why I left, they asked what I didn't like. I honestly said that cleaning up messy spills and going outdoors in cold weather to collect carts.
This was something that I felt was safe because these were aspects thst weren't part of my new job, and actually the interviewer even commented that those were things that aren't a part of this job.

[gojl]

I had a job where I lasted 18 months longer than my two predecessors combined. Boss didn’t like confrontation so she kept a spreadsheet of my mistakes without telling me. I would leave notes or schedule meetings to try to find out how she wanted the job done. She would ignore the notes and disappear at the meeting times.
Luckily I had called a previous manager for advice. I had called a previous recruiter as well when it happened. The recruiter had me a new job at the same salary within a week. It was a temp job but gave me a chance to get my feet on the ground. Six months later the previous manager approached me with a full time job making significantly more.

[serpent]

I think I'm going to have to memorize the toxic workplace answer since, "I had a heart attack after being forced to do multiple jobs for an average of 9-12hrs a day, and shortly after my return the company started pushing me to do even more as an engineer, and a manager on top of that" is pretty much the definition of a negative answer... *le sigh*

[zzanatos]

When possible, quit rather than allowing yourself to be fired. However, when you do this, you will not usually be able to draw any unemployment benefits.

[dcsteve]

Leaving a well known poor quality employer that routinely makes national news for being crap does give you an advantage, but "my former boss was a petulant man child who couldn't deal with the stress of the job so he took it out on everyone else" doesn't usually fly.

[whereisyourhumanity]

I loved my last job. I loved the owner, the team members, the product, the customers.
I hated having to bargain with the homeless so I could park my car, and stepping over drunks in the parking lot and on the street. I paid the fellow who lives upstairs in the shop building, to bring his dog and walk me to my car when I worked on the night shifts.
Encounters at/in the shop used to be casual contact with the small group of long-time, local homeless folks who gathered on the beach. But that group has swelled and gotten more desperate in nature, and I think it's time to make a change.
I love my boss, he's one of the nicest people I've ever worked for. But I can't work in those unsecure conditions. Maybe I'm an alarmist? The other team members don't seem alarmed. But I believe in Safety First, and personal security is part of that.

[CmdrShepardsPie]

I've been doing short-term contracting for over 12 years and aside from one or two contracts that lasted more than 9 months, most have been 3-6 months. I get asked why, and I say plainly and honestly "I like to work on projects with a focused direction and timeline. I like to have a finish line and end date to work toward. I don't like just being on staff to work on whatever because I interview for specific projects and positions; I don't want to roll off onto something I didn't interview for." 75% of the time, that's fine, since I am continuing to look for short-term contracts and not shy about it, but once in a while they say "we're really looking for someone to work long term", but the job description is anywhere from 2-6 months contract, and I wouldn't apply to anything else so I don't know why they advertise something so short, so a resume with a lot of short projects, then expect me to want to stay longer than 6 months.

[brianegendorf]

I do a lot of contract work, so regardless of why I left (fired, quit, or otherwise), my answer is just always, "My contract ended."

[_jmeg_]

I have been saying that it’s time for me to take the next step up in my career, and that my current company doesn’t currently have a business need, at my location, for that role.

For contract roles, it’s usually easier, as you can easily say “I’m looking for another long term contract position, as my current one will be coming to an end within the next couple of months.”

I’ve never had a problem with these answers. They’ve also both been true. Been in both situations before.

[DrewMGold]

Is there a financial or small to large company answer? Like, I'm considering moving bc in 2.5 years my workload has tripled while my pay has increased by only 5%. Or might it be better to say that my past two roles (each for about 2.5 years) were with small companies with essentially no structure (everyone reports to the one boss) and I'd like a role in an established company with an actual managerial structure and room to grow in position and pay, not just in responsibility?

[jreese]

I really hate that it always has to come down to doublespeak.

[jamesodell]

The most memorable person I ever interviewed for a job basically told me his boss was a jerk and so was everyone else he work with. I knew that if I hired him I would become the jerk. As someone who has hired a few people over the years the worst thing you can do in an interview is criticize those you have worked with.

[petermartin]

Best answer: I am still in my "last job" and I love it but I feel the need to grow my career and achieve new meaningful objectives. I feel confident that your company will provide a platform for me to do that.