How to answer: Why did you leave your last job?

’t have to be difficult as long as you do your research on the company, the role and why you fit the bill. However, if you left your last role in unfavourable circumstances, you’ll need to do even more ground work to impress.

Job interviews aren't as difficult as they sound if you do adequate research about the company, the role and why you would vie for for a particular salary. But, if you left your last job in bad note, you’ll need to do even more groundwork than before to impress the hiring manager.

If you have left the job after a short tenure or have goofed it up for some reason, then answering "Why You Left The Job" becomes more important. For this reason, we’ve created a guide on how to answer this interview question: ‘why did you leave your last job?’. You will find this useful even if you left the job for a straightforward reason like traveling or spending time with family. So, read our job tips on how to give an impressive answer to one of the trickiest job interview questions.

Avoid Subjective Answers

When you are posed the question why you left your last job, give a diplomatic answer. The answer should sound very professional to the interviewer. 

You should avoid giving personal answers which could sound silly or giving impression that you are making up parts of your answer. The answer should also be put forward in a simple and easy to understand language. Never keep beating around the bush and try to confuse the interviewer. Give a clear and concise answer of why you left. This is important for the interviewer because your answer would indicate what you’re job role is and how well you would match the job and company's culture.

Also, remember not to sound negative or personal about your manager in your previous job, though may have any. Answering this question in a diplomatic manner is important as your answer interviewer will make out or doubt your character or abilities if you do not answer properly. 

Avoid Bad-mouthing Previous Employer

In whatever circumstances you may have left your last job, do not ever bad mouth your previous employer of any senior manager. This would put accross in a negative person and would cause interviewer to think that you would behave the same way if given chance and bad mouth if you happen to leave the job. 

Instead, keep any complaints to yourself and show how you’ve evolved out of it. The hiring manager could realize you had a bad time, which is perfectly fine. But putting down your erstwhile employer, will show how unprofessional you are.

How much ever, the circumstances may be stormy which lead to leave your last role, you can still get through this if you avoid criticism during the job interview.

Emphasize How Leaving benefited You

When answering the question, you should also mention how this has contributed to your career. By addressing this way, you give an impression to the interviewer that you’re focused on your career and can recoup from previous hold ups.

If you have left your job to focus on a new career, it is suggested, you talk about your new career discovery. You can also discuss what you would wanted in your next position, if that was what triggered to leave your last job. Because, it is good thing that you know where you want your career path to progress and the interviewer would also appreciate that.

Highlight Achievement of Previous Role

One of the safest way to answer and addressing this question is highlight the parts of your last job that you excelled in. Along with telling the interviewer why you had to leave, support this with any parts of the job you excelled at. You’ll have mention that though you had problems in adjusting with the job role in the beginning, you adapted and imbibed qualities that were useful for future job roles.

Here, try to recollect what you achieved throughout your last job. Take a specific example and explain what you achieved and how you were were successful. Keep this short and you should come good with lot of points on this difficult question.

Apart from this, you can elaborate your answer expand on how you honed skills that are transferable in your career progression.

Mention Your graceful Exit

Your smooth and respectful exit will always put you in good terms with the interviewer. 

Mention if there were any productive conversations you had with your last manager regarding your reasons for leaving. If you discussed your time at the last job and your abilities, development and achievements and in the role, make sure you inform let the interviewer about them. Also, tell if stayed extra time or had to designate and train a new hire before you left the job. 

By doing this, you’ll come across as a person you values the feelings of others and the company. You’ll show up as a person who acted in a graceful manner, though you career change or job shift.

Discuss positive relationships formed 

It is also recommended that you address this question by expanding on any positive relationships you nurtured with former colleagues.

You can mention how good a team player you were and positive relationships with your coworkers helped the team overall. Remember, not to touch on the negatives of your last job, so speak to the interviewer on well you gelled with others to accomplish the tasks even though the you were not a perfect fit for the job or infact, you didn’t it wasn't of major interest to you.

This way, you’ll come accross as as a focused coworker who is willing to form and maintain relationships in the workplace.

It is imperative that explaining about leaving always puts you in awkward situation, but the above given tips and advice will make sure you focus on the positives. The career advice provided will definitely make you resign or leave your job gracefully and get you through the interview in tactful way.

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