How To Answer ‘Why Did You Leave Your Job?’ In A Management Interview

If we were to be brutally honest, hardly anyone has a squeaky clean employment history. If you’re one of the few who have never needed to shift jobs, or were simply the casualty of misfortune due to a mass round of layoffs, then that’s great—but if you’ve been fired, or had to walk out of your role due to discrimination, a toxic work culture, or lack of work/life balance that is impacting your health and your family, that’s not such an easy matter. Answering the dreaded question, “Why did you leave your last job?” requires tact in providing a clear answer that does not convey any deal-breaking red flags to your prospective employer, while being honest.

The stakes are even higher in an interview for a management or leadership position. Chances are, your exit may be considered more high-profile and impact your future relations with industry stakeholders more than if an employee at a less senior level moved on from the organization.

Therefore, handling your exit, and this interview question, with grace, regardless of the circumstances surrounding your move or your reasons for departure, are critical to establishing and maintaining trust. If you find yourself in this situation and you’re worried that your answer—the truth— might prevent you from moving into the next phase of your leadership or management career, here are a few things you need to bear in mind:

What Is The Interviewer Really Asking?

As with every interview question, it’s essential to get down to the nitty gritty of what the hiring manager really wants to know. This helps to guide your approach to answering any question with confidence. For the question, “Why did you leave your last job?”, the interviewer wants to know several things, including:

• The context behind your departure from your last role
• Your motivations for pursuing this new role
• Your level of professionalism when discussing unpleasant work situations
• Are you a good culture fit?
• Are you self-aware/can you learn well from mistakes?
• Is this part of a pattern in your work history (i.e. leaving a job after every one or two years) and if so, what is the likelihood of you repeating the same with this new job? Is the role really compatible for you and your career aspirations?

How Not To Answer “Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?”

Now that you know what the interviewer is looking for in your answer, here are some rather obvious red flag statements to avoid in your response:

“I’m ready for a change.” (This appears to be vague and makes you sound like you’re flitty and not serious.)

“I was fired.” (This might be true but there are better ways to phrase this.)

“I can’t answer as I am going through a legal case right now.” (This is definitely not a positive sign—you might scare the interviewer off!)

“They weren’t paying me my worth.” (This makes you look like you are putting the blame on your ex-employer; while this may be true, mentioning salary is not a strong enough answer because the hiring manager has reason to believe that the moment you receive a more flattering salary offer, you’ll disappear in no time!)

Sample Answers For “Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?”

The key to a satisfactory answer for this question is one that is concise, diplomatic, and professional, and avoids any negative language, while tying your answer in with how this new role fulfils your career aspirations. Badmouthing your previous employer, however tyrannical they may have been, will work against you. Strike a balance between being truthful about your reasons for leaving while not being too elaborate with the details, and avoid using the word “fired,” replacing with “role terminated,” “laid off,” or “contract ended.”

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For instance, if you have actually been fired, you can mention that your role terminated due to underperformance in a specific area (briefly mention what this specific area was), but then you can proceed to highlight the lessons you’ve learned from that experience, and that since then, you’ve undertaken upskilling to improve your skill set and performance.

“I made some mistakes with my time management in that role, which led to a my portion of the project lagging behind. Since then I’ve undertaken time management courses and have seen a drastic improvement in my personal life, and I have realized that, if I could have revisited that job again, there were certainly areas where I could have reduced the time I spent and been more efficient. I’m looking forward to applying these lessons in this new role should I be successful.”

If you left due to a toxic work culture, you could say:

“I left because I realized that my last employer was not the best fit for my career path and progression, so I began to seek out others who would have a more conducive environment to helping me achieve my career aspirations, and from my research, your company appears to be a great fit for what I am looking for at this point in my career journey.”

If you left due to bad management not communicating your responsibilities clearly, a sample answer would be:

“There was a misunderstanding of my responsibilities and role at work. When I was hired, I believed that my role entailed a certain set of skills and responsibilities, but after six months of working there, we both realized that it was best to part ways as my skill set was not in line with their expectations, and their current expectations differed from what I believed they wanted.”

Felt restricted at work and want to move up the ladder? Be honest about it!

“I am seeking to progress upwards in my leadership journey, but due to the size of the company and their current set-up, this was not possible. From my research I see much potential for me to grow in my management career here.”

Answering “Why did you leave your last job?” is pretty straightforward. You don’t need to fall into the trap of being dishonest—or perhaps worse, overtly too honest. Remember to stay focused on the positive, keep a future outlook with your answer, and never cast blame on anyone—except yourself if you must. Reflect on lessons learned and what you might have done differently, and you’ll be able to glide through this interview question without a hitch.