Why do you want to leave your current job?
One of the most common interview questions of all time: “Why do you want to leave your current job”?
Making the decision to leave your current job is never easy. Whether you’ve been there for years, or are relatively new to the company, it’s always daunting to look for a new role. And there are several reasons that you may want to leave your job. But how do you answer “why do you leave your last job” such that it will give your interviewer more confidence in hiring you?
Below are some reasons you can list for leaving your current job:
1. You don’t have a healthy work-life balance
Although most employers will be happy to hear that you are willing to work hard, you want to make sure that you are joining an organisation that values work life balance. Afterall, this is the reason why you’ve leaving your current job.
Be honest about your long working hours – whether it’s an issue of understaffed or increased projects – simply explain them. Remember that you can let them know you don’t mind working hard, just not constantly working 12 hours a day.
2. You are underpaid and not compensated fairly
Be prepared to phrase this carefully. It can be interpreted in many different ways, and you want to make sure you get your point across the right way. Let them know that you work hard to enjoy a lifestyle you deserve, and a good compensation package motivates you to work even harder. You may even want to go ahead and mention about how you’ve surpassed all your goals but have not been rewarded accordingly.
3. Lack of career progression
Depending on your current organisation structure, maybe you don’t foresee any type of progression or perhaps you didn’t receive a promotion that was due. It’s absolutely fine to change jobs if you feel that you can find a better progression in another company.
There’s nothing worse than feeling stuck in a job with no room to grow, and according to Gallup, the biggest reason people leave their job is due to a lack of opportunities for progression. Staying in a job for too long with no development isn’t only de-motivating, it can also leave hiring managers questioning your credibility.
Being honest with how you would like to see your career progress can be a positive sign to your interviewer. It may show that you’re willing to work hard, work smart and achieve your targets to progress in your job.
4. Your commute is getting to you
Time and money spent on commuting can really eat into your personal time, and research suggests that lengthy commutes lead to mental health and stress related issues. For someone who has not experienced commute issues previously, they may not understand how much toil it’ll cause. Instead of having a logistical nightmare every morning, it’s time that you choose to look for a position closer to home.
But with remote working and work from home options more readily available today, this might be less relevant.
5. You don’t feel that your job was challenging enough
Some people go to work, do their job, and go home. And that’s fine. But do you ever find yourself wishing you were more involved in a team? Or that you were challenged in your role?
It can be hard to stay motivated in your role if you feel bored at your job. But make sure not to come across spoiled or negative. You want to make it sound like you feel that you’ve more capabilities and wanted a greater challenge to fully utilise your skills. This can also be a positive sign for your interviewer as it shows that you’re ambitious.
6. You’ve stopped developing
For ambitious professionals, personal growth and development is extremely important. If you feel like you’ve learned everything you can within your role, then it’s probably time to move on.
You want a job that challenge, motivate, and offer you the opportunity to continuously learn new skills. This could also be a question for your interviewer on their development programmes to ensure you’re constantly growing – professionally and personally.
7. You’ve been with the organisation for a few years and want a new experience
When all is said and done, if the time has come to move on – you’ll know. Just as there’s no perfect timing, there’s no right or wrong reason for quitting your job. But the time has come that you want to work in a variety of companies to add to your CV – this can be the size of companies, the type of industry or even a complete change in job role.
We hope the above will help you to answer why do you leave your last job with some very valid reasons. But remember no matter what the reason may be, do not speak negatively of your current job or employer. This never goes down well.
But whatever your reasons may be, Progressive Recruitment is here to help if you wish to move to a new role. If you wish to access other resources such as 17 questions to ask in an interview or tips to create an effective LinkedIn profile, do follow us on LinkedIn or fill up the form below for a recruiter to get in touch with you.
