How to answer “Reason For Job Change” | “Reason For Leaving Job”

Looking for a better opportunity is no more a cool answer!! how would you answer this question! Reason for job Change??

Reason for job change: One of the most important questions often candidates don’t prepare for is “Why do you want to leave your current job?’ this may sound like an insignificant question. And “better opportunity” may sound like the right answer!. but, Beware! Your answer might ruin your chances. 

Trust me, most of the candidates have just one reason for job change. Better Opportunity. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to perfectly answer this simple yet complicated question. How to not mess your chances in the job interview and a few best Reasons for leaving job interview question answers straight from the expert recruiters. 

At the end of of this article, you’d be able to write your own answer for reason for job change. Practice these answers and nail your next job interview.

Let’s begin!

But before we begin, I want you to answer the “reason for a job change? question. Tell me your reasons for leaving your job?

We spend a good amount of time at our workplace, a job not only pays your bills but also gives you new relations, friends and a lot of memories to cherish. Some good, some bad. But we all love them. Finding a new job is hard, as is leaving a job. We all have got our own reasons to move on in life, start fresh, and excel in our professional life. 

The hardest part of leaving a job is explaining it to the current employer and your future employer. All you have to figure out is how to put a positive spin on quitting a job. 

There are hundreds of reasons for leaving a job, bad raise, low salary, no bonus, bad manager, travel issues, etc.

To start with here is a small list of Reasons for leaving a job.

• You no longer find the work challenging
• Your dreams do not align with the company’s growth policy
• You feel you are underpaid
• You feel you are undervalued in your current company
• The company you work for is going out of business
• You do not have anything new to learn or do
• You feel your friends are doing better than you
• Your company is moving out of the city
• You are relocating to a new place
• You have health issues
• You need to take care of your family members
• Your manager sucks
• You do not like the culture of the organization
• Tired of office politics
• You feel overworked
• You have lost interest in your current role
• You need a fresh beginning 
• You were laid off
• You need a better paying job
• You are insecure about your current job
• Your contract got over
• You found a better job
• You are expecting a child

Top 10 reasons for leaving a job

1. You need a better paying job
2. Work timings are affecting your personal life
3. Stress, You are not able to maintain a proper work-life balance
4. You had bad appraisals 
5. Maternity reasons 
6. Office politics 
7. An unsupportive manager or boss
8. Abusive workplace
9. You feel undervalued at your current company
10. Travel issues

Last month, while counseling a job seeker, she asked can I quit my job due to stress? And we decided to conduct a quick survey. The outcome of the survey was disheartening. 80 percent of the respondents acknowledged that they are under tremendous pressure at work. Stress had to be on the list of top 10 reasons for leaving a job. Walking out of a job due to stress might land you in a far worse situation. The first thing I recommend job seekers is to not to walk out of a job just because of stress. Talk to a friend, a colleague, your manager, or someone you can trust. find out the reason and work on it. There are better ways of handling stress. 

The second most common reason for leaving a job is a bad boss or manager.

So If i ask you tell me why are you leaving your current job? Would you say that you have a bad boss? 

I understand, having a bad boss or an uncomfortable working condition is bad. But talking about that in a job interview is not a good idea. Whatever your reason for leaving the current job is, you have to talk about positive things only. 

Am I asking you to lie? Not really. I’m only asking you to focus on the positive points in the job interview.

How to explain the reason for leaving a job?

I’d say kiss it. 

Not the hiring manager you silly. 😉 

I mean keep it simple and short. Here is how I want you to explain the reason for leaving a job.

1. Talk positively: I don’t care if you were kept in a 4×4 cell and fed just a piece of bread in a day, you must not badmouth your current employer or your job role. 

We all have something negative and positive to talk about our current job role, organization, and colleagues. Whatever happened to you, it happened in the past. Now it’s time to move on. Go file a F##ing lawsuit if you want against your employer. But you must never speak about it in a job interview. also, don’t forget the background check aka reference check everything you say might actually go against you. after all you have to honor the may we contact this employer request and provide references for a background check.

Employers prefer staying away from the individuals who talk ill of their past employers. 

Talk about what you learned, how you find yourself a better professional, or how you excelled at a skill during your time with the current employer.

2. Be clear about your reason for leaving: As I said prepare a list of your reasons, identify the best ones, and focus on those reasons only. Or you can simply ask yourself what you want from your next employer, determine your career goals, workplace, what you like and hate about your current job, etc. 
3. Keep it short: Yes, keep your response to one or max two sentences, the more you try to explain, the more red flags you leave for the hiring manager to see. 

Other ways this question could be asked are

• “Why are you looking for a job?”
• “why do you plan to change your current job”
• “Why did you resign?
• “why do you want to leave your current job”
• “why are you looking for a new job”
• “why do you want to leave your current job so early”
• “Why are you leaving your current job after a short time”
• “Why did you leave your last job”

Make no mistake, I have seen some of the most seasoned candidates getting rejected because of this question.

You’ve been with your current organization for some time and the recruiter wants to know the reason for job change. Your hiring manager is trying to find out the real reason behind your decision. Your interviewer is trying to ensure that he is not hiring someone unworthy of the position and company. He wants to understand if you are leaving your current job because of work pressure, non-performance, or something else.

If you have had a stable career history, your interviewer wants to determine that you have a valid reason for job change.

“Why do you want to leave your current job” OR “Why are you looking for a new job” is one of the most asked questions in the interview.

Here is a list of the most common reasons for job change used by the job applicants

• To learn something new
• Exploring more responsibilities 
• Relocation
• Looking for a career change
• To learn or upgrade a skill 
• Location issues
• Change in job responsibilities at current job 
• Better salary 

What not to say

• Don’t complain about your current employer or colleagues 
• Only for a higher salary
• Medical issues 
• Family problems

Why do you want to leave your current job sample answer

Compliment your answer with a logical comparison between both the jobs. Explain how you always wanted to work for an organization like this one. And your skills and job requirement make a perfect match.

Sample Answer for “Reason for job change”

In simple words, I’m looking for more challenges. Currently, I’m managing a team of 12 team members. Also, I’m responsible for handling the western region for the company. I have gained some great skills like resource management and client servicing. I also have had a great experience. I have been successfully beating my projected targets in the last 4 quarters. 

I am now ready to take up a larger team and bigger territories. My current organization can offer me a promotion, but the team strength and territory would remain the same and the position your company is offering clearly offers a kind of challenge that I’m looking out for. This is basically my reason for job change. Having an opportunity to work with your organization will allow me to grow professionally. 

Reason for job change, If you have already resigned

Best answer for reason for job change in interview

I’m not looking for a job change, I’m looking for a new job. As I have already resigned from my last job. (State your reason of resignation) I have had great experience and learnings with my last organization, however, financially, the company was going through a bad phase. The management wanted to resize the organization and limit its expenses. That led to some layoffs and most of us were asked to switch departments. 

I felt that would have been an injustice to my hard-earned skills and knowledge. I realized my strengths and future goals were not aligned with the offered position.  It was a great organization but I decided it was best that I left at the earliest and started to hunt for more relevant opportunities. My team manager was a great person and a true mentor, and he is also one of the references I have mentioned in my resume. I have left that organization on great terms and had a wonderful learning experience. 

I am looking to work for a company that has a challenging position for my skills and strengths. I have researched your company and have checked all the reviews posted by your employees on various portals.  Also, the job description aligns with my career goals and skills. I feel this is the right company for me. I have the skills and expertise with a proven track record to add immense value to the position and excel within your organization.

Best answer for reason for job change in interview #3

My current employer is a leading organization in the banking sector.  I have had a great experience & learnings working with them. I have sharpened my skills in sales, key account management, portfolio management, resource management, and several other areas. But lately, I have realized that now is the right time to actually switch. Through my disciplined corporate skills, and sales acumen it’s time for me to move to a bigger position and to greater responsibilities. I honestly want to test my limits and create a name for me. 

As a result, for the past few weeks, I have been seeking a good reason for job change and a great opportunity to make a switch. Your company gives me the perfect opportunity to do so. I am a part of the HNI sales team at my current organization and want to dedicate myself fully to a similar role in your company as well.

If your contract position got over. Reason for job change Answer #4

Reason for leaving job interview question answer: My reason for job change is the termination of my current employment contract. For the past 1 year I have been associated with —- company on a contractual basis. I enjoyed my tenure with my last organization. I had a great learning and work experience with them. However, it was a one-time project that got completed on schedule.  

Though the position had very limited exposure to offer, I took every opportunity to sharpen my skills and expertise. Now, my career goals need me to stick to a permanent full-time job.  

I got excited, the moment I saw your job advertising. It looks like a nice opportunity for me to work under a capable leadership as well as hone my skills. I am very passionate about such a work environment that offers challenges with learnings. I am sure that with my diverse technical background, I will be of great asset to this firm.

Why do you want to leave your current job sample answer #5

My current company is going through a tough time and my department is going to be laid off. The reason for job change is I was told by my management to look for another job and they have been extremely helpful during this transition period of 90 days. I have a strong technical background, a master’s degree in computers, and constantly update my programming skills through online certifications. 

I am now looking to diversify my profile and work with a larger client base. This position matches my core competencies and career goals. Also, I have checked the company reviews over the internet. That makes this organization and an ideal place to work for.  I am keen to utilize my skills to add value to your company.

If you are looking for a better opportunity – Reason for job change Answer #6

Why do you want to leave your current job sample answer:

I have been with my current organization for almost 4 years, My reason for job change is upward mobility and financial growth. I have grown well and I am learned new skills. I have met my targets and my work no longer seems challenging. With an impeccable track record and in-depth industry knowledge, I’m ready to take on bigger challenges and responsibilities. That being said, I am excited to be a part of your organization and work closely with management.