How to Answer “Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job?”
“Why are you looking to leave your current role?”
Why interviewers ask it
The interviewer wants to know whether you’re moving towards something or running from something, and whether the same problem will make you leave them too.
What they want to hear
- A positive reason that points towards this job
- Honesty without complaining
- That you’ve thought about it
How to structure your answer: Where you are, what you want, why here
- 1Acknowledge the current jobSomething you’ve valued or achieved there.
- 2What you want nowThe growth, scope or change your current job can’t offer.
- 3Why this roleHow this job offers it, specifically.
Example answers
Made-up examples to show the shape of a good answer. Yours should use your own experience and numbers.
I’ve had a great four years at Pinecrest and I’ve learned a lot running paid media there. But the marketing team is small and there isn’t a path to leading people in the next couple of years. I’ve already been hiring and supervising our writers, and I want to do that properly: build and develop a team. This role gives me two specialists to lead and a wider remit across email and CRM, which is exactly the next step I’m looking for.
My role was made redundant in March when the company merged our finance team with the head office in Toronto; about a third of the team was affected. I’m proud of what I did there: I cut our month-end close from ten days to six. I’ve used the time since to finish my CPA ethics module, and I’m looking for a role where I can do the same kind of process work at a larger scale, which is what drew me to your shared services team.
Mistakes to avoid
- Criticising your current employer or manager.
- Only talking about money, even if pay matters.
- Hiding a redundancy or dismissal. Say it briefly and move on.
Other ways it’s asked
- “Why do you want to leave your job?”
- “Why did you leave your last job?”
- “What’s prompting your job search?”
Practise it out loudAnswers that read well often run long when spoken. Practise in a mock interview and get feedback on content, pace and filler words.
See mock interviews