It was a chilly Monday morning when I stepped out of my apartment, my heart heavy with a good reason why I was considering leaving my job. I had been nurturing this for months. As I made my way to the office, my mind raced, replaying the events leading up to this day.
I had always been a committed employee, pouring my heart and soul into my work at the marketing company. Further, I thrived on the tight deadlines, challenges, and the sense of accomplishment that was accompanied by every successful campaign. But something changed over the past year.
The long work hours had become increasingly demanding, leaving me with little time for self-care or personal life. In addition, the once-supportive environment had become toxic. This affected my daily routine and productivity.
As I settled into my desk, my computer screen flickered to life, reminding me of the pile of tasks that awaited me. At this point, I realized that my job was now a source of stress, misery, and unhappiness. So, I hissed a sigh of relief and decided to call it quits.
I needed to reclaim my sense of purpose and find a new job that matched my values and allowed me to thrive. You might have experienced something similar or different.
However, in this article, you’ll learn about 10 good reasons people resign from their jobs alongside how to answer such a question if you encounter it during a job interview.
Table of Contents
Why Do Employers Ask About Your Reason For Leaving a Job?
There are many reasons a recruiter will inquire about your reason for leaving your previous job. So, it’s not something you should be scared about. Majorly, employers ask this question to understand what helps you execute your job well.
Furthermore, employing new staff can be quite expensive. And your performance in your previous organization will demonstrate your performance in this present one. So, you wouldn’t blame them for trying to ensure they’re hiring the right candidate.
Your answer will determine if you align with the company’s operation and structure, and what you want in the long run. While this question can trick you into responding from a negative perspective, try to not be emotional in your response.
If you left your previous workplace on good terms, figuring out what to say will be easy. But if you left on bad terms, you might find it hard to know what to answer. Anyway, you just have to keep things neutral.
Other Different Ways Hiring Managers Ask Why You Left Your Job
These are the most common variations of the interview question, “what’s a good reason for leaving your last job?”
- What’s your inspiration behind pursuing this opportunity?
- Tell me what made you apply for this role.
- Why are you interested in working with our organization?
- Can you tell us what prompted you to leave your last job?
- Take me through the thought process behind your job search.
- What motivated you to seek new job opportunities?
- Tell me the key reasons for your desire to leave your previous job.
- Can you tell me the reasons behind your decision to search for new employment?
- Why do you think this position is particularly a good fit for your career goals?
- What factors triggered your decision to leave your former employer?
Common Reasons For Leaving Your Job
Knowing the specific part of your job that required changes can help you to understand why you left it. It will also help you recognize what you want in your next job/position.
These are some common reasons someone may leave a job:
- Personal reasons
- Career advancement
- Change in organization culture
- Organization downturn
- Changing career into a new industry
- Better value alignment
- Company merger, acquisition, or restructure
- Better value compensation
Besides these, there may be other reasons why a person left their job. So, take your time to reflect on the reason that fits into your situation.
10 Reasons For Leaving a Job
Every individual has their unique experience in whatever position they occupy in any organization. And they can decide to leave whenever they deem fit, either for a positive or negative reason. Regardless of that, we’ll explore ten good and bad reason(s) for leaving a job.
1. Location/work flexibility
Whether they’re working remotely or in a physical place, most employees desire the flexibility to decide where they work. So, organizations without flexible work hours or structure are at a higher risk of losing talents who want flexible jobs.
2. Toxic workplace culture
Leaving a job because of toxic workplace culture is a good reason to walk away. An organization’s culture is typically about the shared attitudes, beliefs, and values that binds a company in the way it treats its staff members and customers.
So, when there’s regular turnover, poor communication, anxiety across the company, and lack of enthusiasm from workers, that workplace can be said to be toxic. Workers can resign if they perceive their company culture to be toxic.
A typical case study of a toxic company culture was the case of the mass resignations at X in 2022 after Elon Musk ordered employees to become “extremely hardcore.”
3. Bad Manager(s)
If you left your last job because you always struggled with bad managers, then it’s a good reason for leaving. A bad manager can be very toxic and affect your performance at work.
Additionally, such a manager can undermine your self-esteem. If your boss is toxic, take a walk. A manager’s performance determines how organizations retain their workers. So, managers need to get better at performing their duties and communicating appropriately.
4. Organizational changes and stability
When there are organizational changes such as a new business model or an acquisition, staff members may withdraw to reevaluate if the company’s long-term plans still match their career goals and interests. Additionally, if they perceive instability in the company or their job,it could trigger them to seek a new employment before facing layoff.
5. Better benefits and compensation
Don’t be surprised that many people resign from their job because they’re not well compensated. Since there’s now a surge in pay transparency laws, employees now have a better understanding of their payment and how it compares to other organizations.
Again, employees are mostly deprived of benefits like fully paid healthcare premiums. All these could discourage them from staying at a company. If you quit your job as a result of these, then it’s a good reason for leaving.
Also Read: How To Ask For a Raise (And What To Say)
6. No skills development
One major thing that makes workers quit their jobs is when companies do not offer training opportunities. However, if the reverse were the case, many workers would stay with their company for long-term.
The only solution to this is reskilling and upskilling. Employees who upskill or reskill stand a better chance to advance their career at their current companies.
7. Burnout
This is an extreme level of disengagement and exhaustion. It’s usually as a result of overworking, being undervalued and mistreated, or undergoing extreme stress in your workplace.
Stressors including tight deadlines and too much workload can cause mental and physical health challenges. And this is another good reason for a worker to quit his job.
8. Sense of purpose
Does your current job give you a sense of fulfillment? Does it fulfill your passions? If it doesn’t, you might consider tendering a resignation letter to your company. Meanwhile, this is a serious reason for leaving a job.
9. Entrepreneurship interests
The quest to be in control, the quest for freedom, and the drive to fulfill passion/purpose/potential has led many employees to quit their jobs and begin a startup.
In addition, there are many other things that you’ll rarely find while working for someone, that you’ll get when you’re your own boss. Hence another reason workers resign from their jobs to pursue their entrepreneurship interests.
10. Better career advancement
Nowadays in the corporate world, employees are not guaranteed recognition and reward for loyalty from their company. As a result, switching jobs has become a norm. Meanwhile, this new norm allows them to acquire new skills, experiences and ultimately, better opportunities for career advancement.
How To Answer “Why Are You Leaving Your Job?”
When you’ve decided to quit your job, be rest assured that you’ll likely encounter this question in your interview with your next employer. But how do you answer the “What’s your reason for leaving your job?” interview question? Find out different scenarios and helpful starters for this question below.
“My organization was forced to downsize due to the economic crisis, and sadly, my position was affected. I’m particularly grateful for the relationship I built with my colleagues and my boss. I gained invaluable skills and experiences while working alongside my amazing teammates. And I’ll be excited to bring my skills & talents to your team.”
“My previous employer’s organizational culture does not match my personal values. I’m seeking a workplace that emphasizes a healthy work-life balance, leadership, and teamwork. Upon reading your employer branding page, I believe my leadership approach and team player attitude will make me a great addition to your company.”
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there could be more than one good reason why you may opt for leaving your job. It could be because of a toxic work environment, poor work-life balance, lack of growth opportunities, or any of the reasons discussed in this article.
Staying in an unfulfilling job can have a major impact on your mental and physical health. Moreover, life is too short to be miserable at your workplace. So, if things are getting out of hand, find the courage to prioritize your happiness, career goals, and well-being.