Why did you leave your job? This a question that puts a lump in people’s throats when it’s asked, especially during an interview for a new job. This question is simple, but why do people find it difficult to answer? Continues reading as you discover the reasons why people leave jobs and how you can answer this quotation easily.
In many cases, these questions will make your palms start to sweat immediately and your pulse start will start racing. However, this is not how it should be. There are many valid reasons for leaving a job, and having a solid understanding of your reasons from a professional standpoint will help you answer those dreaded questions.
So let’s look at some of the reasons why people leave jobs, and we hope they help you answer this question whenever you are asked by anyone.
Before we dive into these reasons, we will want to discuss a little about how one can resign from a job in a positive way.
How to Tender Your Resignation and Leave Your Job in a Positive Way
Flying out of the office screaming, “This is the last straw, I quit!” This kind of resignation should be avoided at all costs. An effective notice and resignation can give you peace of mind and create positive feelings for both parties.
So how should you go about this process?
Although in many cases people leave a job due to unpleasant conditions or not being satisfied in general, there is no reason to create a conflict that you regret in the future. Try as much as possible not to take your boss by surprise and do not intimidate him/her, so informed your employer that you will want to have a discourse with them in advance so that both you and your employer are fully prepared to have such a conversation.
Although this may seem simple, try to think of your reasons for leaving before you meet with your employer. If you are working on a project, you should also have a transition plan in place when you submit your resignation letter. But even if there is a transition plan in place, in general, a notice period of one month is expected, but if that is too much, then a two weeks notice is appropriate.
By showing appreciation to your employer and stressing that you care about the company, you can leave the job without controversies that could have been avoided.
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How to Resign Guilt Free
Regardless of why you want to leave your job, it won’t be easy. People often feel guilty about leaving the company. Whether it’s because you miss your coworkers or feel uncomfortable leaving halfway through a project, it’s important to re-evaluate your negative feelings. Yes, it would be different without daily meetings with colleagues, but there is always time to catch up after work or on weekends.
If you feel like your team can’t do their job without you, a detailed transition plan can help you walk away confident that you’ve given them the tools they need to succeed.
It is useless to feel guilty about a decision you made consciously to improve your life. Remember how important it is that you change your job and how it will give you the opportunity to excel in many new dimensions of your beautiful life, so don’t let the guilt get you stuck in a boring job for another decade.
What are the Most Common Reasons Why People Leave Jobs?
Contrary to popular belief, it is not always a negative reason that makes people leave their jobs. See below for the most common reasons for changing jobs. We have included the positive and negative ones in a bid to create a balance.
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#1. Career Change
Isn’t it boring to sit at the same desk and do the same job every day? You may not be the only one who feels this way. A very common reason for changing jobs is that people want to change professions. Whether this decision was motivated by the pursuit of new life goals or old-fashioned boredom, there is nothing negative about wanting new things. If a new career path arouses undeniable excitement in you, give it a try!
#2. Career Development and Advancement
But people don’t change jobs just for a pay rise. Often people leave their current positions due to other factors. This includes the opportunity to expand your skills or gain a wider network of contacts for future success.
#3. Seeking Greater Flexibility
A lot of employees struggle to balance work responsibilities and family life, and there are now high expectations that they can achieve a good work-life balance. Many employees leave because work arrangements are uncomfortable or inconvenient, and they look for a job that will offer them more flexibility.
Having a discussion with your employer about flexibility and the possibility of working remotely or from home could help here. This is especially helpful to reduce the number of days you are absent from work or the number of sick days you have to call in.
#4. Layoffs/Company Restructuring
On almost every employee’s mind is, “What if I get fired?” Unfortunately, being fired or laid off due to company restructuring is a very common reason why people lose their jobs. While this happens for a variety of reasons, workers are often fired because companies are cutting costs or simply because employers are not satisfied with what employees bring to the company.
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#5. When You are Under-Appreciated
This reason can be harder to measure but is still often cited as one of the reasons why people leave jobs. When employees feel that their contributions are being ignored or that they are not getting enough appreciation for their contribution, their satisfaction in that kind of working environment, and even their self-esteem can suffer.
Employers address this by finding ways to make employees happy. This can be done by giving workers incentives, tasks or even prizes. On a smaller scale, employers who regularly appreciate the contribution of their employees will more likely retain their employees and maintain a happy and progressive work atmosphere.
#6. Bad Management
Employees are known to perform best when they feel supported and valued. If a person is trapped in a bad work environment due to bad management, they can only endure this negative atmosphere until they resign. If you don’t see your work environment improving at some point, do yourself a favour and accept the best offer.
#7. Negative Work Culture
The best workplaces closely monitor and intervene in workplace bullying or group behaviours. But they can also be more insidious and harder to spot. When employees leave because of a negative work culture, it’s often because the behaviours are difficult to report.
Providing open lines of communication and maintaining confidentiality when necessary can be key to solving this problem. Team building, communication and creating a warm, environment that is respectful are also important for employee well-being and retention.
#8. Better Compensation
When offered higher pay, benefits, or retirement benefits, most people jump at the chance to change jobs. This is one of the reasons why people leave jobs because who wouldn’t take the best offer?
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#9. Looking for Challenges
Employees may often leave their current job because they are looking for new challenges. This is something employers can create at any time.
When employers and employees communicate regularly in an open fashion, problems can be resolved through additional training, additional responsibility, the creation of new roles and titles, etc. When workers feel they are challenged, they will by default require themselves to perform better and in the same vein bring more value to themselves and their employers.
Greater satisfaction, confidence and accomplishment with challenges means employees are more likely to stay in their jobs.
#10. Poor Fit
What about those moments when nothing particularly bad happened, but it just wasn’t right for you? If you can’t handle a tight work schedule or simply disagree with the company’s purpose or vision, if the company isn’t a good fit, it often makes sense to find another position that suits you.
What Answer in an Interview if you are Asked Why you Left your Old Job
You have noticed that it is close to impossible for an interviewer to not ask you, “Why are you leaving your current job?” or “Why you left your previous position?” in this situation interviewees are always tempted to play the victim, but this how you should answer the question.
When asked this question, make sure you don’t answer this question in a way that seems like you blame your former employee and you angrily left the position.
In this case, it is very important to give a considered and logical reason why you are leaving or want to leave your position. This is easy to do with simple, non-detailed statements that can be elaborated upon when asked.
For example, you can decide to say that you want to advance in your career or change careers to get a new job and a work environment that suits your long-term goals. If the reason for your departure was really management difficulties, try to describe it in a positive way.
For example, if you have to complete a project in an unimaginably short time, you can say that you are looking for a job where you can spend more time working on your project. If you answered the question in a positive way and planned well, you will surely please the interviewer.
Conclusion
Now that you have a good idea of some of the top reasons why people leave jobs, you can look at your own experience or learn what motivates others to take on different jobs and positions. But the bottom line is, if leaving your job feels like it’s the best fit for your interests and goals, it’s best to leave it.
In all, it is important that you leave your job in a positive way, and make sure you don’t burn bridges. We have seen cases when people come back asking for their old position but were not allowed to come back to the system because they left in the most negative of ways.
