Why did you leave?

What the interviewer is listening for

• That you can say what happened without becoming defensive or going quiet.
• That you are not blaming everyone who was there — even where blame would be fair.
• That it is finished, and you are not still fighting it.
• That you know what you would do differently, or what you learned about the fit.
• That the length matches the size of it. A long answer makes a small thing sound big.

I was made redundant

I see your last role ended in March. Can you tell me what happened?

The easiest of the three, and still commonly over-explained. Redundancy is usually a business decision, not a judgement on you — but a long, anxious answer can make the interviewer wonder whether it was.

1. Name it plainly, in one sentence — Hesitating signals there is more to it. There usually is not. Example, not a script to copy: My role was made redundant in March when the team was restructured.
2. Give the scale, briefly — It puts it beyond doubt that this was about the business, not you. Example, not a script to copy: About a third of the department went at the same time.
3. Say what you did next — Moves the answer from something that happened TO you to something you did. Example, not a script to copy: I used the time to finish a qualification I had been putting off, and I have been applying for roles like this one since.

What makes it worse

• Explaining the company's finances in detail — it is not your job to justify their decision.
• Sounding bitter about who was kept. Even when it was unfair, it does not help you here.
• Apologising. You have nothing to apologise for.

What they ask next

• How were the people chosen?
• What have you been doing since?
• Were you surprised?

I was dismissed

Why did you leave your last role?

The hardest version, and the one most people rehearse least because thinking about it is painful. You do not have to give every detail. You do have to be truthful — a reference or a background check will contradict an invented story, and that ends the process far more reliably than the dismissal would have.

1. Say it before they find it — Volunteering it reads as confidence. Being caught out reads as concealment, which is judged far harder than the original event. Example, not a script to copy: I was let go from that role.
2. One sentence on what happened, no blame — The interviewer is testing whether you can describe a bad situation fairly. Attacking your old manager fails that test instantly, whatever the truth was. Example, not a script to copy: It came down to a difference over how the work was being prioritised, and it did not get resolved.
3. What you took from it — This is the part they are actually waiting for. It is the difference between someone who had a bad experience and someone who learned from one. Example, not a script to copy: Looking back, I should have raised the problem earlier and more directly instead of trying to absorb it. I have done that since.
4. Close it, and stop talking — A finished answer sounds finished. Continuing to fill the silence undoes the first three steps. Example, not a script to copy: It was a difficult period, but it is behind me and I have been in a good place since.

What makes it worse

• Naming and criticising individuals. It tells the interviewer how you will talk about THEM one day.
• Saying it was 'a personality clash' with no further explanation — it sounds like a euphemism, because it usually is one.
• Denying it, or calling it a resignation when it was not. This is the single most damaging option.
• Going on too long. Every extra sentence adds weight to it.

What they ask next

• And why do you think that happened?
• Would your manager describe it the same way?
• What would you do differently now?
• Can we speak to them for a reference?

I left in bad circumstances

Your last role was quite short. What made you move on?

Awkward because the honest answer often involves something you were right to walk away from — and saying so can sound like criticism of an employer you are asking a stranger to take your word about.

1. Lead with what you were moving TOWARDS — A reason to leave and a reason to move are the same fact told two ways. The second is easier to hear and just as true. Example, not a script to copy: I wanted to get back to work where I was doing more of the hands-on side.
2. Acknowledge the problem in one neutral line — Skipping it entirely sounds evasive if they already suspect something. Example, not a script to copy: The role had also moved a long way from what was described when I joined.
3. Show it was considered, not impulsive — The worry behind this question is that you leave whenever things get hard. Example, not a script to copy: I raised it twice over about four months, and when it was clear it was not going to change, I started looking.

What makes it worse

• Telling the full story. You are not under oath and they are not owed it.
• Sounding like the victim of every workplace you have been in.
• Volunteering that you left with nothing lined up, unless they ask.

What they ask next

• What specifically changed about the role?
• Did you have something else lined up when you left?
• What would have made you stay?