What to List as a Reason for Leaving on a Job Application

By

Updated on April 4, 2024

Reasons for leaving a job — Photo:
Catherine Song / The Balance

There are all sorts of reasons to leave a job, both good and bad. Once you've cut ties and moved on, you should develop a plan for discussing your previous position and why you left it—especially if you were fired, laid off, or quit without a “good” reason.

When you fill out an employment application, companies will often ask why you left each of your previous positions, and the question could also come up during a job interview. Prepare what you're going to say now, and you won’t be caught by surprise when applying for your next job.

Note

If employers don't ask, you don't need to provide any information on why you left the job.

Below you'll find advice on how to list your reasons for leaving a job on an application, along with tips for dealing with tricky situations, like being fired or quitting under difficult circumstances.

Key Takeaways

Job applications often ask why you are leaving (or have left) your job.
It's important to be honest because prospective employers may check with your previous employer.
Try to keep your response as positive as possible. You can use terms such as terminated or separated from employment instead of fired, for example.
Be prepared to explain why you are moving on during job interviews.

Tips for Listing a Reason for Leaving on a Job Application

Whenever you’re filling out forms or preparing documents for a job search, it’s important to be honest. Prospective employers may contact your former employers to verify that the reason you listed is accurate. If it's not, you may be removed from consideration for the job.

You will also want to provide a reason that puts you in a positive light when possible. So, if you left a job because you were bored with your day-to-day work or simply hated the position or company, you might want to rephrase your reason to something like "looking for new challenges.”

Note

You may not need to include every job you’ve ever held on an application. Read the instructions carefully and follow the directions that tell you how much work experience you need to list.

Common Reasons for Leaving

Some reasons will be straightforward and easily accepted, like:

Budget cuts
Career focus changed
Company cutbacks or layoffs
Moved on to a position with more responsibilities
Offered a new position at another company
Lack of growth opportunities at the company
Laid off from job a due to corporate merger
Laid off due to restructuring
Left for the beginning of the fall semester
Landed a higher-paying job
Left to focus on an extracurricular while in school, such as varsity baseball in the spring
Left to devote more time to academics
Looking to change careers
Looking for a new challenge
Position ended after the summer
Position was eliminated
Position was part-time, contract, or temporary
Seeking a new opportunity
Went back to school on a full-time basis

In other cases, you may have had a more personal rationale like:

Caring for a sick family member
Coping with an illness yourself
Moved to be closer to family
Spouse transferred to a new city
Stay-at-home parent to young children
Taking a career break

Of course, you will want to mention reasons that don't reflect negatively on you if possible. This is where giving yourself the benefit of the doubt can come into play. For example, say you were laid off from an employer that was experiencing financial difficulties. Even though a secondary reason for your termination might have been that you were a lower-performing employee, it is fine just to cite budget cuts.

When You Quit Your Job

There are many reasons to resign from a position, but some of them sound better to future employers than others. Hopefully, you gave some thought to leaving your job graciously before you turned in your resignation. Regardless, the reason you give your potential employer should be something your former employer agrees with, as it's likely they'll end up verifying.

Some of the terms you could use instead of “quit” include:

Pursuing other opportunities
Resigned
Voluntary separation

Whatever the circumstances, try not to place blame on others at the company, as it will only reflect badly on you.

When You Have Been Fired

Explaining that you were fired can be one of the most difficult things you encounter during the job search process. It’s likely an emotional issue for you, and even if it’s not, it can be difficult to explain while keeping your reputation untarnished. If you have to list a reason on a job application, it can be challenging to come up with an appropriate response that will be verified by your former employer.

To keep it simple, you could say:

Involuntary separation
Terminated
Discharged
Job ended

If it was a situation where both you and your manager agreed that the job wasn't working out, you could say "mutual separation."

Note

If you're asked a yes or no question about whether you were fired, it's important to tell the truth because the employer may check.

Tricky Reasons for Leaving

When you leave a job for a positive reason, it’s a simple thing to explain on your application and in an interview. Sometimes though, your reasons for leaving are a little more complex.

Perhaps you quit your previous position because you were unhappy—your boss was difficult, your job was going nowhere, or you had co-workers who were unbearable. Maybe you were fired because your attitude was problematic, you got in a fight with your supervisor, or you weren’t doing a good enough job.

More Reasons for Leaving

Here's a list of more reasons for leaving a job to help you appropriately answer the question. Regardless of the reason you list on the application, be honest, and be prepared to explain why you were fired during job interviews.

Try to Keep It Positive

Avoid mentioning reasons that reflect negatively on a former employer. You may have left the position because you did not get along with your manager or co-workers, but it's preferable to say that you wanted a new challenge, were offered a higher-paying position, or the company restructured.

Note

Prospective employers tend to negatively view employees who disparage their former colleagues, so keep any mention of less-than-optimal circumstances as positive as possible.

Negotiating Your Departure

Keep in mind that when leaving a job, you can sometimes negotiate with your employer how your departure might be represented to future employers. Doing this may help you avoid some of these tricky application issues.

Even after you've left, you can try contacting your former manager or human resources department and asking if there is a neutral way they can describe your departure from the company.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can an employer say you were fired?

There are no federal laws that prohibit employers from disclosing an employee was fired, but some states have laws that regulate what information about former employees can be released. Also, some employers have company policies that restrict what information can be shared. Check with the human resources department for details.

What happens if someone lies on a job application?

When you sign a job application, you are verifying that the information provided is accurate. If an employer conducts a background check and learns that an applicant wasn't truthful, it can be grounds for disqualifying the candidate from consideration.

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