Are you unsure how to articulate your reasons for wanting a new job without sounding negative or unprofessional? Do you want to confidently explain situations like seeking growth, changing careers, or even a layoff?
This episode will help you:
- Understand the two essential parts of an effective exit statement
- Learn how to frame common reasons for leaving
- Discover crucial things to avoid saying
By the end of this episode, listeners will learn how to prepare and deliver an honest, brief, and positive exit statement that reassures potential employers, highlights their skills, and effectively positions them for their next career move.
In this Episode:
[4:09] Changing, growing, or letting go?
[10:03] Get your list of questions right here
[15:14] Shhh – don't say these things out loud
Links and Resources:
Industry Insider – 12 hours of CME, learn exactly how to land a rewarding nonclinical career without a new degree, special connections, prior experience, or a pay cut
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TRANSCRIPT: Episode 132 – Exit Statement for Leaving Your Job
Hey there. Welcome back. Today, we're going to be talking about how to explain why you're leaving your job, or why you already left your job. This is also called an exit statement. And on the podcast today, I'll talk about what you should say and some things you should not say, to give you some examples and an illustration of how to put your best professional foot forward in providing an honest but brief exit statement to help explain to new prospective employers your reasons for moving on.
If you are thinking about a career move into pharma or medical device. Check out my course Industry Insider, a complete guide to landing your first industry role, even if you have no prior experience or special connections. My students have made the switch with thriving careers at top companies, and you can too. The link is in the show notes.
Okay, the exit statement. Why do you need one? What exactly is it? So whenever you're preparing for an interview or you're updating your networking pitch, a well crafted exit statement is really an essential for framing your career transition positively.
You can think of it as a extremely mini version of a sort of a press release that concisely answers why you're looking for a new job. Employers will ask you this question, and it's for several reasons.
Mostly, they would like to understand your career goals and the kind of work environment that you're seeking to understand more about whether you'll be a good fit for their company or for the role. It's also an opportunity for you, if necessary, to address any potential red flags, such as whether you have a handful of sort of short term jobs with different employers, whether you have potentially been laid off or fired for cause, anything that you think might raise concern on the part of the employer, you want to be sort of ahead of that to provide a narrative that's reassuring, and so having thought this through is really important. I know that many of you may be thinking, well, I know why I left my last job. You know, I hated it, my boss sucked, or I wanted more pay, or something like that, right?
These are oftentimes things that people are experiencing when they are looking for new roles. But this is, of course, not a professional narrative for yourself, and there's probably other reasons, right. There are going to be things that you can articulate in a professional way that is not a negative about your previous employer or any of the people that you worked with there, and also something that is not aligned solely to compensation, but really around you know, what gives you professional satisfaction, what is a good use of your skills and your motivations and so forth?
So there may be plenty of things that pop readily to mind about why you feel disgruntled or unsatisfied in a role that's, of course, normal. That's not where you want to focus your exit statement. The exit statement basically has two parts.
One should be why you left your job, and the other is what you're looking for. And sprinkled in the mix here, if it's possible, is an opportunity to highlight a skill or something that you have learned from the experience that you had in your most recent role.
So the part about why you left your job, it should be brief, it should be truthful, but it is not a confessional. So again, you want to avoid mentioning anything negative about your experience with your previous employer, and then what you're looking for ought to be, really, you know, a forward looking, positive, enthusiastic statement, and again, a chance to highlight your qualifications.
Because, as all hiring managers realize, you know, as you grow professionally in the workplace, there's a natural flow from one job to the next, as people seek out new learning opportunities and career development and new environments, and yes, promotions and increased compensation and all of those things.
So let's talk about a few good examples, right?
Examples that you could consider when you're trying to share why you're looking for a new job, one that is extremely common, and this is if you're currently employed, or potentially even if you've decided to take some time off in between jobs to look for really the right fit for you. Could be that you are looking for career growth or an opportunity that you do not have in your current role.
So you know, depending upon how your company or your department is structured, there may be more opportunities to grow, or there may not be, and sometimes there's no opportunity to sort of move laterally into different types of work. And you may want to do that also. It might be that there's really only one vertical path, and that there are people in those roles, right? And that the only opportunity for.
You to advance is to go externally, because other that you need somebody to leave otherwise, right? And this is, this is fine, right? This reflects your ambitions for career growth and opportunity, and the desire to do either that lateral, you know, increased breadth of experience, or to get a promotion fully valid and great reasons to highlight.
So an example of how you might explain you know what you're leaving, a sentence or two about what you love. You love your role, you love your co workers. You've really enjoyed making a contribution in X, Y, Z way, but you've come to a point where there are no longer the growth opportunities on your team that you're looking for.
And then, be specific, I'm looking for an opportunity that and highlight the kind of growth that you want, so that it can be really clear that that's not something you could get where you were just because of the structure there, right? No harm, no foul, but it just wasn't going to work out for you there. And it also helps the person you're speaking to sort of line up with the opportunities that they have. If those do offer the kinds of things you're looking for.
Another way that you could say this is although I'm performing very well and really enjoying my work and the people that there are not opportunities for growth in the direction or the level that you aspire to. And then you say, you know, I'm seeking a company where I can make a greater contribution to the success of the organization in such and such an area or at such and such a level of seniority.
Obviously, if you're pursuing a role that is at a higher level of seniority, you're going to need to be able to back up that you are ready to deliver on that. But it is perfectly okay to say, right, that that's what you're seeking. You're seeking a promotion. You're seeking to make an impact at a higher level, and just be specific about what that is.
Another very common reason, especially for my listeners, is that they want to change career paths. This is really common. People live a long time or professional careers are long. It's totally okay to want to explore a different route. And whether you want to go back to school or you want to change industries, or you want to just do a different kind of work.
Changing a career path is a great example of why you may want a new job. So your exit statement sounds a lot like the previous one.
You've been successful and you've really enjoyed your prior role, blah, blah, blah. And you know, and be specific about some of the things, because, again, this is where you can highlight your skills, right of what you've done, but now you're looking for an opportunity where you can develop and expand your skills into XYZ, and again, be specific about the kind of way in which you hope to learn and make a contribution in that new career environment, one that people don't love, but that is a reality for many, is that they were let go or that they were laid off. This is a reality. It can understandably cause anxiety when it's time to explain why you're looking for a new job. I think one of the opportunities that's here is to explain, really, just in a factual way, what happened and what you learned from the situation.
And this, I think, can be a great opportunity too, if you were laid off as a group, or there was a downsizing to just explain that local market conditions, your company has undergone a restructuring or reorganization, and that resulted in the elimination of a number of positions, including your own.
And if you can be, if you can provide context here, sort of communicate the magnitude of this, especially if you are not signaled out, that's really helpful. If you say, you know, I was one of 20 or one of 500 positions impacted, right? That that can be helpful. It just puts prospective employers a bit at ease.
But it's, it's extremely common, especially in health care, so this is not something to have a lot of anxiety about. Just, you know, be forthcoming and factual, and then pivot right away into now you're exploring opportunities that can take full advantage of your particular skill set, right?
And that's where you will be filling in the blank of what that is. But it happens, people get laid off, people get let go, sometimes people get fired for cause it is, you know, it's sort of an elephant in the room. So needs to be addressed, and you may as well take control of that narrative and provide some context that really shows you in your best professional light.
Remember that in all of these you do want to put people's minds at ease about why you left or are leaving, but you also want to focus on what you can bring to the table and how the company can benefit because nobody hires you because you want a job.
They hire you to solve their problems and to make things better and to bring value to the organization. So when you are explaining your courage, your career trajectory and your path and your reasons for moving on, it's important to to tell that story, but also to be forward. Looking about what you're going to be bringing to the table.
Now, if you feel stuck and you're not entirely sure how to articulate, you know you feel stagnant in some way, or you know you feel unhappy in some way, but you're not actually sure which of the of the few that I just illustrated, or maybe something else applies to you. Here are some questions you can sort of jot these down that you can ask yourself that may be helpful in how you think about this.
You can ask yourself, you know, what are your top values when it comes to work, how you like to work, and the company you want to work for, what are your career goals, right? This is sort of your classic. Where do you want to be in five years or 10 years? What are your needs in terms of a workplace environment, and what do you need to experience in order to feel really fulfilled and energized and motivated in a job?
What do you like about your current position or your recent position, and what do you dislike about it? What are your relationships like with your coworkers and your managers? And in that I don't mean are they good? Are they bad?
I mean something that's more specific, right? Are they collaborative? Are they directive? You know something about your style and your manager's style, and are those synchronized, right? That can be important to reflect on.
So once you've written some answers to some of these questions down, you just essentially ask yourself, does your current or most recent situation align with those answers and why or why not? That would usually help you to think of some more concrete and tangible reasons that you can select that stand out.
You know, professional rather than personal, hopefully and often really pragmatic reason this exercise is really intended to be a starting point, right? Not verbatim. So as you're answering these questions and you're writing things down, you circle the ones that you want to focus on, and then still take the time to be thoughtful about how you communicate it, right? Because everything really is part of your elevator pitch, even things that seem like they're just, you know, factual questions.
This is an opportunity to show yourself in a really strong light, or it's an opportunity to kind of fumble it and not really make a clear, professional narrative. And if you're doing that, that will be that will not be helping you right in your in your networking conversations or in your interviews. So by thinking through these questions and being able to really pinpoint clear, professional and coherent narrative for your transition, that will that will really help.
So those were some examples of how to do it, just to reiterate some of the tips around this, right? You want to always be honest. Share something that's true, that is thoughtfully explained. And there are certainly some things you may wish to keep for yourself, even if they are true reflections of your experience, because they're really not part of your professional narrative, so honest, but be thoughtful.
Also keep it brief. We're really looking for, you know, two to three sentences, at the most, a long winded explanation. People will kind of get lost, and it may come off as defensive. It could be more likely to include information that could be misinterpreted.
So you should keep it brief, and I would recommend you write it down and you practice it. You know this is not for your resume or anything like that, but you should write it down and practice it so that it's smooth and well rehearsed.
And you may possibly want to use it in an email communication or a cover letter, or at least use it as the basis for something that you might write. The main reason for writing it down is just so that you can practice it and let it roll off in a way that is smooth and consistent and does not trip you up. I've already said it, but I'll say it again.
Focus on the positive, even if you had some negative experiences, frame your reason in an optimistic light. So instead of saying that you were bored, for example, or feeling stagnant, you are looking for a role that offers more challenges, more opportunities to learn that kind of thing. And if you can include something that you learned, especially if your reason for leaving is something like a reorganization or a mismatch in culture.
It's something that didn't work out. It's okay for you to find yourself in a role that's not right for you and to decide to leave it you want to frame this in a positive way, and you may be able to highlight skills or experiences that you gained during that transition period, which can show some corporate maturity and readiness for the next step in your career.
Another tip is to consider sharing your exit statement with people that you intend to supply as references, so that they are aware of your narrative and they could speak to your motivations. I. If they were asked, let's talk about the flip side of what I've just said. I've talked about keeping it positive. I've talked about keeping it brief. I've talked about keeping it honest, but but, you know, not a confessional.
Here are some things specifically to avoid, if it's, you know, perhaps not obvious already. So you don't want to say you don't like the company, even if it was a cultural mismatch for you. There are positives and negatives in every company, including the one that you are interviewing for now, right? So take a moment to think about what you didn't like, and maybe there's a way to articulate that in a more positive and clear way.
So for example, if you felt like your culture or sort of your motivational mission was not aligned, you give a positive sentence or two about something you did like, or about what you achieved there. And then you say, however, I really need to be motivated and anchored in a strong corporate mission.
And I am really excited about the mission of and then you talk about the mission of the company you're interviewing with, not about what was bad from the previous right. So forward looking it it shows something about you. Professionally, it is truthful and honest, but forward looking and positively framed.
We've already talked about a different frame for whether you're you're bored, right? That that really we That's because you're not challenged, or you're not using your favorite skill sets, or you're not having the kind of opportunities to do more of a certain thing.
So try to phrase it that way. If it is that you want more pay, I'll just say first, think carefully about whether this is really what you want to share, and actually whether this is really the reason you want to leave usually, pay is not the only thing right. The grass is not always greener, and there certainly is more to your professional career than compensation.
And while compensation is important, if there's really nothing other than money. It may not be the right fit for you, but if it is, you can go back to earlier in this episode, where we talked about making a contribution at a higher level within the organization, which does, of course, go along with increased compensation.
A lot of people tell me that their main problem is that they don't like the hours at their job, right? Or they don't like something about the lack of flexibility at their current role, and have asked like, how do I say that? You know, this is this is an interesting one.
If the hours and flexibility of your next job really do play a significant role in your decision whether to accept an offer or to stay in that new job, then it might be something that is worth sharing with the interviewer. I'm not sure if it's the first thing to share, but it might be something, but the way that you frame this is really crucial. You don't want to come across as someone who isn't willing to work hard. Instead, it needs to be an answer that positions you as a responsible and mature professional who knows how to manage your time well.
So something around knowing that you can do your best work when you can plan your commitments to your managers, your colleagues, your stakeholders, to deliver on your work efficiently by being able to plan those commitments in advance, and perhaps that it's important to you to work for a company that permits you ownership over your schedule and allows for that flexibility. If it's a deal breaker for you, it may as well be part of the discussion, because it's those, if those expectations are not aligned, it's going to be doomed.
But just like with compensation, I would be cautious about how you know if you're framing this up as the primary reason, I mean, you want to be really careful about how that comes across. Because, remember, they're hiring you so that you will work, not so that you will not work.
So you want to be sure to reassure and communicate that you are absolutely going to be delivering and that you do your best when you have an environment that supports you in this way.
Now, if you've left because of some challenges with your prior role, or because you you're seeking something you can't get internally, you should be prepared to handle some follow up questions your interviewer may ask, you know, if you say you're looking for a different type of role or different level of role, they may ask, did you try to pursue this at your current company?
They may ask, how did that go? What did you try if you had some issues in terms of managerial style or cultural fit? They may ask, how did you try to resolve those issues before deciding to look for a new role?
They may ask how you plan to prevent miscommunications or missed expectations in your future role. So if your narrative is anything to do with any of that, and it might be, if that's the reason, and that's what you need to communicate, it might be, but be prepared for some type of follow up question, and again, I would plan your response.
But also. So, you know, be honest, be brief, and continue directing the conversation towards the future and why you're a great fit for this new job.
So remember, it's really two parts, just a couple sentences. You know, why you left and what you're looking for, and sprinkled in there somewhere, maybe before why you left, something really positive about your qualifications, what you enjoyed, so that the whole thing feels positive, feels enthusiastic, feels future, looking, puts any red flags or potential red flags concerns to rest, and puts your professional best foot forward.
And remember that leaving a job is a really common experience, and employers and hiring managers, they understand that, so a well thought out exit statement can give both you and your future employer confidence as you pursue conversations around that next opportunity. This is a really important but often overlooked part of preparing for networking and for interviewing, but you've listened to this episode, so now you know, and you'll be prepared. That's it for today. Bye for now.
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