hardHrBehaviouralEntryMidSeniorStaffLead
Was leaving your last role your decision, or theirs?
5 min readUpdated 2026-08-15Target archetype: Big Tech, Enterprise Captive, Product Startup
Answer
Short answer
Answer the question that was asked in the first sentence, describe the ending in the same terms your former employer would confirm, keep any account of the disagreement short, and move to what you took from it.
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Likely follow-ups
- What reason were you given at the time?
- Was there a performance conversation before it, and what was said in it?
- Who at that company would speak positively about your work, and what would they say?
- What would you do differently in the first three months of a role now?
Related questions
- There is a gap in your CV, and this role only lasted eight months — can you walk me through that?mediumAlso on redundancy5 min
- There is a gap of just over a year on your CV. What were you doing?mediumAlso on self-presentation4 min
- Walk me through your career.mediumAlso on self-presentation6 min
- Your education dates show a gap year, or a year you repeated. Walk me through it.easyAlso on self-presentation4 min
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