What they are really asking

The interviewer wants to know two things: are you running away from something, and will the same thing make you leave them? A reason like "I want to grow into management" is reassuring. A reason like "My boss is impossible" makes them worry you'll say that about them next.

So talk about what you're moving toward, not what you're escaping. That doesn't mean lying. If you're leaving because the company is cutting jobs, or because you've stopped learning, you can say so calmly. What you avoid is complaining, blaming people and anything that sounds like it's only about money.

A shape that works

Credit, reason, pull. Start with a sentence that gives your current job some credit, because it shows you're not bitter. Then give the real reason, stated as a need: more responsibility, a different kind of work, a company going in a direction you care about. Finish by saying why this role meets that need. Three or four sentences is enough; long answers here sound defensive.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: an engineer in Bangalore
Answer 2: a teacher in London
Answer 3: a marketing coordinator in Singapore

Check yourself

1What is the interviewer worried about?
2A candidate's company is cutting jobs. What should she say?

Practice · 4 min

Write one sentence giving your current or last job some credit, one sentence starting "I'm looking for...," and one sentence linking that to the job you want. Record your answer. It should be under forty seconds. Listen back for any word that blames a person.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.