Top 10 reasons for leaving a job (Good & bad)| Greatcrackers

You’ve heard of the top 10 reasons for leaving a job? 

Most likely, that’s the reason you’re reading this post. Please do that with care because you’ll discover why many people leave their jobs. Also, you’ll learn how to answer the question of “why are you leaving your job?” during an interview. Without sounding like a victim. 

Indeed, many leave their jobs for different reasons. But in this relatively long list, are both good and bad reasons for leaving a job. 

No matter how long one has worked for a company, a time comes when one would have to leave. Either by resignation, being fired, or being laid off.

 

Top 10 reasons for leaving a job

Whatever reasons you’re giving your employer, you don’t want to make your employer question your hiring. Instead, you want to position yourself as the perfect candidate for the job as you provide your reasons. 

1. Got a better offer

What may appear as a better job offer to you may not be for someone else. That’s because people’s needs vary and tend to change as they grow and mature.

For example, a better offer could be a more attractive compensation to help you take care of your family bills. But for someone else, the allowance for leave or time to care for yourself (among other factors) could be interpreted as a more preferred job offer when compared to the current job he wants to leave. 

2. Need to pursue and accomplish other life goals 

While working with a company, along the way, you may feel the need to leave to pursue and attain some laudable goals. Especially when the nature of your job or organizational policy isn’t flexible enough to accommodate actions geared toward achieving those goals—enabling you to do both concurrently.

It could be going back to school, traveling, or other engagements that give you a sense of fulfillment.

3. Looking for Opportunities to grow and progress professionally

Sooner than you expected, you may realize after working with a company for a while that your longing for more builds up. Perhaps, you’re no longer feeling challenged by your responsibilities in your current job, and things are becoming monotonous and uninteresting. 

In such a case, that’s one of the signs you have had enough of your job and could be a reason you should leave for a new job. Especially if it appears you’ve reached the ceiling of opportunities in your company concerning your career progression.

So when opportunities for professional development are limited, many people leave their jobs. And they then go ahead to look for a position with more challenges and increased responsibilities. 

4. Changes in Organizational structure or/and operation

Every business organization goes through a different phase in its economic life, and some of these transitions may lead to restructuring. And these reconstructions may result in a change in leadership, chopping out a department, merging two departments together, or even business situations such as mergers or acquisitions.

And these could have an adverse and profound effect on your overall health, morale, and productivity, arising from a change in your job roles and descriptions.

5. Undue changes in your job description

Sudden change can be overwhelming. For example, say you wake up one morning, dress up and commute to work, but only to realize that your job role and description have been modified into something you can barely understand or enjoy.

In such a case, many would leave their jobs because they seem disconnected from their jobs. Who would want to stay in a work they lack the motivation to perform? 

 

Part two of the list of the Top 10 reasons for leaving a job 

6. Toxic working environment

Some people join a company but soon discover that the company culture and work environment are not one they can work in for a long time. Why? Because of this toxic nature, which could be detrimental to their health, whether mentally or physically. 

However, if this happens to be the cause for leaving your previous job, you sure want to apply caution when replying  one of the most dreaded question from a hiring manager during an interview: why did you leave your former job?

You don’t want to appear as one badmouthing your previous employer, which could be a big put-off for hiring managers in their decision to hire you. 

7. You relocated to a different area

Relocation is one of the top reasons for leaving a job—many who have moved to a place far from their work would agree to this. That’s because every employee wants to stay in an area close to their workplace. It does reduce their commute time to work. But beyond that, it has a strong positive impact on their mental health and productivity. 

And that’s why in 4 out of 5 job postings, applicants who live close to the company get a preference. Some even clearly state it as a prerequisite for applying. 

8. Quest for a balanced work-life

While the issue of balanced work-life is a long-lasting concern in the hearts of many employees, it’s achievable. To an extent, but certainly not 100%. It’s part of the reasons many leave their jobs for alternative ones that provide the remote option of working while they have time to stay close to their homes and family. 

In other words, if you are the type that desires a flexible working culture opting for a job in a company whose work is not demanding is what you should consider when leaving your tight and stringent schedules. 

9. Change of career goals and direction 

Leaving a job because of the desire for a career change often sounds funny, but it does happen. So don’t be surprised when someone who’s been working in the banking sector for the past five years switches careers to tech-oriented careers such as UX designs, QA engineers, or as the case may be. 

That usually comes with satisfaction on a job beyond the pay. So if you’re feeling deeply dissatisfied with your current job and career, that could be a sign you should leave your job and opt for a better career. 

10. The company is in economic difficulties

When a company is experiencing an economic downturn, some of the things you’ll observe include laying off staff, accrued salaries of workers, and inadequate resources for workers to do their jobs effectively. 

And in response to this reality, many often quit their jobs as a proactive measure. To save themselves the shock and trauma of being the next person to be fired, sudden folding up of the organization, or terrible happenings that may unfold. 

 

Personal reasons for leaving a job

The decision to quit your job is tough, especially when the basis for such a decision is very personal. And part of the top reasons for leaving a job, on the ground of personal reasons include: 

1. Personal health challenges

No doubt work-related stress can be overwhelming sometimes, but only a person with sound health can cope with or manage this kind of stress. Exactly the reason people who get attacked by ill-health conditions leave their jobs, especially if they are high-stress jobs. Because not doing so can endanger their lives (leading to death) beyond just poor performance at their place of work. 

2. Family reasons for leaving a job

No doubt, for many people, their relationship with their family members and the conditions they are in comes first before their jobs. 

And that explains why many take a break to attend to an issue or crisis in their families. It could be taking care of a sick member who needs your presence and attention; it could be dedicating a specific time to support the growth or healing process of a loved one. Or as the case may be. 

3. Long commute time

Is relocation a good reason for leaving a job? The question many ask. One of the reasons relocation appears to be an acceptable reason for leaving a job is because it leads to a long commute time. 

Working in a place geographically distant from where you stay will not only cost money on transportation, it will cause mental and physical stress. When others are just getting out of their bed, you must be on your way and must have covered some distance. So that you can get to work on time. The same applies when returning home. 

 

Bad reasons to quit your job

1. Having a hard time with your boss

Some bosses can indeed be impossible when dealing with them. But when trying to give your reason for exiting your former job, you don’t want to give your employer some ill impression about yourself. 

In other words, you don’t want to make your hiring manager on the other side of the desk think you’re not ready to submit to superiors and not ready to follow instructions from your explanation. 

Thus, telling your prospective employer something like this is a big blow to you and your chances of getting hired: 

“My former boss wasn’t fair in his decisions; he criticized a lot and took some drastic actions without considering how one’s feeling. So I decided to leave.”

Never, NEVER do that!

 

1. Feeling short-changed or sidelined

The feeling of being sidelined arises in promotional scenarios. For example, say you have worked for a particular organization for many years. You will agree that whenever promotion is ongoing in your company, you look forward to receiving a promotion letter.

But when you don’t get promoted, you may feel underappreciated and may be tempted to want to leave such a job. But that may not be the right thing you should do because employers promote their workers for different reasons, which you must first find out. 

Top Resume in a post gave the instance of an employee who never got a promotion for a management position he should have qualified for. But why? Simply because he would leave work no later than 5:00 pm every day. Regardless of the working conditions (whether the team deadlines were met or not), he would never spend an extra minute in the office. 

So that made his qualification for the managerial role (and promotion) questionable. 

2. Chasing only a very fat pay

Who wouldn’t want to be hired by a company that has a better compensation plan? Plain truth: everyone does. But if big pay is the only reason you want to leave your job, that might not be a cool thing to do. 

While money is good, there are other things one should consider before quitting his/her job. 

And some of them include flexibility of the jobs, an opportunity for personal growth and career development, and essentially, does the job give you time to spend with your family? Do you think it’s something you’d enjoy more than your current or former job? 

3. Involved in a legal case

No employer would want to hire someone who got involved in a legal case. Perhaps arrested for breaking the law, or as the case may be. Thus such a person must be careful in providing basic information about the incident because the prospective manager might decide to embark on some underground check.

 

What is a good reason for leaving a job?

We’ve looked at the bad reasons to quit your job. But now you may ask, what are the good reasons for leaving a job on application? Some of them have been considered under the subheading: top 10 reasons for leaving a job. And they include the need for a change in career path, organizational restructuring, desire for career advancement, and health reasons. 

 

Final thoughts on Top 10 reasons for leaving a job

Note that the top 10 reasons for leaving a job discussed are in no particular order of significance. Knowing well that individual needs, goals, and aspirations differ. Thus, what your life and career goals will determine how and when you leave your current job or career.