13+ Reasons for Leaving a Job: When Is the Right Time?

Reasons for leaving a job vary from serious ones, such as burnout and a toxic work environment, to less concerning ones, like a loss of passion or curiosity about a new field. Ultimately, all reasons are valid, as long as you remember to hand in your notice on time and remain professional.

In this article, we will show you some examples of reasons for leaving a job, explore the best ways to discuss this topic with your superiors, and explain how to quit without burning any bridges.

Key Takeaways

15 Most Common Reasons for Leaving a Job

The most common reasons for leaving a job include personal concerns, difficulty achieving a work-life balance, and dissatisfaction with the current position in terms of compensation, workplace, or management.

Let’s explore these reasons in more depth.

#1. Career Advancement

Career advancement is one of the most common reasons for leaving a job, as most people look for new opportunities once they feel like they’ve reached a plateau in their current position. They no longer have the same sense of accomplishment when completing their tasks, so they start seeking what they lack elsewhere.

This is especially true in careers with limited opportunities for advancement, be it vertical or lateral. In such cases, the only way to progress and grow is to find a higher position in another company.

Younger employees are particularly prone to leaving their jobs for career advancement; after all, they are more flexible and willing to challenge themselves. With age, they typically settle into their positions and become less likely to leave unless directly offered a better role.

If this is your reason for leaving a job, you may explain it to your employer in the following way:

#2. Inadequate Compensation

Inadequate compensation is another acceptable reason for leaving a job, particularly if you’ve been handling responsibilities outside of your job description. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for employers to take advantage of their more diligent employees without properly rewarding them.

In this case, you can try to discuss your concerns, but be prepared to leave if your attempts fall on deaf ears. Staying might enable even worse treatment because your employer has clearly demonstrated disregard for your boundaries.

Of course, financial reasons for leaving a job aren’t always intertwined with employers’ unjust behaviour. Sometimes, you may simply receive a more generous offer for a similar job elsewhere, and this might motivate you to hand in your resignation letter.

You should be particularly careful when explaining that you’re leaving due to your dissatisfaction with the salary. Try saying something along these lines:

#3. Lack of Work-Life Balance

If your job frequently demands long hours and sacrifices, you’ll quickly run out of the fuel that keeps you going. A good work-life balance is crucial for mental health, as prioritising your job over friends, family, and hobbies can lead to burnout.

With the rise in popularity of remote jobs, the line between professional and private life has become more blurred, and many home office workers struggle to find a balance. So, if you belong to this category, consider whether such a job truly suits you, or if you’d prefer one that doesn’t follow you home.

Whatever the case, the inability to find time for yourself and your loved ones because of your work is a valid reason to quit. Here is how you might explain it to your managers:

#4. Burnout

Burnout is one of the most common personal reasons for leaving a job, prevalent in customer-oriented positions, healthcare services, and creative fields.

As mentioned earlier, ignoring your needs at work is the primary cause of a deep feeling of exhaustion and an inability to motivate yourself to continue with your tasks, known as burnout. No matter how much you may love your job, burnout is inevitable if you don’t pace yourself and take care of your mental health.

Once it happens, though, you have only a few options: discuss the issue with your manager, take a break to focus on yourself, or hand in your resignation letter. It’s best to try the first two before resorting to the latter, but if these don’t work, then leaving the position might be the best way to deal with the issue.

If you opt for this, this is what you can tell your manager:

#5. Toxic Work Environment

A toxic work environment can manifest in many ways: superiors who mistreat or dismiss their employees, cutthroat coworkers, and constant criticism and stress. Such workplaces often lead to faster burnout and are rarely conducive to productivity and growth.

On top of that, they can affect your confidence and make you feel anxious or reluctant to come to work. Even speaking up for yourself might not be effective, since the toxic behaviour patterns are usually deeply ingrained in these work environments.

The best thing to do in such situations is to leave as soon as you have the opportunity. To avoid further conflicts with your superiors, you may say something along these lines:

#6. Company Culture Mismatch

A toxic work environment is a clear sign that you should leave your job, but you can quit for much less than that. For instance, even if your coworkers and superiors treat you well, you may feel like the company culture simply doesn’t match your expectations.

It’s easy to feel like an outcast in such situations, although no one’s actively trying to exclude you or being unpleasant. However, these feelings, even if they are unprovoked, shouldn’t be ignored; after all, you should be comfortable in a place where you spend most of your day.

So, a minor company culture mismatch can escalate into feelings of inadequacy and resentment towards your workplace. It’s better to nip this in the bud; give every new company a fair chance, but don’t hold on if you see that things aren’t working.

Here is how you can discuss this with your managers:

#7. Relocation

Relocation is a frequent reason for leaving a job, especially if your career is fully office-based. In this case, there are rarely any hard feelings; most employers understand that it’s simply a matter of circumstances.

Still, you should be tactful when you deliver the news, just like in any other case. Also, you’ll likely know that you’re moving several months in advance, so you should inform your managers as soon as possible.

Here is what you might tell them:

#8. Family Circumstances

Family reasons for leaving a job are quite common, too; typically, they involve taking care of a sick family member or relocating to be closer to relatives. Some of these reasons can be quite personal, so you may not feel comfortable sharing them in professional settings.

The good news is that employers don’t expect you to; at least not in great detail. A vague explanation should satisfy them; after all, everyone understands that family is a sensitive topic that doesn’t belong in the workplace.

So, inform your employer that you’re leaving due to family circumstances by saying something like this:

#9. Health Concerns

In many ways, health concerns are similar to family circumstances; they are very personal and require little explanation and elaboration. Most employers understand that you must prioritise your health, be it mental or physical.

Therefore, there shouldn’t be much discussion or hard feelings if your reason for leaving a job is related to health. You can also be as vague or as detailed as you want; that is entirely up to you.

So, you might say something like this:

#10. Feeling Undervalued

Even if you receive a good salary and enjoy your work, there may be times when you feel like your performance is being taken for granted. For instance, you may be repeatedly passed over for a promotion or treated as if your good work is a given, not receiving any positive feedback or praise.

The longer this goes on, the more likely you are to begin feeling undervalued and resentful of your superiors. You don’t have to be the type of person who seeks validation for this to occur; everyone loses motivation when their effort isn’t recognised.

That’s why it’s so important for managers to reward their employees regularly, especially if they’ve been consistently good.

If you don’t think that anything will change for the better, you should seek a more fulfilling position. In the meantime, here is what you can tell your managers:

#11. Lack of Challenge

Once you learn the ropes and settle into your career, you likely won’t be facing as many challenges as before. This is normal, but what may not be is a complete absence of any obstacles to overcome and help you employ your skills in new ways.

Granted, some people don’t mind a stable, monotonous job that offers little in terms of challenge. However, if just the thought of it makes you feel trapped, you need a job that pushes you out of your comfort zone.

If your current career isn’t that, then a lack of challenge is a perfectly acceptable reason for leaving. Don’t stick around just because you’re comfortable; listen to your own needs, and you’ll understand what you need to do.

Here is how you might explain your resignation to your employer:

#12. Misalignment With Your Career Goals

If your overall career goals don’t match your current job, you’ll eventually have to leave and pursue your true passion. There’s nothing wrong with this; some jobs are just brief stops that you make on your professional journey to gather experience or improve your finances.

For example, if you’re an engineering student and you take up a job at a fast food restaurant while studying, it’s expected that you’ll leave it eventually. After all, your goal is to become an engineer, not a service worker.

This doesn’t only apply to students, either. You can have a short-term job at any point in your career, especially while you’re looking for a more long-term opportunity.

Here is how you could tell your employer that you’re quitting a job that doesn’t align with your goals:

#13. Loss of Passion

Many careers lose their charm after some time, even those you’ve been extremely passionate about at the beginning. This is the result of falling into a routine and learning everything there is to know, or at least having the feeling that you have done so.

Sometimes, the old passion can be rekindled through new projects or after a longer break. But other times, it’s lost forever, and your job becomes more of a chore than something you genuinely enjoy doing.

If you want to have a more fulfilling career, it’s best to leave once this happens. You might find something that suits you better or, perhaps, rediscover your passion for the field after you take some time away.

Here is how you could explain this to your managers:

#14. Curiosity About a New Field

Even if you enjoy your current job and have few complaints, you could still leave out of a simple desire to explore something new. You shouldn’t be tied to one job; if you have the right transferable skills and confidence that you will succeed, try your hand at different fields until you find the one that suits you best.

That might end up being your original job, but you won’t know until you explore your options. Curiosity about other fields is there for a reason; it usually shows that something may be lacking in your current position.

Here is how you can talk about this to your manager:

#15. Desire for Autonomy

Finally, maybe your job isn’t the problem at all; perhaps the setting is. Commuting every morning, spending days in a corporate setting, and having a limited number of vacation days can be stifling, and you might wish to become more independent in your career.

In such a case, you should consider freelancing, which allows you to work anywhere you want, as much as you want. This is an excellent option for individuals who dislike hierarchies and strict rules, as well as those who need a break from such environments after working in them for an extended period.

Here is how you can inform your manager of this decision:

How to Communicate Your Reasons Professionally

To communicate your reasons professionally, you should frame your departure positively, prepare for interview questions, and align your job search with your notice period. If you do this, you’ll leave without burning any bridges, which is crucial for getting a recommendation and potentially returning to the company later in your career.

Here is how to quit a job and retain your professional reputation in more detail:

#1. Framing Your Departure Positively

When you decide to leave, you’ll need to talk to your superiors and give them notice at work. This notice, known as a resignation letter, should specify the exact date of your departure and potentially include your reasons for leaving a job.

That doesn’t mean you should list everything you hated about the company, though. Generally, it’s best to frame your departure positively by focusing on how the role you performed helped you grow and your personal goals and desires for the future.

Of course, if you genuinely don’t have anything nice to say, you don’t have to write your reason for leaving a job. Short notices are often sufficient, as long as they are submitted in advance.

#2. Preparing for Interview Questions

Some companies may interview their departing employees to better understand why they’ve chosen to leave. If yours is one of those, you’ll likely receive an invite soon after you submit a notice.

These interviews are far less stressful than hiring interviews, but we’ll still list a few common questions to help you prepare:

When answering these questions, it’s best to be honest but tactful. In other words, you shouldn’t lie to spare your superiors’ feelings, but you must maintain your professionalism and choose your words carefully.

#3. Timing Your Job Search and Notice Period

Ideally, you should hand in your notice at work two weeks before you intend to leave; that way, you give employers enough time to organise a replacement. This is a perfect time to complete all your remaining tasks and prepare everything needed for your successor to step into your role smoothly.

Also, you can begin looking for a new job in these two weeks; that is, if you don’t have one lined up already. You can also choose to do that after you leave, especially if you’re not in a hurry. That is entirely up to you.

There is an option to hand in a resignation with immediate effect, but this is only used in emergencies. Since these letters don’t give the employer enough time to prepare for your departure, they are considered unprofessional and may even have legal consequences if you’re in breach of contract.

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Final Thoughts

Though you won’t have to include reasons for leaving a job on a CV, it’s still good to know what situations warrant handing in your notice. To be fair, there are no hard and fast rules; no longer enjoying your work is a good enough basis for quitting it.

Once you quit and start looking for a new job, CV.co will be here to help. With our assistance, you will build a perfect application with minimal effort.