Of course! But what you say is what determines your success. In this article we help you navigate your way through this minefield of a question to ensure you come out tops.

"Why did you leave your last job?" can make even the most confident candidate nervous. Whether your answer is simple or complex, it can be difficult to find a balance between telling the truth while painting yourself in the best possible light. We've gathered some expert tips to help you with this tricky process:

Never talk badly about your previous job or employer
If you bad mouth your previous employer or job, your potential employer may think that you would do the same with their company if things go south. You have to show your potential employer that you have the ability to tolerate things without complaining – no one wants to work with someone who is immature and constantly complains.

Be honest about your termination
If your previous employer terminated your last contract, be honest about it. If you lie and your potential employer contacts your previous employer and finds out that you were not truthful, it may cost you the job. Rather talk about what you’ve learnt from the experience and how you’ve grown because of it.; Always try to turn a negative into a positive.

Keep it short and sweet
Prepare your response in advance. It's okay to talk about the subject up to a point, but you don’t carry on and on – you may end up losing the employer’ s attention. Say what you need to say, and if the interview would like to know more, they’ll ask. If you’re unsure about whether or not your response is adequate, ask for help from a knowledgeable friend or family member. 

Always bring their attention back to why you’re interested in the job
Many potential employees fail to show an interest in the job. Your employer wants to know that you are interested in the job because this leads to a lower turnover rate, which means less money being put into the training of employees.

The main thing is to stay positive and show you have the ability to persevere – in any job. Many times an employer is willing to look past mistakes if you show that you have learned from them.

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