Application forms and interviewers often ask why you left each job. Keep your answer short, true and forward-looking. The employer wants to know whether the reason will repeat, not every detail.
Common reasons and how to say them
- Better opportunity: “I was offered a role with more responsibility in stock control.”
- Contract ended: “It was a 12-month contract, and it came to an end in March.”
- Retrenchment: “The company restructured and my position was made redundant along with 30 others.” Retrenchment (dismissal for operational requirements) is about the business, not your performance, so say it plainly and use the same wording as your service certificate or letter.
- Studies, family or health: “I left to complete my diploma full time.” You do not need to share medical details.
- Relocation: “We moved from Durban to Johannesburg.”
If you were dismissed
Be honest: employers may check with references, and some application forms ask the question directly. The government Z83 form, for example, asks whether you were dismissed for misconduct from the public service. Say what happened in one neutral sentence, without personal details, and explain what you do differently now: “I was dismissed for late-coming in 2023. Since then I have kept a clean attendance record for two years in my current role.” If you disputed the dismissal or it was settled at the CCMA, you can say so plainly and briefly. Do not admit fault you do not accept, and do not blame anyone.