'Why are you leaving your current role?' is the interview question most candidates dread. Not because they don't know the answer. Because they know too much of it.
This free guide gives you four ready-to-use scripts from a senior recruiter — so you can answer it with clarity and confidence, whatever your situation.
You've prepared for the role. You know your experience inside out. And then they ask it.
'Why are you leaving?'
And suddenly everything you prepared goes out of the window. Because the real reason is complicated. Because you don't want to sound bitter. Because you're not sure how honest to be. Because you've never quite worked out how to say it without it sounding wrong.
Here's what 25 years on the other side of that table has taught me.
Interviewers aren't asking about your past. They're asking about your future. They want to know whether you're running away from something, or moving toward something. The candidates who answer this question well aren't the ones with the most polished scripts. They're the ones who know exactly where they're going.
This guide gives you the structure, the scripts, and the insider notes to get you there.
WHAT YOU'LL GET
The three-part answer structure that works for every scenario
Understand the framework behind every script so you can adapt it naturally to your own situation and voice.
Script one: when you've been made redundant
How to state it simply, reframe it as intentional, and move the conversation forward without apology.
Script two: when you're leaving a difficult manager or culture
How to be honest without making anyone the villain — and without raising a single red flag.
Script three: when you've outgrown your role
How to signal ambition and self-awareness rather than restlessness or ingratitude.
Script four: when you're making a deliberate career change
How to own the pivot with confidence rather than over-explaining it before anyone's questioned it.
Recruiter notes on every script
Not just what to say — why it works, and what to watch out for. Written from the inside.
WHO THIS IS FOR
This is for you if you've got an interview coming up and you're dreading this question.
It's for you if you're exploring a career change and you're not sure how to explain it without sounding like you're escaping something.
It's for you if you've been made redundant and you want to walk in with your head up, not your tail between your legs.
It's for you if you know you can do the job. You just need to know how to say what you need to say to get the chance to prove it.
FROM THE RECRUITER
I'm Katie Howard. I've spent over 25 years in senior talent acquisition, which means I've been on the other side of this question more times than I can count.
I know what makes a hiring manager relax when they hear an answer. I know what makes them quietly put a tick in the wrong box. And I know that the women who answer this question best aren't necessarily the strongest candidates — they're just the most prepared ones.
This guide exists because preparation shouldn't be the thing that separates a good candidate from a great one. And it doesn't have to be.
Download the guide free. Walk into your next interview knowing exactly what to say.