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In an interview is it okay to ask the interviewer why the previous employee left the position or was fired from the position I am applying for? I would like to understand why someone would have quit a job or been fired to better understand if the position is right for me. Many companies these days do exit interviews so they probably got an answer from the last employee before they left. Is this considered rude? Am I likely to get a meaningful answer or simply a generic answer to avoid the question?

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Be careful on phrasing the question. If you ask it like, "Why did the last guy leave?" that may not go over as well as, "What were the circumstances that caused this opportunity to be created?" or something like that. – JB King Jan 21 at 16:11
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I can just imagine phrasing this type of question to a single girl that I might want to ask out on a date: "describe the circumstances that caused you to be single". – Evik James Jan 21 at 18:53
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@EvikJames - possible answer: "Birth" – Nathan Long Jan 21 at 21:39

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I have both asked and been asked that type of question without apparent harm. (I've gotten offers after asking.) However, your phrasing is problematic; the better way to ask the question is "why is this position vacant?", which covers two cases you haven't considered in your question: (a) it's a new position, and (b) the previous person was promoted. Don't assume that something bad happened; it makes you look like you're jumping to the worst interpretation, which might give an interviewer pause.

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My experience is similar. I have asked and answered 'Is this a new position or am I replacing someone?' That usually elicits whatever information they are willing to share. Hint: The best time to ask this kind of question is when you are interviewed by a potential peer, rather than a manager or HR type. – Jim In Texas Jan 21 at 17:20
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What happens in the case that the interviewer responds "The previous employee was let go from the company"? How would, and should, you appropriately ask "why"? – Jeff Jan 21 at 17:44
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@Jeff Most likely they're going to be vague about that, esp. if it was for personal or conduct reasons. However you can specifically ask if it was "job-related" reasons -- I was told once that the previous employee was fired because he did not want to travel for business, which was good because I did not want to travel either and that was the first time it had come up :) – Michael Edenfield Jan 21 at 18:16
@Jeff, I don't think I would ask "why" in that case. I would probably be more alert for clues about culture, unreasonable expectations, etc. When it's my turn to ask question I might ask them to tell me about a time when a project was under pressure (unreasonable deadline, requirements creep, whatever seems appropriate here) and talk about how they handled it. Behavioral interviewing needn't be just for the candidate. – Monica Cellio Jan 21 at 19:34
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The best way to get around the "why" is to ask a different question: what characteristics are you looking for that will make your next employee excel in this position? – thursdaysgeek Jan 21 at 23:04
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up vote 16 down vote

There is nothing wrong with asking an interviewer why the previous employee left or was fired. In some cases, you may get the actual story. However, you should treat the answer the same way you would treat the answer you get from someone you're dating when you ask them why their previous relationship ended. You're only going to get their side of the story. If they were the reason their previous relationship ended, you'll likely not get the complete truth. "We discovered it wasn't a good fit." "They decided to seek other opportunities." "They had a change in their personal life which necessitated a shift in their career direction." Sometimes they will slip up and reveal something unintended, which is why the question should be asked, but don't expect the full story.

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Also they may well decline to answer, for real or pretend reasons of privacy. – DJClayworth Jan 21 at 14:54
In addition, there will probably not be any lies, since HR realizes that the new hire will figure this out when talking to the staff. – Petter Jan 21 at 16:43 via SOStacked
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@Petter HR lies all the time, talking to the staff doesn't change that. Consider almost all developer job ads are actually for maintenance developers, yet almost no job ads say that is what they are for. – Chris Pitman Jan 21 at 19:46
@ChrisPitman Perhaps, but there is a difference between lying and not saying the full truth. Saying only what needs to be said and avoiding details likely to cause problems tends to be a large portion of the jobs of HR, lawyers, politicians, sales people, customer service, and really just about anyone that deals with people on a regular basis as clients. – AJ Henderson Jan 21 at 20:10
Not necessarily. Sometimes a relationship ending is the only thing that can finally spark productive change. – Erik Reppen Jan 22 at 4:35
up vote 0 down vote

Before ask this question, I would ask my self what the person would answer to me. In that way, you may able to phrase the question in a different way according to that person. Do not make any inquiry without knowing possible answers in the interview place. Don't expect them to say to you that - 'We gave him hard time, so he quit, now you are next !!'

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