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I worked as a software engineer in a big internet company for 7 years in total. For the first 6 years, I had been working at the department of desktop applications. I really loved working there. Really enjoyed the technology and the people in the department.

Unfortunately the department was closed a year ago. During that time, my company bought a small start-up that specialized in mobile applications. Upper management decided that I should be assigned to work in that start-up as a part of the team. I had never worked before with mobile and it was totally new to me.

After two/three months, I realized that I wasn't interested/content with that job. In addition, I was being constantly micromanaged by the new boss. Throughout that time, I wanted to find a new job but the current gig depleted most of my energy and my time. Also, due to personal circumstances(mortgage and etc.), I didn't quit and continued to work for a year in total. In the beginning of May, I got fired.

I know that similar questions were already asked here but I think every situation might be different.

Question: How should I answer the why did I left my last company after 7 years of work?

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  • @JoeStrazzere Why do you say they were fired? What am I missing?
    – Gregory Currie
    Jun 4, 2022 at 19:00
  • @Joe Strazzere, as I said upper management totally changed. My department was completely closed.
    – OneProgrammer2022
    Jun 5, 2022 at 7:26
  • @Joe Strazzere , Do you have suggestions how can i explain it well in hr interview? Why simply explaining that some aspects of the job were not interesting to me , that shouldnt be enough?
    – OneProgrammer2022
    Jun 5, 2022 at 10:46
  • You left because you were fired. There is nothing wrong with that (it happens to almost everyone at some point), but the title of your question is misleading.
    – teego1967
    Aug 18, 2022 at 12:43
  • @teego1967 dependent on territory, but it does not happen to almost everyone. I don't think I know a single person who has been fired. Made redundant, yes, fired no.
    – SiHa
    Aug 18, 2022 at 15:38

4 Answers 4

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The truth is always a good starting point

I was very happy there for six years. But than my department was closed and I was transferred into a different role that really wasn't a good fit for me so it didn't work out.

Prepare for some follow up questions:

  • Why was the role not a good fit ?
  • What did you do to address the issue and make it work?
  • Why didn't you just leave instead of waiting to get fired?

Changing jobs after 7 years is perfectly normal and expected, so there is no need for over explaining things. However, you don't want to come across as inflexible and resistant to change.

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  • I'm a bit confused. The quoted/suggested statement doesn't mentioin being fired. Is that something that should be made clear or not mentioned?
    – Dave Gremlin
    Jun 5, 2022 at 20:30
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    "Didn't work out" is a generic term that's good enough for a first statement. If the prospective employer wants more info, they will ask follow up questions (and you should be prepared to answer them). However there is no need to bring this up proactively
    – Hilmar
    Jun 7, 2022 at 12:25
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Well, you kind of answered it yourself.

  • In case the "firing" was on mutual agreement (i.e., it's not mentioned "fired" in your relieving letter / job certificate or something similar.):

    Mention that the work/project you were doing was wrapped up, and there was nothing similar available which suits your skillset and career goals, so you are looking for opportunities outside.

  • In case the "firing" is visible to your prospective employers:

    There's not much room to beat around the bush, however do not go into absolute details. Mention that it was a company/department decision, and anyways you are looking for a change as the previous role does not exist anymore.

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As a Tech Recruiter at a Big Tech company, stating that you are looking for new opportunities to grow in tech/position/responsiblity are always great answers.

If you know a lot about the company, their projects, or stack then maybe you can speak about that?

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  • 2
    This seems more like an answer to "why do you want to work here?" than "why did you leave your old job?" OP was fired at the beginning of May and posted this question in June, so a recruiter who looks at the dates is probably going to figure out that leaving the old job came before applying for the new one.
    – GB supports the mod strike
    Aug 11, 2022 at 22:36
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Seven years is a very long time to stay in one place. It’s about the time where I start wanting to get out and do something different. It’s also the time it takes for a company to not be the same company anymore. On the other hand it is more than people stay on average, so no reason for the employer to worry about.

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