How to explain leaving a job after a short time

First of all, you should focus on the positive experiences you have had during the job, even if you only worked there for a short amount of time. Touch on any skills you picked up while working in this job, detail how they helped you grow, and highlight how they will help you with new potential job opportunities.

• Clearly communicate

You need to be honest, transparent, and direct. Let your potential employer know the reasons you left the job so quickly, whether these were personal or professional reasons. You should not speak negatively of your previous employer, the workplace, or ex-colleagues, just emphasize the fact that the job was not a good fit.

• Provide context

You may have left your previous job due to circumstances out of your control, such as in the scenario of a family emergency or if the company you were working for was downsizing. When you provide the proper context your potential employer is a lot more likely to be understanding of the quickness with which you left your last job.

• Shift the focus to this new opportunity

Regardless of the exact approach you choose to use in explaining this, you should then try to pivot your answer at some point to focus on the new opportunity with this potential employer. You should make it clear that this potential new job is not one that you would be leaving quickly, and that you are excited to get started.