Why Every Candidate Needs a "Reason to Leave"

Author

The Random Recruiter
February 07, 2025

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A big mistake recruiters make? Skipping over the most important question:

“What’s your reason to leave?”

It doesn’t matter if they’re an active job seeker, a passive candidate, or someone you cold-messaged on LinkedIn. If there’s no real reason to leave, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

  • They’ll back out of interviews.

  • They’ll reject offers.

  • They’ll accept, then quit early.

And all that? A complete waste of time for everyone—including you.

Everyone Has a Reason (Or They Don’t)

For active candidates, the reason could be obvious:

  • Layoff

  • Restructuring

  • An RTO mandate forcing them back into the office

For passive candidates, it’s more nuanced:

  • Passed up for a raise or promotion

  • Frustration with company politics

  • Open to new opportunities, but only the perfect one

And for the completely cold candidate? Their reason is often tied to what you offer that they don’t currently have:

  • A better title

  • More responsibility

  • Higher comp

Matching Pain Points to Reality

A candidate’s reason to leave needs to align with what your job actually offers. If it does, your chances of success increase. If it doesn’t, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

For example:

Good Match: I had an AI Engineer who was frustrated with company politics after a restructuring. He wanted remote work and a meaningful raise. My client’s job? Full remote, better pay, solid leadership. That’s a match.

Bad Match: A software engineer at a competitor had the perfect skills for my role. More money, better title. But his biggest driver? Remote work. My client was hybrid 3x/week. No match.

So, I walked away. Because forcing a fit never works.

Your Risk Tolerance as a Recruiter

When the reason to leave doesn’t match the role, you have a choice:

  1. Pursue anyway and risk wasted effort, fall-offs, and declined offers.

  2. Be selective and focus only on candidates whose motives align with your opportunity.

One strategy leads to frustration. The other builds trust, credibility, and long-term success.

Your move.

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