“In Transition” and Other Awkward Euphemisms

“So what do you do?”  It’s such an innocent and often-asked question. It’s a natural ice-breaker – you hear it whenever you meet a new person, whether at a networking event, a business gathering or a social encounter of almost any kind. To an unemployed job-seeker, however, it’s a loaded question that can sometimes cause squirming and discomfort. Exactly what do you say? Do you simply announce your job category or title (e.g. “I’m a Sales Manager,” “I’m a Computer Engineer,” “I’m an Accountant,” etc.) and hope they don’t embarrass you by asking where you are currently working? Or, do you take the initiative and immediately go on to explain that you are not actually working right now … and in fact you are looking for a job?

If you subscribe to the notion that Networking is considered by most job-seekers to be the most likely activity to produce success in today’s ultra-challenging, highly competitive job market … then you really should be prepared to talk about your job-seeking status to just about everyone you encounter. [Read “Looking for Networking in All the Wrong Places” for an overview of the wrong vs. the right ways to network.] The question is, what term do you use? Saying “I’m in transition” has become one of the most widely accepted euphemisms in use today for being out of work. Like most euphemisms, it’s a term that is meant to make an unpleasant thing sound more palatable.

I got to thinking … what other euphemisms could a person use to say they’re unemployed? So here’s a list of miscellaneous terms I’ve heard that one might use, ordered from the most commonly used and professional-sounding, down to the most ridiculous, ill-advised and just plain funny:

Euphemisms for Being Out of Work:
●  In Transition
●  Between Jobs
●  Unemployed
●  Self-Employed
●  Consultant
●  Freelancer
●  Domestic Engineer
●  On an Unpaid Sabbatical
●  Professional Volunteer
●  Professional Social Networker
●  Professional Job-Networker
●  Professional Job-Searcher
●  Professional Job-Seeker
●  Professional Blogger
●  Job Market Researcher
●  Employment Challenged
●  Career Challenged
●  Taking a Break from Regular Work
●  Embarking on a Journey of Self-Discovery
●  On the Dole

“Why did you leave your last job?”  Answering that often uncomfortable question is another situation where euphemisms are frequently used. That question comes up during almost every interview, and on most job applications. Explaining why you left your last job – or for that matter, pretty much every job listed on your résumé – is something that certainly requires some thought. The answer you give must be both truthful and somehow palatable. It should ideally be easily understood and logical, and yet at the same time not cast you in a negative light to your potential future employer.

Of course, if it was your decision to leave a company and move on to another job elsewhere – it’s usually pretty easy to say something like: “I left for a better opportunity.”  The problem arises when leaving was not your idea. If you were let go “for cause” (meaning your actions caused you to be fired) it’s the most difficult scenario to explain going forward. You need to tread carefully. On the other hand, if you lost a job due to circumstances beyond your control (e.g. company-wide layoffs, poor economic conditions, etc.) then using the right euphemism can often satisfy an interviewer’s questions and explain gaps between jobs.

So again, here’s a list of miscellaneous terms I’ve heard that one might use to explain why you left a job. They are ordered from the most commonly used and professional-sounding, down to the most ridiculous, ill-advised and just plain funny:

Euphemisms for Why You Left a Job:
●  Laid Off
●  Downsized
●  Position was Eliminated
●  Position Required Relocation
●  Department was Eliminated
●  Department was Relocated
●  Office was Closed
●  Company Relocated
●  Company Went Out of Business
●  Contract was Not Renewed
●  Position was Outsourced
●  Workforce Reduction
●  Company Streamlined
●  Company Restructured
●  Took Early Retirement
●  Transitioned
●  Optimized
●  Rightsized
●  Offered a Buyout
●  Offered a Package
●  Severenced
●  Severed
●  Career Downgrade
●  Made Redundant
●  Turned Loose
●  Given Walking Papers
●  Fired Without Cause
●  Fired For Cause
●  Axed
●  Riffed
●  Sacked
●  Canned
●  Discharged
●  Let Go
●  Displaced
●  Decommissioned
●  Involuntary Separation from Employer
●  Involuntary Retirement
●  Terminated
●  Terminated with Prejudice
●  Shown the Door
●  Received a Pink Slip
●  Given the Boot
●  Voted Off the Island
●  Put Out to Pasture
●  Shit-Canned
●  Went Into the Light

With both of these lists, feel free to combine the words or phrases in different ways to create new variations. And if you’ve heard any other euphemisms for either being out of work, or for leaving a job that aren’t already included on either of these lists … feel free to add your new terms in the comments section below!