Talking about a former bad boss/employer can sometimes be a very stressful subject. Because, let’s be honest, we’ve probably all had a terrible boss or poor working experience. And if you get asked about it during a job interview, it can be somewhat of a nightmare that you don’t know how to navigate through. But with these tips, you’ll be able to answer this question with flying colors and not feel like you ruined your chances.
Avoid Giving Information Unless Asked
First things first, if they don’t ask about it in a job interview, don’t put this information out in the open. If you’re able to avoid this conversation altogether, that’s awesome! And obviously, not having to discuss this will help you feel confident instead of nervous about your interview when it’s over.
Make everything as positive as possible
If this conversation does come up in an interview, which it most likely will, being prepared to answer it as positively as you can is necessary. The worst thing you can do is start bad mouthing a former employer or boss. Keeping your answer positive will give the impression that you’re a great person to work with. Even when bad things happen.
Don’t Bring up the Details
Unless they ask you details about why things were bad, try to avoid giving them. If they aren’t inquiring for details, it’s probably not a big deal to them. And if you bring it up without prompting, it may look like you’re not wanting to move forward from the experience and that you hold onto things. Even though, this very well could not be the case.
But if they do inquire more about the experience, make sure to keep things light and simple. You can do this in a few ways. One is explaining the way their management style was and how it just wasn’t a fit for you and your working style. Or if it’s about the company, stating that you were working to move up the ladder, but sadly, they had no opportunities which meant you had to make a change. This still gets across your problems without adding any emotion you may have had that helped you make the decision to move on.
It gives them a sense of who you are. Someone who is level-headed and trying to move forward.
Talk about what you learned
Another way to approach this interview question is by talking about what you learned at your old job and how it will make you an amazing candidate for this position. Twisting it around to again focus on the position you’re applying for today, will again reiterate you’re want to move forward and use the experience you’ve had to make you better, not bitter.
Explain what you’re looking forward to
And lastly, you should tell the interviewers how excited you are to start a new journey. Whether it’s with their company of someone else’s, you know all the things you’ve experienced have been for a reason. And that reason is to move you forward and make you more successful.
If you can make this impression when answering this question, you’ll win over those who are interviewing you. And nailing the interview won’t be a problem at all!
