What Did You Dislike in Your Former Employer?
People change jobs for different reasons and these reasons can vary from person to person. One of the reasons why a person may want to change jobs is if he is unhappy with the current work environment.
If you are changing jobs, it must be for a reason. So, if you are being called up for an interview, you may be asked a variety of questions about your previous job or employer. Therefore, it is most likely that you may be asked this interview question, “what did you dislike in your former employer?
No matter what you dislike about your former employer, it is important that you don’t present yourself as being negative or unprofessional. This is not the time to start telling all sorts of negative things about your previous employer.
Below are some of the tips that can help you answer the question effectively and positively:
Keep your answer professional: When answering the question, you need to keep your answer professional. How can you keep your response professional? You achieve this by focusing on the job itself. You should avoid any personal attacks on your former employer so that it doesn’t hurt your chances of being considered for the job. So, you need to focus on the specific aspects of the job that you did not like.
Don’t make it personal: One of the reasons interviewers usually ask the question, “what did you dislike in your former employer?” is to understand your perspective on the job and the employer. Therefore, you should not use any negative or critical language against your employer. Just imagine that the interviewer is a relation or colleague of your former employer. Allow this thought to guide you on what you say. Even if you don’t agree with your employer on a matter, there is a way you can still express your difference in a polite manner instead of abusing him.
Focus on the work environment: Another way to answer the interview question is for you to focus on the work environment rather than your direct manager or colleague. Let’s assume that you are not given a position that you actually deserve, you can simply mention that you think that you have outgrown the position you are in within the company. This is better than saying that your manager hates you or that he is not considerate.
Be honest and positive: Don’t tell lies against your employer just because you want to earn sympathy. You need to be honest when answering the question. Try as much as possible to frame your answer in a positive way. It is true that there may be certain aspects of your work that you don’t like. Don’t just harmer on the negative sides only. Mention the positives and the opportunities that the job provides you. You can then proceed to mention other areas that you think don’t align with your goals and values. You should present yourself as someone who sees the positives in any situation.
Provide a solution: Having talked about what you didn’t like about your former employer, you can then discuss potential solutions to the issues. Employers don’t like people that only complain about things and are not able to provide solutions to problems. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your problem-solving skills. At times, employers may not know exactly what an employee wants. But by voicing your expectations, you can be surprised that the employer may be willing to address the issues.
Keep your answer brief: When answering the question, it is important that you keep your answer brief and straight to the point. You can achieve this if you don’t dwell on the negatives. This is not the type to start telling the story of when someone offended you. In an interview, you don’t take much time. There are other questions you will be asked. Therefore, you need to keep your answer brief so that the interviewer can move to another topic quickly.
If you can follow the tips discussed above, you can be a step closer to your dream job.