Six ways to talk about a terrible former boss during an interview

Whether you were a good leaver or a bad leaver, whether you got fired or laid off or left for a better job or are in fact still employed, it never pays to talk smack about a current or former boss or employer in a job interview. It simply never makes you look good as a candidate.

You should always be positive, or at least present a difficult situation through rose-colored glasses, anytime previous positions and former bosses come up during an interview. Otherwise, interviewers will always think you were the problem – even if that isn’t the case, according to Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, career coach and co-founder of SixFigureStart.

1. Rather than focusing on conflicts, quantify your accomplishments

Dwelling on conflicts with former bosses in a job interview is never a good look for the candidate.

“If an interviewer asks about previous positions, mention the accomplishments you produced for your previous employer and quantify them if possible,” Thanasoulis-Cerrachio said.

2. Talk about the fit or lack thereof rather than attacking

Don’t ever bash your former employer or the company. It is OK to say that your last job was not a fit, but leave it that, according to Hallie Crawford, the founder of HallieCrawford.com Career Coaching.

“If your interviewer probes further and really presses you, have a good way to explain the issue without making it sound like you are a problem employee,” she said.

For example, if your boss is the reason you’re leaving, you could explain that the management style was not ideal for you.

“Whatever the reason is for your leaving, even if it wasn’t voluntary on your part, keep the tone as positive as possible, focusing on the future and what’s next for you, including what’s next for you at this new job,” Crawford said.

3. Force optimism 

This is one of the most basic pieces of advice career advisers give – you must always speak positively about old positions and old bosses. That’s why it’s so surprising that so many people do not abide by it.

Even jobs that ended badly will have some positives, and the important things are to talk about what you’ve learned from the experience, according to Janet Raiffa, an investment banking career coach, the former head of campus recruiting at Goldman Sachs and a former associate director in the Career Management Center at Columbia Business School.

“You can definitely talk about a job not being stimulating enough, or not allowing enough growth, but that should be coupled with how the job at hand can offer something better,” she said.

4. Spin a bad management style into a positive

If an interviewer asks about the style of your previous boss, always talk about it in a positive light.

“If your manager was a micromanager, say the truth but in a good way,” Thanasoulis-Cerrachio said.

For example: “We had a very tight working relationship. He/she liked to be kept up to date on even the minutest details and that was fine with me. After the first few months, he/she knew I was doing a great job so the confidence was high, but we continued to check in because no time was wasted when I knew I was going in the right direction.”

If your manager was a non-communicator, say the truth but in a good way, she suggests: “We agreed upon our goals up front and then because she had faith in me, I got the job done meeting minimally. That was great because we wasted zero times in meetings and everything was really efficient.”

5. Tell colorful anecdotes

To keep the response from turning negative, prepare stories about challenges you have faced and overcome, problems you’ve solved and clients you have made happy in your previous job. Some Wall Street jobs are best-suited to extroverts, and in general, recruiters and hiring managers like candidates who can spin a good (yet relatively concise) yarn.

“This will help to highlight your character and show your prospective employer why you are a good fit for the job,” Crawford said.

Read more on efinancialcareers.com

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*