What Did You Like Least About Your Last Job?
By Joe Issid
If you are currently employed, you probably had to sit through at least one reasonably uncomfortable interview during which you were asked some (mostly) relevant questions about your background and work experience. If so, chances are you were probably asked to justify why you had chosen to apply for the position for which you were currently interviewing. This question can come in many forms, such as “Why did you apply for this job?” or “What is missing from your current job?” If your interviewer is looking to see how you handle a negative question, this could come at you in more direct way. Personally, I have been asking these questions for years as it is always valuable to understand what is motivating candidates to apply for a new job. And it can be very useful to determine if a candidate will be a good fit by trying to determine what about their previous job(s) was not appealing to them. As someone who has asked this question hundreds of times, here is how you should answer it.
Don’t skirt the question
Most candidates instinctively become evasive during interviews and pivot towards giving very politically correct responses. I fully understand this reflex as it can be risky opening yourself up and revealing some potentially unpleasant truths about you. But in today’s increasingly competitive world, authenticity is becoming an incredibly valuable commodity. Look, you have taken the time to apply for the job because you are looking for something new and different. So, don’t short change yourself by not being honest about why you have gone to this effort.
Spare us the details
Let’s say you were having issues with your direct manager, which led to your decision to leave your previous job. When asked why you left your previous job during an interview, I would suggest that it is entirely worth mentioning. Having said that, going into further details about the genesis of the rift is not in your best interest. You need to find a good balance between making your case but not making it appear as though you were the problem. Over-embellishing can give the impression that you are not entirely innocent.
Don’t be the victim
Speaking of which, trying to convince an interviewer that you have been wronged by a previous employer will never play well. Even if you have been treated unfairly, you should always remain magnanimous and objective when discussing this topic. More so, you should absolutely be prepared to assume some responsibility for the situation not working out. Showing contrition can go a long way to showing an interviewer that you are mature and critical.
Offer solutions
Along those lines, you should always be looking to pivot from a negative question to a positive solution. When addressing this question, you should try and offer some retrospective analysis about what you may have done differently or what steps you will take to ensure that similar situations don’t arise in future jobs. Interviewers are always looking for candidates who are forward thinking and are able to learn from previous experiences – both good and bad.
Do your homework
It is very easy to for an interviewer to sniff out a candidate who is not well prepared for an interview. And this lack of preparation is very often revealed when asking them about what they disliked the most about their previous job. You see, candidates very often complain about elements in their old jobs that will exist in their new job. And in doing so illustrate that they are not fully aware of what of the new job actually entails. For instance, I have interviewed software developers who complained about the amount of coding that they had to do at their last job, which begs the question: why are you applying for a development job if that is the one element you disliked the most about your old job? So, please do everyone a favour and ensure you know exactly what you are getting yourself involved in.