If You Can’t say something nice, just Stop Talking!
We’ve all heard versions of this saying before, and while its something we tend to tell our kids, it’s vital to keep this saying and its meaning in your pocket at all times. Every time you have an interview you should pull this out and speak with caution about your previous employment experiences.
You Will Cause More Harm than Good
When it comes to the big interview of the day, no one wants to hear about how your former boss threw you under the bus or your team was inept. This attitude towards your previous employer brings up a huge red flag to many interviewers. According to Simply Hired, nearly 88% of hiring managers stated that bad-mouthing a former boss or company is a game changer. So, proceed with caution.
Think about this. How can the interviewer prove it? In the end, the only person in front of them is you, and so this lapse of judgment only makes him/her wonder if maybe you are the real problem.
Save Your Opinion For A Friend
While you may think your boss was unprofessional, mean, rude, maybe even all of the above, an interview is not the place for this to come out. When interviewing, focusing on why you are the right fit for the job and leave out the information straying away from that.
If you feel that strongly about your past employer and have an interview coming up it may be wise to get out any frustration and anger towards your employer to a friend who can listen and most importantly, not hold your potential job in their hands. Also, they will probably tell you how bad it sounds.
Send Yourself An Email
This is a trick I have used for years, especially when I’m feeling frustrated. Write out an email to yourself answering the following two questions:
1. Why are you leaving your current company?
2. Why do you want to come to work here?
Type it out and send it to yourself. Then read it an hour or so later and ask yourself. Am I presenting a good first impression of ME? After all, your job is to get the job right?
Phrasing is Everything
Ok, so let’s assume, your last employer was not a great place to work, or your manager was the office-gossip. Instead of focusing on all the negative reasons you are leaving, try to speak about how the opportunity you are interviewing for becomes the next logical step in your career. Leaving a job for good reasons is a much better approach.
For example, if your former manager pushed large projects on you, and often over-loaded you with work, flip it to make this work in your favor. When describing the fit and experience you can discuss the growth and time management skills you gained from your experience. You can also speak to how the company would often give you larger projects because they felt you could deliver. These will present key talking points and make you appear like someone who can handle tight timelines and bigger projects. A negative becomes a positive.
Proceed With Caution
While your former boss may have been terrible, just remember a job interview is to focus on you and your abilities. Focusing on your previous bad experience will shade the light you are trying to shine on the skills, knowledge, and experience you have for the specific job role.
So, the next time you’re thinking about speaking badly about your previous employers unless you are in a private huddle with some friends ranting. Just stop talking and keep it to yourself.