Discussing bad former employers
I know its considered rude and petty to bash your former employers in an interview, but what do you do when the interviewer wants to know why you left your former jobs? I'm a recent college graduate, so I have had only three employers in my lifetime (including the one I now work for). In two of those jobs, I had strong personality conflicts with my employer. The first would not respond to my claims of sexual harassment by another worker, and the other was a neurotic micromanager who did not trust anyone in the company to do their jobs. I was miserable in each of these jobs, and unfortunately this took a toll on my productivity. I had to leave before it got any worse. How do I let the interviewer know this without seeming like a petty gossip?
Would it be truthful to say that prior to graduating from college, you weren't on a meaningful career path? And now you are? You could say that you left your past jobs because your goals have changed. You might be interviewing with a neurotic micromanager or with someone who will freak out at the mere mention of "sexual harassment." Don't take yourself out of contention by giving out too much information. A final thought--a lot of people are miserable at their jobs. I'm not saying that's OK, but it's not always possible to leave a job because of "strong personality conflicts" or over-all misery. Sometimes it's necessary to stay and try to adapt. Or find ways of replenishing what your job is taking out of you. Good luck with the interviewing. I have been caught in the ' micro-management' web, and know how bad it can be. I stayed way too long, for the wrong reasons, and never want to let myself get into that position again! Now that I am back in the ' temp' circuit, and have people helping me get ' in the door' , I simply state: "There was no chance for me to further myself in that company" or "I had gone as far as I could within the organization" You always want to be forging ahead, and what a better way than to let folks know that you would like the opportunity to advance yourself! Hope this helps. I try to remember ... Less is More! Two of of three jobs where you say, "I had strong personality conflicts with my employer" ? My advice. Keep your mouth shut. period. You sound like a manager' s worse nightmare. Harsh? yes. Quite frankly I don' t care what the circumstances were, but from your email I would triage you as a person with a loud mouth and who cries victim and who has marginal perfomance. When I can cherry pick among new grads for entry level jobs why would I risk hiring you? Also it sounds like you might have a reference problem. Leaving two of three jobs under less than favorable conditions leaves you with a thin trail of people who can speak on your behalf. Sally has it right. Claim that you are a new grad looking to establish oneself in a professional career. why you left previous employers? You are looking for a stable company where you can learn and contribute and grow a career and none of your previous positions offered you that opportunity. So what did you say to these employers when you left? If you used the reason that you found a better job, wanted more money, found a job closer to home, those are the reasons that you use. If you specifically told an employer that you were leaving because on micromanaging bosses or sexual harassment, that is what a reference caller will hear when they call so it better jive with what you said. These aren't reasons employers want to hear so minimize the discussion and impact as best as you can. Remember, the interview isn' t about your former employers, it is about YOU. That' s where the focus has to stay. You couldn' t get along with most of your last employers, so I recommend you work on that for the future or you' re going to have a string of these really soon that is going to make it VERY hard to find a job. So, as Chet said, if you quit, use the reason you gave your boss at the time. If you were fired, you need to own up to that because it is going to come out anyway. You might be able to say that you were young and immature and didn' t understand the flow of business and the chain of command so you butted heads with your bosses. You now understand what your role is that you need to hear their direction as direction, not as a personal criticism. This assumes, of course, that you DO understand that now. You' re just starting out. You don' t know everything yet. Even if they' re terrible bosses, there are still lots of things for you to learn from them. Unless your next employer is beating you in the basement, you need to suck it up and get at least a year of employment and a good reference out of the deal. I think that is a good idea. I did try to leave each company in a civil manner. I told my "bad" employers that I did not feel the job was a good fit for me, that I would be happier in another position. In each of these jobs I did not have room to advance; I had reached the highest position I could obtain (which was not very high at all). I had been tempted (very tempted) to leave in a huff, but what good would that do? It would have only make me feel better for a few minutes, right? I am very grateful that you and Suz took the time to advise me in a mature and constructive manner. I don' t understand why it is so difficult for some to give constructive criticism, and not attack someone personally (particularly when I have only placed a little bit of information on my situation). I understand that the job world is very tough, but it escapes me as to why one must tolerate abusive bosses. It takes a toll on one' s health, one' s relationships with friends and family, and ultimately one' s happiness. And shouldn' t these three things be the most important aspects of one' s life? Actually, I realized that some here may have had the wrong impression about my situation. At my first difficult job, I remained there for a little more than one year. My second difficult job lasted for only a few months; it just became too stressful to even think about continuing. Unfortunately, I was forced to leave the only great job I had because I was graduating, and could no longer remain in the position because they only hired college students (it was as a tutor to other students). So, contrary to what some here might think, I did commit to two of my three jobs for a little more than a year. Just wanted to clarify that. | |
|
Career Tips
|