Speak Well of Past Employers
By Elijah Thomas
There are many questions one should prepare for before approaching a job interview. One aspect that can be challenging to navigate is discussing your current or previous employer’s experiences, especially if things ended poorly. How you handle this scenario can make or break your shot at landing a job offer.
Fortunately, by planning for the inquiry, you can put together a reasonable explanation that shows your gratitude for the experience. It’s vital to avoid talking badly about a former coworker, management or the company culture. Instead, you can answer honestly by explaining that you could not mesh with their ideas or that the environment wasn’t ideal for your goals.
Make your new job search about yourself and your career intentions instead of talking down about a previous occupation. Hiring managers may mistake your eagerness to badmouth an employer as a personality trait that means you can’t work with others or tend to contest a supervisor’s advice.
Remain Positive
It’s essential to handle a discussion about your previous occupation with positivity. Instead of approaching the subject with factors you didn’t like, explain how adversity helped prepare you for future interactions and positions.
For instance, think of how negative relations with coworkers taught valuable lessons about patience. If you didn’t feel comfortable about a company’s policies or culture, you could express your abilities to accomplish tasks while working under pressure.
Those who experienced hardships with previous positions often serve as tremendous mentors for incoming employees and help resolve altercations between peers.
Keep it Simple
During an interview, practice self-control and avoid bringing up a previous position until a hiring manager asks for the information. If you are asked to address past experiences, try to keep the topic short and to the point.
In addition to discussing the learning tools you acquired, you should boast about your accomplishments throughout your career. Try to summarize that you are grateful for the time you spent with a former employer but that you’re focused on new opportunities.
Learn to Praise Yourself
Many candidates find it challenging to speak positively about their impact on a company. Get more comfortable with praising your accomplishments by practicing positive speaking. It’s a good idea to begin the process when you’re alone and graduate to asking a friend to listen as you gain confidence.
When you’re approaching a job hunt due to being fired or laid off, it’s common to express self-deprecation or regret your choices. However, showing these emotions to a new potential employer can produce off-putting characteristics that may be considered weaknesses.
You can get over the feelings of losing a job by admitting to your mistakes and using the experience as a valuable learning tool. Try to use hindsight to reinforce better decisions in the future and express the lessons you learned if a hiring manager asks about a termination.
