Revisiting An Old Topic

Sometimes, old topics are worthy of additional discussion and I am covering one of those topics, how to address your past experience during interviews, today.  Countless times, hiring managers have shared with me that were very high on a particular candidate until they asked questions about how they liked their previous employer.  This proved to be the interview killer in several cases.

We have all had less than desirable experiences with companies who were not overly concerned about making their employees happy, about building staff loyalty, or rewarding outstanding performances.  Most likely, we have all endured at least one manager who we did not get along with and who made life difficult.  Hiring managers do not want to hear about this but most are realistic enough to know we all have stories stored up in our heads and they will try to pry them out.

This is where creativity comes into play.  Rather than saying that your former company never gave out bonuses or service awards even though you deserved them, point out that they held their staff to very high standards and it took a lot to get recognition for your efforts.  Instead of saying that your boss criticized you constantly and ridiculed you for not working long enough hours even though you worked an extra hour most days, turn it around and say that your boss liked to challenge you to strive for higher goals each day.

Hiring managers do not really care about your past problems   What is important to them is how much positive energy and talents you can bring to their organization.  it is up to you to demonstrate this in a positive way!