Why You Never Badmouth Your Boss at a Job Interview

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I was "head hunted" for a job and to be honest I was very impressed by this and left a good employer that I had only been working for 18 months to go to this new employer. I was promised the earth and it was in my contract etc. However I realised after being there only a few weeks that I had made the biggest mistake of my life and after 6 months in the job I asked for the benefits that I was supposed to be getting and that were in my contract (and that I still hadn't received) and my boss (owner/director) said he didn't have time to talk to me about it and would get back to me. I asked him repeatedly for him to give me time even asked him by letter also in the letter I listed my grievances, which included sexual harassment, breach of contract and bullying and intimidation. It got me no where and my boss when I asked him about my letter I was told he hadn't received it (I had put it on his desk personally) I then sent him a copy of the letter. I approached him at least once a month re a raise etc for over two years then on a yearly basis thereafter for the next 5 years. All this time I was keeping a diary of what was happening to me the discrimination etc on a daily basis until three months before I left the Company now this is the important bit to anyone that is reading this. Even though I had kept a diary all of this time only the last 3 months of the diary FROM WHEN I LEFT THE COMPANY is relevant and because I didn't ask about my contract by letter every week to my boss I didn't have a leg to stand on in a court of law. The way I was treat by this Company was awful and was effecting my health badly therefore I can only say to anyone that is having problems with an employer you must get evidence and have it right up to the day you leave. I lost faith in ever getting anywhere with this Company so stopped my diary writing this was WRONG and I should have kept it up even though I had for nearly five years it was all irrelevant in the end because I hadn't kept it up until the end. I went to solicitors and they told me that it was the worst case that they had come across (the treatment that I had received from this Shipping Company). This was all to no avail

susan 8:48AM December 31, 2012

Okay .. here's a hell situation to be in ... I was working as an ex-pat in another country ... longest standing employee in the organization, offered the job of CEO, but turned it down as I felt it would be better to have a citizen of the country take the job... found and recruited the CEO ... but suddenly 5 years later, with no warning and no justification, made 'redundant' so her newly graduated cousin could replace me (with my 20+ years of experience and licensing). Then found out the CEO was having affair with my husband ... now I am single, back in my home country and any job reference checks shut me right out.... wtf do I say??

OMG??! 10:59PM October 17, 2012

I need to know what is appropriate to say about one of my former jobs.
My boss at that job caused several accounting errors during my medical leave, and on my return I had to correct all of them, which is a fairly major accomplishment. However, because it was something he did intentionally, it had to be reported to the corporate office as a breach of ethics, and things became so uncomfortable in the office that I eventually quit.
What do I say about that?
Thanks!

Amy of NV 2:31PM September 08, 2012

There are several reasons why a person would be asked why he/she left his/her previous position. The hiring manager wants to find out if the interviewee regularly changes jobs (ie. isn't going to stay long), if the person is a poor employee and got fired (possibly deservingly so-ie.stealing/ethics), if the person found no growth possible and decided to move on (ie. if no growth posible in new position, will leave shortly), etc. The hiring process can be long and complicated for a company. Therefore, they don't want to have to start it all over again in another month just because the person they selected wasn't a good fit for the position.
Bad-mouthing your former boss only makes you look bad. It also gives the appearance that you could be a tempermental employee and prone to not get along with others. Sugar-coating the reason (ie. finding a positive reason) gives the appearance that you are a team player, which every company wants.

Dela of NY 11:53AM August 20, 2010

Why do you ask the question "Why did you leave your last job?" if I am then expected to lie and obfuscate about the reason? What if my boss was a jerk? What if I was fired for going over his head to complain about a big mistake he was making? The fact is that when someone leaves a job there is usually something that was wrong. Do you want to hear the dirt about my former employers, and if not why are you asking for it?

Randall Bart of WA 2:57PM August 18, 2010

I had a similair situation with a superior who I was told "chew and spit out" subordinates. I thought that could not be, this person volunteered as a Scout leader and we worked briefly together in that capacity. When we worked together as a professional team, professionalism came through very icy. There were times that she would show her humaniness in the field but rarely. I learned quite a few strenghths from her organization skills, at times I had to remind her of priorities with in the daily schedule. After two years of working with this superior, I put in for a transfer. My vision is to gain appropriate skills needed in my field.

Roni of AZ 3:53PM July 19, 2010

While your advice is very much appreciated, I just thought it ironic that your article has a typo like "an bad impression." "An" only goes before words that start with vowels, but you already know that. I know this was just an easy human error but it's ironic especially when you emphasize the harm from sloppily written correspondence. It leaves the reader with a bad impression.

Josh of CA 2:06AM June 20, 2010

Saying someone is too immature sounds a little too judgemental. Perhaps you could have said there were some situations which were not handled professionally and move on to why this company you are interviewing with is a good choice.

Joe of MN 12:18PM May 10, 2010

If you tell the truth, you're not honest, you're bad. If you lie, then 'you sound like trying to make up something'.........so, what's the way to go??

Ed of NY 2:14PM May 07, 2010

What would you recommend someone say to a future employer if she had to quit her previous job because of a very public, very egregious sexual harassment scandal?

Pollyanna of DC 4:03PM May 03, 2010