You know it’s coming–the question about your last job.
If you left your last employer on bad terms, you will probably dread talking about it during your next job interview. To be fair, it can be difficult to find a way to spin an unfortunate situation, regardless of whether you quit or were let go.
Even if you left on positive terms, the best way to handle this question is to focus on the job itself. What did you do? How did you perform? What successes did you have? How did you handle challenges and adversity?
By discussing specific details, you can give your interviewer what they need to hear and avoid getting yourself into murky waters by venting your frustrations.
What Did Your Job Entail?
It’s essential you discuss duties that directly relate to this potential new job. Be strategic about what you share. Give details on what you think the employer wants to hear. For example, you could choose a few job duties to outline, and then say why you think this experience makes you a great fit for the open position.
If there isn’t a simple connection, you can suggest your transferable skills that make you valuable. Discuss how the expertise you gained in your former job would translate to this company. Don’t expect they will be capable of seeing how skills might transfer over. Lay it out for them in simple terms and connect the dots.
How Did You Handle Challenges?
Talk about the challenges you faced in your last job and mention the outcomes of the decisions you made. Do this in quantified terms by using numbers, currency, or percentages. For example, you could say you retained an average of five customers per week, or you were able to save the company $17,000 a month in reduced labor costs through efficiency improvements.
Using these quantified examples beefs up your expertise and reliability with the interviewer.
How Did You Cope With the Negative Parts of the Job?
Be as diplomatic as possible when talking about something you didn’t like at your last job, and try to spin it in a positive or at least a neutral way. A bad answer will reveal something negative about your attitude rather than the situation you were in. For example, mentioning an unreasonable amount of work could make you sound like you don’t want to work hard.
Along with keeping it positive, be tactical. Tell the interviewer something that doesn’t relate to the potential new job. For example, if the old job demanded an amount of travel you didn’t like, but this one does not, point it out.
Let Us Help You with Interview Preparation
At NextStep Resources, we work with all our candidates to prepare them for success at their interviews and every other part of the hiring process. If you are curious about working with us, or the opportunities we have in store, please contact us today.