4 WAYS TO TALK ABOUT A BAD FORMER BOSS DURING AN INTERVIEW

Jeff Mignault • Sep 21, 2017
JOB INTERVIEWS

Just about anyone you talk to has a story about a bad former boss. You are bound to have at least one from your past. It’s also common for the topic of former bosses to come up during a job interview.

But, before you let loose and let the interviewer know how much of a piece of work your previous manager was, take a deep breath.

Follow these tips from HR consultants to talk about bad former managers during a job interview:

1. Honesty is the best policy

Interviewers know that you are bound to have had a difficult boss in the past. This is especially the case if you have worked for a number of different companies. So, be honest about the fact that you have worked for a manager who was not so easy to deal with, but don’t be too candid with your responses. You can discuss that you didn’t agree, but do so using an optimistic tone.

2. Choose your words carefully

Rather than say unflattering things about your former boss or having a negative tone, focus on the lack of fit. For example, rather than saying your reason for leaving your previous position is because you hated your boss, communicate how the company culture or management approach was not ideal for you.

3. Be brief when discussing a bad former boss

If the topic comes up during your interview, try to answer questions about your previous boss in as few words as possible. Don’t offer up irrelevant information, and avoid ranting about reasons why you had issues. Get to the point and only discuss it in greater detail if asked to do so by the interviewer.

4. Mix in the good with the bad

An effective way to address the topic of bad former bosses is to mix in the good with the bad, so you are not speaking only negative about them. You can talk briefly about some of the issues, but follow this up with the good aspects or what you learned from the situation.

At the end of the day, it’s not the fact that you had a bad boss that will hurt you; it’s how you speak of them. People understand bad bosses exist, but if you completely trash them, it says a lot about how you deal with difficult situations.

Get More Job Interview Tips from HR Consultants:

Have a job interview coming up? Here are some more useful blog posts from our HR recruiters that can help you prepare:

Jeff Mignault
Montage of 5 business scenarios to outsource HR

When Should Your Company Outsource Its HR? 5 Scenarios Leaders & HR Pros Can Look For

25 Apr, 2024
5 Scenarios when a company should look at outsourcing HR by veteran HR consultant Christine Fowler of Augment HR Consulting.
Providing more frequent feedback to remote team workers

HOW DO YOU MANAGE REMOTE TEAMS EFFECTIVELY? 10 TIPS FOR BEING AWESOME AT IT!

06 Mar, 2024
10 best practices in managing remote teams effectively by HR expert Kimberly Blake of AugmentHR, a top HR outsourcing company in Toronto.
AODA compliance workshops for businesses

New Accessibility Requirements in Ontario - Are You Compliant?

23 Feb, 2024
Is your company AODA compliant? Here’s the quick what you need to know about AODA and how training can help. From Jeff Mignault of AugmentHR outsourcing.
Employee retention magnet analogy

LOW EMPLOYEE RETENTION?: 4 CAUSES & 9 SOLUTIONS

09 Jan, 2024
Low employee retention? High turnover? 4 causes & 9 fixes from the senior HR consultants at HR outsourcing firm AugmentHR.
An employee looking worried & confused about performance review

I HATE PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS!: TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR EMPLOYERS & EMPLOYEES

14 Dec, 2023
Hate performance appraisals? How to prepare for them like a pro whether you’re an employee or employer. From the HR veterans at AugmentHR Consulting.
Effective Talent Acquisition vs Recruitment HR Solutions

WHY EFFECTIVE TALENT ACQUISITION IS VITAL FOR YOUR BUSINESS

By Jeff Mignault, Director of Sales & Customer Service • 14 Nov, 2023
Is talent acquisition just recruiting? Why it isn’t & 4 benefits to your company of talent acquisition by the HR experts at AugmentHR Consulting.
hr outsourcing challenges and solutions

4 Common HR Outsourcing Challenges and Their Solutions

By Jeff Mignault • 18 Oct, 2023
HR Outsourcing: 4 advantages and 4 keys to success from AugmentHR, Toronto HR consulting firm.
improve employee relations tips HR Consultants

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

26 Sep, 2023
Top tips by our HR outsourcing company on how to improve employee relations in the workplace with steps to implement within your organization.

4 CREATIVE WAYS TO BOOST EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT & RELATIONS

By Jeff Mignault • 13 Oct, 2017
Every company wants to boost employee engagement. They want to have strong employee relations and get the most out of their team. But most companies don’t do much to encourage engagement.

OUTSOURCING EMPLOYEES? 3 THINGS TO CONSIDER TO MAKE IT A SUCCESS

By Jeff Mignault • 10 Oct, 2017
Outsourcing employees is a strategy many companies consider. This is particularly a consideration for start-ups and small businesses that are looking for lean and innovative solutions. It can be an effective use of your workforce if you do things the right way. Naturally, there will be some pushback from your current employees, and there will be a few bumps in the road as you add outsourced employees to your staff. There are a number of considerations to factor into your decision to move forward with outsourcing employees.
More Posts
Share by: