Dear Sir,
When asking these types of questions, one may not know what response to provide - the truth, a polished false answer, or a negative answer abruptly. If the interviewee gives a positive answer by hiding the truth to secure the interview, their response is not genuine. Conversely, if the interviewee responds negatively based on their true feelings, the interviewer may feel embarrassed, yet the answer is correct.
Therefore, interviewers should refrain from asking such embarrassing questions and instead pose inquiries that assess the interviewee's talent or caliber.
Thank you,
Chandrasekaran
Madurai
From India, Madurai
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3When asking these types of questions, one may not know what response to provide - the truth, a polished false answer, or a negative answer abruptly. If the interviewee gives a positive answer by hiding the truth to secure the interview, their response is not genuine. Conversely, if the interviewee responds negatively based on their true feelings, the interviewer may feel embarrassed, yet the answer is correct.
Therefore, interviewers should refrain from asking such embarrassing questions and instead pose inquiries that assess the interviewee's talent or caliber.
Thank you,
Chandrasekaran
Madurai
From India, Madurai
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Hi Hussain,
I would suggest that the interviewer needs to distinguish between two types of negative feedback and what the feedback says about the candidate. For example, if the candidate says "I left because my boss was a jerk," that falls into the category of "whining" in my view and reflects that the candidate may have poor work ethic or interpersonal skills. On the other hand, if the candidate says "I left because I was troubled by what I felt was unethical behavior condoned by the employer," that reflects that the candidate has standards, integrity, and the guts to stand by them.
From United States, Reno
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I would suggest that the interviewer needs to distinguish between two types of negative feedback and what the feedback says about the candidate. For example, if the candidate says "I left because my boss was a jerk," that falls into the category of "whining" in my view and reflects that the candidate may have poor work ethic or interpersonal skills. On the other hand, if the candidate says "I left because I was troubled by what I felt was unethical behavior condoned by the employer," that reflects that the candidate has standards, integrity, and the guts to stand by them.
From United States, Reno
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Hi All,
I believe that negative remarks always attract negative results. The truth is bitter, and not everyone thinks laterally. Therefore, it is better to move forward with a positive attitude. Sharing your positive desires and dreams when discussing your interest in working for a new company creates a positive ambiance during the interview, which is healthy. Speaking negatively about the past and dwelling on it will not yield anything fruitful. It is important to close the old chapter after learning from it and approach the new one with a fresh attitude.
Regards,
Sheeba Harish
Bangalore :)
From India, Bangalore
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I believe that negative remarks always attract negative results. The truth is bitter, and not everyone thinks laterally. Therefore, it is better to move forward with a positive attitude. Sharing your positive desires and dreams when discussing your interest in working for a new company creates a positive ambiance during the interview, which is healthy. Speaking negatively about the past and dwelling on it will not yield anything fruitful. It is important to close the old chapter after learning from it and approach the new one with a fresh attitude.
Regards,
Sheeba Harish
Bangalore :)
From India, Bangalore
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There is a basic difference in badmouthing your previous employer and putting across your personal insight about the previous employer with strong conviction. Now, the latter comes with the attitude to speak up with honesty, a strong character to appreciate the good but at the same time accept the shortcomings.
As a recruiter, I am sure we can know the difference between the two.
From India, Hyderabad
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As a recruiter, I am sure we can know the difference between the two.
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear [Employer's Name],
Negative remarks about a previous employer are never accepted by the prospective employer. They view a candidate's negative approach as a red flag. If an individual did not perform well in their previous role and is deemed unfit for the current organization, the prospective employer may not directly inform them of this decision. Instead, they may mention that they will provide feedback or update on the interview outcome at a later time, leaving the final result uncertain.
Regards,
Inder Jit Singh Ubhi
From India, Delhi
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Negative remarks about a previous employer are never accepted by the prospective employer. They view a candidate's negative approach as a red flag. If an individual did not perform well in their previous role and is deemed unfit for the current organization, the prospective employer may not directly inform them of this decision. Instead, they may mention that they will provide feedback or update on the interview outcome at a later time, leaving the final result uncertain.
Regards,
Inder Jit Singh Ubhi
From India, Delhi
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I want to agree to some extent that it does not go down well to talk negatively about your past employers. That said, I would appreciate the frankness coming from an interviewee when he tells me about the negative experiences in his last employment. What I would be looking out for is his body language and objectiveness in his delivery of his comments. I will see the openness as an opportunity to identify negative practices in other companies that might need addressing in my own company, if they do exist. One should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
From Nigeria
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From Nigeria
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Hello,
If I were interviewing a candidate who talks negatively about his/her previous employer, I would definitely believe that negative feedback would be given by him/her in his next interview after he/she is employed by me. After all, I should listen to the complaints about the former employer if it happens; it might make sense.
From Nigeria
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If I were interviewing a candidate who talks negatively about his/her previous employer, I would definitely believe that negative feedback would be given by him/her in his next interview after he/she is employed by me. After all, I should listen to the complaints about the former employer if it happens; it might make sense.
From Nigeria
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This thread is getting very interesting.
My friends, the truth is that HR does not have to be empathetic, people concerned, considerate, understanding, or sensitive. An interviewer should expect them to be the exact opposite. An interview is not a therapy session, so there is no use expecting the interviewer to want to hear or understand your side of the story.
The interviewer's job is to select a candidate based on the criteria given to him/her by the HR or Management. He/She should be friendly but investigative. Nothing can be taken for granted, and no answer can be accepted at face value.
Like many people who responded to this post, I never have, nor would ever hire someone who complained about their previous company, family, friends, hometown, country, and weather. You won't believe how many people complain about the weather in an interview. Such candidates are let out the door with the response, "If you have a problem with the weather, you shouldn't be planning on working in this city."
Giving answers to an interviewer is like feeding an aardvark. You have to know what it is and what it eats before you cook for it. It won't eat anything you offer just because you think it is right. If it doesn't like what you feed it, it will hurt you.
An interview is all about convincing the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job, and you must sincerely do everything you can to achieve that objective, including telling the interviewer what he wants to hear.
Avinash Tavares
Aardvark
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From India, Pune
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My friends, the truth is that HR does not have to be empathetic, people concerned, considerate, understanding, or sensitive. An interviewer should expect them to be the exact opposite. An interview is not a therapy session, so there is no use expecting the interviewer to want to hear or understand your side of the story.
The interviewer's job is to select a candidate based on the criteria given to him/her by the HR or Management. He/She should be friendly but investigative. Nothing can be taken for granted, and no answer can be accepted at face value.
Like many people who responded to this post, I never have, nor would ever hire someone who complained about their previous company, family, friends, hometown, country, and weather. You won't believe how many people complain about the weather in an interview. Such candidates are let out the door with the response, "If you have a problem with the weather, you shouldn't be planning on working in this city."
Giving answers to an interviewer is like feeding an aardvark. You have to know what it is and what it eats before you cook for it. It won't eat anything you offer just because you think it is right. If it doesn't like what you feed it, it will hurt you.
An interview is all about convincing the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job, and you must sincerely do everything you can to achieve that objective, including telling the interviewer what he wants to hear.
Avinash Tavares
Aardvark
Correct Spelling and Grammar: Identify and fix any spelling or grammatical mistakes in the text.
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If the user starts with “Hi,” followed by a line feed, remove that line feed to ensure the first line does not appear blank.
Preserve the Meaning: While correcting the grammar and spelling, make sure the original meaning and tone of the message remain unchanged.
From India, Pune
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Hii Its very general DAT if u r speaking -ve about previous employer dan whenever in future u vl leave d current job u will speak d same. B always positive. Give very positive reason
From India, Bhopal
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From India, Bhopal
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Hi Friends!!
Some HRs were downright strict with shunning any candidate who gave a justified negative response to this question when asked, even if they met the primary requirements of the job.
@Joy: I agree with your point of view!
Presenting this question to a candidate is really helpful to gain insight into the candidate's mental strength in dealing with challenges in the workplace. I would prefer if a candidate presented a negative response and how he/she dealt with the situation. This way, it will help me ascertain where to place the candidate in the company or whether to place them at all!
A simple question to those HRs who would reject a candidate for a justified negative response to this question, instead of a fake, positive answer! Will you reject a candidate if he/she meets all the criteria of the job?
We call a candidate for an interview after CV shortlisting. HR interviews are conducted to evaluate mental agility, attitude, and to investigate to ascertain the fitment of the candidate in the required role/team/department/company.
From Kuwait, Salmiya
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Some HRs were downright strict with shunning any candidate who gave a justified negative response to this question when asked, even if they met the primary requirements of the job.
@Joy: I agree with your point of view!
Presenting this question to a candidate is really helpful to gain insight into the candidate's mental strength in dealing with challenges in the workplace. I would prefer if a candidate presented a negative response and how he/she dealt with the situation. This way, it will help me ascertain where to place the candidate in the company or whether to place them at all!
A simple question to those HRs who would reject a candidate for a justified negative response to this question, instead of a fake, positive answer! Will you reject a candidate if he/she meets all the criteria of the job?
We call a candidate for an interview after CV shortlisting. HR interviews are conducted to evaluate mental agility, attitude, and to investigate to ascertain the fitment of the candidate in the required role/team/department/company.
From Kuwait, Salmiya
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