Q. I worked for a boss who resorted to personal attacks toward my employees. I tolerated this behavior and finally went to human resources. My boss then made it clear she was going to make my life hell. I quit.
What do I tell prospective employers in an interview?
A. First, find out what information your former company offers to prospective employers. Have a friend call and inquire about your work history as a potential employer.
Most employers these days offer minimal information regarding past employees. If your former employer only gives your name, position held and dates of employment, then say nothing to a potential new employer on the subject.
If your former employer gives out the information that you quit, go into your next interview prepared. If you are asked to explain why you left, say briefly that you left your former position looking for the specific opportunity available at the company you are now interviewing with.
If, when your friend calls, your former employer says you were “insubordinate” or “hostile” or gives you some other negative label, expect that an interviewer will have heard the same thing. Simply tell the interviewer that you and your boss had different ideas about motivating employees.
When asked for specifics, give a concrete example. You can say, “When my boss wanted employees to stay late, he would use the following swear words, or tell us we were fired, or tell us that we were idiots.”
Then state calmly that you noticed your boss’s behavior made it difficult for the team to be productive. Pause, be silent, and know that it is unnecessary to offer more detail.
Given the circumstances of your last job, it is not unusual to feel traumatized. Traumatized people want to tell their stories and receive empathy from others.
However, a job interview is not the place to achieve this goal. You may decide to find a therapist or executive coach who can provide both comfort and the tools to make sure you never repeat your unpleasant workplace experience.
When readers write me about impossible bosses before they quit, I make concrete suggestions on how to influence a boss before they head to human resources. Realize that there are tools available to avoid a boss’s fury and still influence a boss to knock off bad behavior.
Your primary goal now is to land a new job with a stable boss.
And rest assured your potential employer is more concerned about what you can contribute than about your past. If you don’t make it an issue, it’s unlikely the interviewer will.
The last word(s)
Q. I work for a vice president of a large company. He has been aggressively pursuing the CEO job. Now my boss and the CEO are having a conflict over a recent meeting where the CEO made a mistake.
I was at the meeting and really like my boss. He is going to be meeting with the board. Should I get involved?
A. If you like your job, stay out of this fight.
