Is it OK to say you left your last job because the owner was verbally abusive?

Answer 1

Umm. I would say never, ever say anything bad about your previous employer. The question is geared to hear what you might say of the company for which you are interviewing with if you begin working for them and then leave. What are you going to say about THEM? When the interviewer asks why you left you last job, a lovely answer is, "I enjoyed my time at XYZ Company and the opportunity to use my skills but is was time to cultivate my skills further and I am looking forward to that opportunity with you."

Remember, if you don't have anything nice to say...

Listen to the person above me only....When I interview I am listening to the answer and also the tone. I also pay attention to the disrespect of the past employers by the applicant, which I see as a sign of a possible bad attitude.

I know you are leaving the last job because you are not happy. How you approach the issue is what tells me why you are unhappy.

As the reply above me and above that say, do NOT offer up the sordid details. Normally, when they ask a question like that, they want to know how positive you are... not how bad the last boss was.

There is an over abundance of negative people in the world, why would an employer want to pay to have one around. They want happy positive people who will bring that positive energy into their establishment. Interview questions are designed to see your personality more than to get your history. Instead of focusing why you are leaving, focus on what you are looking forward to.

Think of it this way. The person who is interviewing you has been asking many people the same questions. They aren't looking for the most tear-jerking story, and they certainly don't want to hear all the details of everyone's lives. They want to know if you will be positive, responsible, thoughtful, motivated, and ready to handle whatever is thrown at you.

They are reading the back cover to the story of you, not opening to chapter 10 to engross themselves in the details. If your summary doesn't leave them feeling happy and interested, they won't buy the book.

Yes, if you word it a bit different. Say something like you left because inappropriate leadership skills. Or something like that. Make it sound as "unnegative" as possible.

• More like "The working environment was not my ideal situation, and I look forward to finding a company with an environment that stimulates my personal growth." Although that sounds a little kissup!

I agree.. bring it up but phrase it differently, and always turn every point into a "positive", meaning something in your favor. If you can bring it up while using terms that are professional, you'll exude a sense of personal integrity. Then I would recommend immediately following up the statement by saying something like "this presented me with a challenge that I was able to overcome by blah blah blah.. " and while I hope not to enter into that type of situation again, I do feel that it prepared me well for other high pressure situations that I may encounter at any point in the future.

Mostly likely, if you say "inappropriate leadership blah blah blah", they will ask what you mean. When they do, say verbally abusive. Honesty is always the best policy.

I have had this happen to me three times within the last ten years, so it has been an issue that is both hard for me to understand why people act that way and takes time to recover from. In fact, I felt guilty for a long time since in some way I thought perhaps I had brought it on myself. Many people don't believe that verbal abuse, sabotage and that sort of thing really happens. In any case, find a good, positive answer--for me, it was that business needs changed and my position was eliminated. Skirt any discussion of past supervisors since you won't be able to help the negative vibes you will give off. If you can refocus on the skills you bring to the job you are interviewing for, that is so much the better. The interviewers in a behavioral type interview are looking for you to describe your skills, experience and talent that are relevant to the job, so the other stuff is moot.