Have you ever met someone that constantly complains about how bad things are in their life? I’m pretty sure you have and after spending 10 minutes with this person they’ve completely sucked all the life out of you! You try to stay positive but their negativity eventually overwhelms and drains you. Yes that’s the effect a negative person can have, so imagine interviewing someone of this nature – it’s painful!
Employers are not only looking for someone that can do the job but someone that will fit within a team and with their organisation’s culture. And whilst you may not think you are a negative person, there are some negativity pitfalls that we all need to watch out for when at an interview.
1. Why you are leaving your current job
We all know this tip “Don’t bad mouth your employer” but you would be surprised at how much this happens. And whilst you may not like your current position, don’t let this show at interview. Firstly, if you rant and rave about how bad your current job is, all your interviewer is going to think is you have a negative attitude, even if you have the most valid reasons in the world for hating your job. Secondly, Ireland is a small country! People know each other especially within industries, so you are always running the risk of speaking ill of an interviewer’s peer/family member.
It is really easy to focus on the negative aspects of your job when you’re unhappy in your role but rather than vent to an interviewer keep your answer simple. It’s perfectly fine to say the job wasn’t a good fit and that you’re looking for a more challenging opportunity/more responsibility/new experiences/change of environment.
If the interviewer asks you to expand, spin the question back on the job you’re applying for and tell them why you are interested in this job.
2. What problems did you encounter in your previous job
Again, it’s easy to talk about any grievances you had with your boss/colleagues/job role/anything that didn’t take your fancy really but seriously don’t do that! See this question as an opportunity to talk about a difficult situation and how you turned it into a good experience. The interviewer here is looking to see a.) what you define as a problem and b.) how you handled the problem. So prepare a story of a situation that was tough and in which shows you in a positive light.
Remember negative answers lead to a negative perception. Preparing ahead of the interview, will let you frame your responses in a positive manner. Employers are often looking for reasons to exclude people from further consideration so don’t give them the opportunity to exclude you by leaving any negative baggage at the door.
Posted by Julia Purcell, Marketing & Communications Manager Sigmar on 29 November 2017
