by Maria Papadopoulou

Created on: July 13, 2009

Every job interview is difficult, and every question asked, presents a challenge. However, there are certain questions that are considered to be more dangerous than others. One of them in particular is the most dangerous of all: '' What did you dislike in your previous job''? can also be asked as ''Why did you leave your previous job''? or even ''What are your weaknesses''?

When asking the above question in any of the above described ways, the interviewer wants to see:

1. What your flaws are and how you deal with them, if you admit them and if you at least try to overcome them. Perhaps you like to play the victim card and blame others for your mistakes.

2. How discreet you are. Whether you tend to badmouth your former colleagues and boss and whether you get thirsty for revenge when you get too hurt, enough to work for the competition even.

3. If you have the tendency of throwing in the towel and leave when things get tough, if you are able to work well under pressure, if you happen to be oversensitive to criticism, have panic attacks when a mistake happens, not knowing how to fix it, not even where to start.

4. If you tend to contradict yourself. If for example you say at first that you are a team player and later on you say that you actually prefer working alone, that for sure isn't going to score you any points in the credibility department.

5. If the tone of your voice and your body language are in accordance with what you say. If for example, you claim that you maintain a great relationship with your former colleagues and boss and start singing their praises while simultaneously clearing your throat, avoiding eye contact with the interviewer, or display excessive moments of your legs or hands, then it is a safe bet to assume that your interviewer will think you are lying.

The things you can do:

1.Stay calm, cool and collected. Make a conscious effort not to show your anxiety by any means. Completely ignore that little annoying voice in your head which keeps telling you that you will ruin everything and focus completely on answering the question (and its subquestions).

2. Do not badmouth former colleagues or your boss by any means. Do not even imply something like that either, even if the interviewer asks in a lighthearted, seemingly friendly tone. If you do, your interviewer will logically assume that you will do the same with your new boss and colleagues at some point. The only thing you are allowed to say is that you were not given the chance to show the depth of your abilities and therefore reach your highest potential. But make sure it is crystal clear that you are referring to the way the company was structured and organized and not in some kind of personal dispute between you and your boss or colleagues. If for example. the new company you are applying for is a big one, while the previous company you were working for was a small one, you can mention that the chances of specialized tasks were limited in a small company like the one you were working for.

3.Speak honestly about your bad traits, but promptly try to overshadow them by mentioning your good traits, the ones that will make you an asset to the company. You have to show that your good traits surpass your bad ones, both in quantity and quality and that you are really trying to at least minimize the effect your bad traits have on your work.

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