What did you like least about your last job?

Think about why this question is being asked. Job fit, attitude, communication skills and credibility are four measures commonly assessed. Do you know anyone who was 100% satisfied with any job they had in their career?  Note it does not ask what you didn’t like, but what you liked least.

Traps: Never say anything bad about your previous company or boss.

Be aware that the recruiter knows more details concerning the job you are being considered for.  If the job you are after requires filing 5 hours a day, and if you had a more filing on your last job than you cared for, you probably won’t get far providing this information.  If you don’t want to file that much telling the recruiter would take you out of the running for a job you probably wouldn’t enjoy.

Providing too much information can cause the recruiter to pursue areas that don’t bring out your best qualities.

Not having anything least liked questions your credibility.

Strategies: Unless you have never worked, you should be able to rank what you liked about your last job in advance of an interview.  Once ranked you have the answer and all you need to do is communicate it in such a way as to include the skills that set you apart from others which are hopefully the skills that are needed for the job.  Don’t inform the recruiter that you are glad he/she didn’t ask what you didn’t like because that will then be the recruiters next question.

As with almost all questions, you should keep the answer brief, but that is significantly more important for this question as it is easy to slip into negative areas.

Practicing the delivery of your answer can be very beneficial, not just what you are saying, but the rhythm of your responses should be consistent during the entire interview.

Possible Responses: “My last job provided me with ample opportunity to use my analytical and problem solving skills.  Since I tend to work well under stress, I think the few times that we were slow were difficult and I had to look for something to keep me occupied.  During one of those times I suggested we rearrange our offices so that work flowed in one direction and that added to our efficiency.”

OR

“I prefer face-to-face interaction with my peers, but at my last office I worked alone and they were in New York in the main office.  This created challenges on how to work together and be most effective.  I developed weekly project meetings, arranged video conferences and my to-do list was posted electronically so my supervisor could always keep track of my work.”