We said it before and we’ll say it one hundred times more, do not say anything negative in a job interview, even if the interviewer is asking for it.

This question, “Tell me about the worst boss you ever had,” is the perfect example of how you can get trapped.  The interviewer is asking you to divulge a negative experience or interaction with a supervisor or co-worker.

Try not to fall in to the trap. We’re sure some of you have had bosses that you weren’t too fond of, but try and focus on the positives and steer very clear of bad mouthing.

Here are some answers we would recommend considering:

  1. “I’ve been lucky enough to have exceptional bosses throughout my career thus far. However, some have taught me more than others.
  2. “I have never had an awful boss. There were those whose management styles were different than mine. Thankfully, those experiences showed me which styles I work with best.
  3. Throughout my past experiences my bosses have all been very different. This worked in my favor because it has shown me how versatile I can be in various environments. All of my bosses were very pleasant and taught me something different.  For instance…

It’s always a good tactic to follow these answers with specific scenarios. Give some examples of how your bosses differed and how they taught you different things. Change the question around to focus on positive experiences.

Do you have some other answers to this question that you’d like to share with our readers? Please comment on our Facebook page. Thank you!