TD; DL: I told my job interviewer about how toxic my previous workplace was. And now I feel bothered by being too honest.
Hi everyone.
So I’m 32F, and people always tell me that I’m too honest, like it’s a bad thing. I’m not sure about that, because I feel that honesty is the best policy and it just make things easier for everyone.
(And by “honest”, I’m not the “brutally honest” type, I just tell people the truth when they ask, like that.)
So something happened today and it’s bothering me, and I’d like to ask for your opinion on that.
I’ve been applying for jobs, and today I was scheduled for a call for an interview over the phone. I’m not really interested in the job because the pay is low. But I answered the call anyway just to see if they could offer me something unexpected.
The interviewer was pleasant to talk to, he was happy with my qualifications and previous experiences, we discussed most of the things about the job, and eventually we discussed the reason why I left my previous job.
For your information, my previous workplace was a hell hole, everyone was super toxic, and I got depression when working there. I had a rough time with the HR and it took me a whole year to recover from all the mental health damage. It was a really bad experience. But I didn’t want to shit-talk about my previous workplace, so I just told him “my previous workplace wasn’t ideal for me and I realized that I wasn’t suitable for that job”.
But my interviewer really wanted to know why I left my previous workplace without any regret, because my previous job has extremely good pay, and my previous workplace is one of the top companies in our country. Like, why would I want to leave such a great workplace, and apply for another job with low pay?
He sounded like a reasonable person, so eventually I told him that my previous workplace had no boundaries and did not respect their employees. He was surprised and he told me “I assure you that this kind of things will never happen in our company”.
Anyway so the interview ended nicely and he told me he will keep me updated. I don’t mind not getting the job because I have other job offers with better pays. Today I just attended the interview for the experience.
Later when I think about it, I feel like I’ve talked too much. Like, I shouldn’t have been too honest? I don’t know – should I?
5 comments
I think their reaction to the statement “I left my previous workplace because they didn’t respect our boundaries” could be telling. You didn’t insult the workplace, go into details about specific individuals, or make yourself look like you want to ruin their reputation or anything, so I think you’re all good
Sounds like you handled it perfectly to me tbh.
My advice would be the interviewer isn’t a therapist. Dont go into big detail about negatives. You can mention you had demanding parts of the job or you were accountable for many things. Then quickly transition that into how you handle them and were still successful.
You mentioned your honesty, so it’s fine to say I wasn’t the greatest at this or that. As long as you mention you knew what was needed to be done and you wanted to improve.
An interview doesnt want to feel that you may not be able to handle the pressures and responsibilities of the position. So dont give them that chance. It’s fine to be honest but dont make it sound like your venting about how bad your boss was, or how unreasonable your clients are, for example. That could make the interviewer feel like you could be the peice that doesnt fit.
Like the others, I also feel that you responded to the interviewer just fine. And in regards to how people say that you’re too honest as if that were a bad thing – please don’t be discouraged. There are actually many who would appreciate more honesty in their lives.
Honesty is never a good policy in interviews. I’ve turned down candidates because of the way they said negative things about their previous workplaces.
How you say it matters. If I am going to hire you for my business being constructive is important.