Red Flag

I looked over a resume today that from the start looked great. PhD, a lot of relevant experience. However, within 15 seconds I knew that if I were hiring, I would never seriously consider this candidate. Rather than relate skills and qualifications under this person's most recent position, there was a long paragraph relating the reason why this person was looking for another job. This was an entire paragraph summarizing the "injustices" of the current position and the wretchedness of the employer.

Unlike a real employer, I continued reading and found similar reasons for leaving previous positions--things like being unappreciated, working for jerks, being unfairly fired, etc.

It may be true that any logical and reasonable person would agree with how horrible these situations and bosses were, but instead of empathizing with this individual, I saw an unprofessional, tactless "victim" and not a resilient problem solver with interpersonal skills and good judgment.

As a general rule--NEVER badmouth a former employer. It can backfire and cause potential employers to wonder about your own track record, perceptions, and potential to mudsling them. It is always classy and professional to take the upper hand and show respect to former employers, no matter how awful they were.

If you need ideas on how to appropriately approach questions about former negative work environments or employers, please contact me.