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Answers to the "What Did You Like Least About Your Last Job?" Question

“What did you like least about your last job?” is something of a trap in a job interview, because it’s asking you for a negative answer. If you haven’t given the subject some thought, you may blurt out something about your boss or the company, and talk yourself right out of a job.

One of the purposes of this interview question is to find out if you’re going to be satisfied in the job for which you’re interviewing. If you were dissatisfied before, you may be dissatisfied again if the circumstances are similar. Here’s how three different candidates might answer this question:

Answer No. 1: “I didn’t have enough challenges. After a while, all the projects became repetitive. I thrive on challenge.”

Interviewer’s Thoughts: A lot of the tasks here are repetitive. What makes this candidate think he will like it here any better? Will we be able to keep him challenged?

Answer No. 2: “Lack of stability. After three company acquisitions, I had five bosses in three years. I couldn’t take it any longer. What I am looking for is stability in a job and company.”

Interviewer’s Thoughts: While our company is stable now, there are no guarantees about the future. This guy sounds like he may have some burnout and flexibility issues.

Answer No. 3: “In my last job, my boss was overbearing and wouldn’t let me do my job. If she didn’t like the way I was doing something, she’d criticize me.”

Interviewer’s Thoughts: Could he work with me as a supervisor? How would he react if I had to critique his work? He sounds like he could be a problem to supervise.