Be prepared for tough interview questions such as these: Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
Interview questions that ask you to tell the interviewer something negative are usually fairly easy to avoid. You simply tell the interviewer that you cannot remember a time that you had a bad experience and discuss what you would do if it occurred.
What about a question that asks you to design a clear distinction between two individuals, such as “Who was your best boss and who was your worst?” If you had more than one employer, then you must have a best and worst, because by comparison they cannot both be the “best.”
How to Answer This Question:
The first thing to do is think back to your past and try to remember if there was any supervisor you had that did something illegal, such as stole from the company. If so, this is your easy answer. “My best supervisor was XYZ, and my worst supervisor was a gentleman that used to steal from the company.” Simple. If you do not have any experiences like that, then your “bad boss” should be someone from the distant past – such as a boss you had back in high school.
Bad Answer:
“My best boss was when I worked for Starbucks several years ago. He was extremely forgiving of my early mistakes, he was supportive, and he was willing to grant me time off if I needed to attend a meeting or family function. My worst boss was my last boss and TechCorp. He was constantly criticizing me and telling me I needed to improve in areas that I was already succeeding.”
There are two major problems. First, you are complaining about the supervisor you had on the best job on your resume. Second, you are complaining period. Complaining is always a negative.
Good Answer:
“My best boss was my last supervisor at TechCorp. She and I would consistently interact with a mutual respect. She would allow me to share my opinions and she would seriously consider them before letting me know her own thoughts. My worse boss was several years ago at Starbucks. He was consistently coming in late and did not show dedication to the company.”
This is a much better answer. Your complaint makes you look like a great employee, and the boss you are complaining about was so far in the past that most employers will credit it to being a crappy high school job. Win/win.
Take Away Interview Tips:
- Don’t complain
- Look for a boss from the distant past
