You asked how do you take something that was a negative experience for you, and something that was a weakness in your previous employer's ability to service its customers well, and present it as a positive when interviewing for a new position.

My recommendation is that you present the problem AND present a thoughtful solution. Most managers DO want employees that can not only identify probl...

You asked how do you take something that was a negative experience for you, and something that was a weakness in your previous employer's ability to service its customers well, and present it as a positive when interviewing for a new position.

My recommendation is that you present the problem AND present a thoughtful solution. Most managers DO want employees that can not only identify problems, but propose solutions to those problems, and make those solutions happen. If you were in charge, how would you have remedied the issue?

Prospective employers also want to know that you have learned from your experience. In reality, we all have challenges in life, and what makes us successful is how we learn and adapt based on those challenges. I would appreciate a candidate being frank about a situation that was daunting, and who then told me what they learned from the experience, and how that has either shaped what they are looking for in this new prospective position or how they might take what they learned and do it differently the next time.

One caveat: it is a turn-off if you cite specific negatives about specfic persons you worked with in the past. You might very well be 100% right in how you view the past manager or peers, but your new prospective employer may be left with the impression that you might bad mouth them, too, when the going gets rough. Therefore, talk about the situation or the business case, and not the people involved.

This sounded like it was a hard situation for you: you worked for the firm for 28 years and were terminated---that would be painful for anyone. You may need to practice responses to common interview questions, even in front of a mirror, so you can take the emotional charge out of your responses.

Here is one link you may find useful:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/Car...

It is things like this that made me decide to become self employed. Office politics are always tough.
Since a desire for responsiveness is really a virtue and a desire to be responsive is a virtue, perhaps you can use the old technique of answering a question with a question. Will I have responsiveness and can I be responsive? A desire to do good work is an asset always in demand. You show that you want to be in a position to do productive work.
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It is things like this that made me decide to become self employed. Office politics are always tough.
Since a desire for responsiveness is really a virtue and a desire to be responsive is a virtue, perhaps you can use the old technique of answering a question with a question. Will I have responsiveness and can I be responsive? A desire to do good work is an asset always in demand. You show that you want to be in a position to do productive work.
Don't let the ******** get you down!

Speaking from personal experience, it's never a good idea to use the exit interview as an opportunity to tell your side of the story. I've gone through exit interviews and I've also conducted exit interviews and it really is a no-win situation for the employee.

The whole purpose of the exit interview is for the company to understand the issues that led to the employee leaving the company. Whatever you say wi...

Speaking from personal experience, it's never a good idea to use the exit interview as an opportunity to tell your side of the story. I've gone through exit interviews and I've also conducted exit interviews and it really is a no-win situation for the employee.

The whole purpose of the exit interview is for the company to understand the issues that led to the employee leaving the company. Whatever you say will be recorded and if it's a significant issue, it will get circulated around management and it will eventually reach the person who caused the issue. Even if the issue gets fixed or the person is fired, it doesn't do anything for you as the employee. If anything, you've just given the person another excuse to say bad things about you. Why take the risk when it doesn't serve your needs?

If you are being terminated and going through an exit interview, it's really not a good idea to seem bitter and say negative things about the company. If you handle the situation gracefully and talk about the positive aspects of having worked at the company, it's going to leave a positive impression. When was the last time you had a positive impression of someone who complained or pointed out issues?

I know the temptation is there to set things right, but I strongly recommend that you focus on the positives of your employment and ignore the negatives. This will make you the better person and leave a positive impression that will help you when your new employer conducts reference checks.

If you still want to try spin the negatives in a positive light, my suggestion is that you wish that there were more ways and channels for you to secure support for your customer. Instead of saying that the internal struggles were a problem, make it seem like you're a customer focused champion who wished that there were more ways for you to provide excellent customer support and service. You can then follow-up with some ideas on some new channels or methods that could be employed to provide better support for your customer.

This is the most difficult situation for any hardworking and sincere person to face a future interview and my simple suggestion will be:

Please refrain from using this question"WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LAST JOB" as an invite to get up on your soapbox and bad-mouth your past employers. There is nothing worse for your cause than saying negative things about the past company you worked for and, most especially, your present or ...

This is the most difficult situation for any hardworking and sincere person to face a future interview and my simple suggestion will be:

Please refrain from using this question"WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LAST JOB" as an invite to get up on your soapbox and bad-mouth your past employers. There is nothing worse for your cause than saying negative things about the past company you worked for and, most especially, your present or former boss. Your boss-to-be could just as easily become your former boss sometime down the road and if they hear nothing but complaints from you, they can assume that you will do the same to their name later. It also makes you look like a sore loser if you were let go from your last job.

Preparation is the key to holding your tongue especially if all you want to do is say bad things about your old job. Briefly highlight what was good about the job and think of more positive reasons to cite why you left or were asked to leave.

Good answers may sound something like: “I had maxed out my pay range,” or “There was no room for advancement,” or my old favorite, “I felt that my skills had developed beyond the difficulty level of my workload.”

i suggest and i dont mean to be rude but if you want the job just act more friendly and stay calm and quiet