How to Answer: Tell me one good thing and one bad thing your previous boss might say about you.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an ADP job interview.
11. Tell me one good thing and one bad thing your previous boss might say about you.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
This question reveals how you handle stress at the moment. Many who've had this question posed to them wonder if their interviewer already conversed with their previous employer.
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
How to Answer
There is no need to feel nervous about this question. Answer with confidence, and stay on course with what you'd offer and contribute. Consider incorporating some of their keywords into what you share, such as integrity, collective passion, and innovation.
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
1st Entry Level Example
"I think my professor would say I'm very detail oriented and always submit high-quality work. By the same token, he would also probably say I'm a perfectionist and that slows me down sometimes or causes me to lose focus on what is important."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"They'd tell you I'm hard on myself, and that when I made mistakes, it would throw off my game so much that I'd trip over my own feet, but I've overcome this. They'd also say I am their clutch player and their most reliable go-getter."
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
2nd Answer Example
"They'd inform you of my habit of going above and beyond, and that I view the basics of my job as putting my all in, doing my best to anticipate the needs of my superiors, and doing everything I can to make their job easier. Basically, I'm always managing up in the best definition of what that means. With that, as far as my flaws, they'd tell you I'm eager to learn from my mistakes and grow and take responsibility for my actions to the extreme. So my supervisor would say I'm the only person who'll ever throw me under the bus, and that I am honest to a fault."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Jaymie's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
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About the Author
When I started my career in business management, branding, and marketing, I mistakenly assumed hard work and integrity alone would get me noticed. Back then, I assumed the harder I worked, the faster I’d rise through the ranks. Yet, even in a meritocracy, this is rarely the case.
The goals of my peers competed with mine, and too often, they were better at getting noticed for their accomplishments. And, some of them were all too happy to watch me working harder, as they worked smarter, rising through the ranks faster than me. At one point, a boss of mine labeled me a stealth worker. They said they had no idea I was the one performing all that great work. If only I’d drawn more attention to what I was doing, maybe I would have gotten rewarded for it. So I learned most of my leadership skills the hard way, and the journey was long.
As a leader, my favorite part of the job came to be coaching others. I took pride in sharing the secrets to my eventual success, and offering my outside-of-the-box view of the role. Where other leaders were only in it for themselves, I was genuinely in it for the company and the team. So I taught those I mentored not only what they needed to do, and how to do the job right, but why each step was important. I spelled out how everything fit into the big picture and shared every trick of the trade that no one shared with me. Every single individual I mentored advanced far ahead of their peers, surpassing those who were only in it for themselves.
Another favorite part of the job was recruiting and building the perfect teams. For me, conducting an interview was an art form. I later volunteered my services at career fairs and trade schools, offering advice, from crafting the perfect CV and resume, to delivering a perfect interview, to negotiating a decent raise. Now I am a full-time writer, and left my management career behind me. Yet, I still love coaching others to succeed, and I love writing for mockquestions.com for this very reason.
Here’s what I said to a friend of mine whom I mentored a long time ago: “Every single thing you do, at every stage, can alter the perception others have of your professional worth. My goal is to make you look like an asset worth fighting for.”
Learn more about Kevin Downey