How to Answer: What was your least favorite aspect of your last job?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Department of Justice job interview.
3. What was your least favorite aspect of your last job?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
The interviewer asks this question to understand what motivates you, what distracts you, and what kind of work environment suits you best. They're also curious about what your general daily attitude is. Someone who has a lot of negative things to say about their last position might feel that way no matter where they are. Too often, an employee with issues with authority or a negative perspective will project their emotional energy onto their environment. How you answer this question may or may not raise such red flags.
Written by Kevin Downey on May 9th, 2022
How to Answer
Be honest about what you liked least, but stay focused on the positives. For example, saying that the leadership was toxic might show you have issues with authority figures. That says something different than expressing a lack of growth opportunity or being a social person who thrives in a team environment when the position you held was mostly a solitary work environment.
Written by Kevin Downey on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I couldn't spend time in the break room. Not ever. It was never clean. The fridge was broken and gave off an odor and some used it as a hang-out place to evade work. I'm all for taking micro-breaks, but only for the sake of increasing productivity. So, I always ate lunch out, and that got expensive."
Written by Kevin Downey on May 9th, 2022
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