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June 17, 2022
Many people dread the question “what do you like least about your job?” in interviews. It can be difficult to know how to answer without sounding negative or ungrateful. However, with a bit of preparation, you can give an answer that will show that you are still positive and grateful for your current position, while also highlighting areas for improvement.
When you answer this question, you are showing that you are actively engaged in your career and want to keep moving forward. You are able to identify what is missing and what you need to be able to fulfil your potential. So, rather than seeing it as being negative or ungrateful, you are instead simply being practical.
There are a few reasons why interviewers might ask this question. Firstly, they want to see if you are able to identify areas for improvement in your current role. Secondly, they want to know if you have the motivation to keep learning and progressing in your career. And finally, they might be testing to see if you will be critical of their company or position if you were to get the job.
If you answer with something negative or critical that isn’t constructive or fair, they might wonder if you are going to be a problem employee. You might be revealing a lot about yourself if you decide to trash talk your current or previous employee at the first opportunity. Be diplomatic in your approach and you should have no problems.
When preparing your answer, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, avoid criticising your current employer or colleagues. This will make you seem ungrateful and difficult to work with. Instead, focus on things that you would like.
You want to be positive, but honest. Try to answer with something that is not personal to you, but rather is a general issue that could be changed. For example:
“I would like to see more opportunities for growth and development.”
“I would like to see more collaboration between departments.”
“I would like to see more transparency around the decision-making process.”
These are all examples of areas that could be improved in any workplace. By focusing on these issues, you are showing that you are looking for ways to improve. You are also not criticising your current employer directly.
Once you have chosen an issue to focus on, try to give a specific example of how this has affected you. This will make your answer more relatable and believable. For example:
“I would like to see more opportunities for growth and development. In my current role, I have been doing the same thing for two years and I am starting to feel stagnant. I would love to be able to take on new challenges and learn new skills. Unfortunately, the structure of the company means that there is nowhere for me to progress upwards, only horizontally.”
“I would like to see more collaboration between departments. There is a lot of siloing in my current company and it makes it difficult to get things done. For example, I had an idea for a project that required input from the development team, but cross-departmental collaboration is not encouraged, so it was difficult to determine the best route forward.”
“I would like to see more transparency around the decision-making process. In my current company, decisions are made behind closed doors and it is difficult to know how or why certain decisions are being made. I understand that there needs to be some secrecy around certain things, but I would like to have a better understanding of the thought process.”
These are all examples of how you can answer the question in a positive way, while also highlighting areas for improvement.
When preparing your answer, there are a few things to avoid. Firstly, as mentioned before, do not criticise your current or previous employer. This will make you seem ungrateful and difficult to work with.
Secondly, try not to focus on things that are personal to you. For example, if you don’t like the hours you work or the commute to your current job, these are not things that can be changed. Instead, focus on general issues that could be improved in any workplace.
Thirdly, avoid saying anything that would make you seem like a problem employee. For example, if you have difficulty working with others or tend to get stressed easily, this is not something you want to highlight in an interview.
You should also make sure that you aren’t complaining about an aspect of your job that you would be expected to do in the role you are applying for. This could rule you out of the running immediately.
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