Recently I conducted an interview with candidates for work.

     Again I faced with a phenomenon that has firmly rooted in our business environment.

     Many candidates are not very flattering about their former employers.

     “I worked best, but they promoted other person.”

     “I have not been promoted for a whole year, while chiefs thrived”.

     “The owner of the company didn’t have the least clue in this business, and he did not consider my remarks, he did not accept my offers. That’s why the company has collapsed “.

     And so on along those lines.

     These kinds of talks absolutely do not fit into my moral and ethical norms. I think that you can talk good about the former employers or nothing at all. The worst thing you can let yourself to say is: “I would not recommend you this person (or company)”.

     But to openly trash your former colleagues and bosses like this – for me it is unacceptable.

     And it’s not just about moral standards. This is a common good judgment. After all, it is absolutely clear that if this candidate talks bad about former employer, then in the same way tomorrow he will talk about me to his future employer. Would I want to work with such person? Of course not! So what do these candidates expect? Do they really not have enough understanding of basic things?!

     For a long time already such test on their decency is in my obligatory program at the interview.

     P.S. My friend read this post and asked: “Why do you reveal your secrets? Now future candidates will know your demands and will not criticize their former employers.” I answered: “Well, good! My goal is not to catch candidates in dishonesty, but to deracinate this phenomenon from our life. Let them stop doing this. Let them tell their friends. Let other employers also do such tests. In the end, gradually trashing the former employers and colleagues will become indecent in our entire society. That’s what I’m trying to achieve.”

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