A perfect company to work for doesn’t exist, just like a perfect employee. Each job and each company has some pluses and minuses. Some people may disagree, saying that those $200K/year IT jobs with tech giants have no drawbacks. But believe me they do. For example the insane workload and expectations. Anyway, what I try to say here is that is it completely normal to dislike something about your company, about your employer. And it would be a mistake saying in an interview that you love everything. If you do not see any area for improvement, why do you look for a new place of work? It just doesn’t make sense. So how should you deal with the question?
Before we look at seven sample answer, let me give you a couple of basic idea. First one, try to balance things out. Saying what you do not like, you can always mention also something good about your place of work. In such a case, hiring managers can see that you do not belong to people who always complain, who always see just the negatives, and cannot appreciate the good things.
Second one, make sure that the thing you dislike doesn’t await you in your new job. Let me give you a simple-to-understand example. Saying that you hated working on weekends, or doing night shifts, would do you little good in an interview for a job in a place that has night shifts, and is open on weekends. And third one, avoid personal answers, such as that you disliked colleague X or colleague Y in particular. Maybe it is the reason no. 1 why you left your last job, but remember that it has nothing to do with the company.
Try to focus on things on a company level, such as working environment, working culture, shift patterns, the way the managers treated the employees in general, company policy about this or that (which does not resonate with you), etc. Let’s have a look at sample answers now, for each of the options I mentioned. You will find on my list also a couple of philosophical answers. In certain cases they may be your best bet, especially if your goal is to stand out and make sure you say something nobody else will. Enjoy!
7 sample answers to “What do you like least about your company?” interview question
- I like the least the shift patterns. As a young father, I find it hard to come home when my children are already in bed. I would prefer a place with 6 to 2 shifts, or 8 to 4, but not the shifts I have with my current employer. On the top of that, we have to do night shifts sometimes, and it really messes up with my routine. Having said that, I appreciate the opportunity, and the fact that I have a job, because nothing is guaranteed in this economy. But I still try to find something else, to have a better life-work balance, and it is the reason why I have applied for a job with your company.
- I like the least about my company the lack of communication within the teams. My present company has a strong hierarchy in place. As a common employee you cannot just go to the higher manager and talk to them. You have to go to the supervisor, your team leader, and only they can go one level up and so on. Sure, I understand why they have this policy in place–it is a cultural thing. But I also feel it isn’t the right way to communicate, as long as you want to have satisfied employees, and as long as you want to grow as a business. Feedback is critical, and it shouldn’t be restricted in this way, at least in my opinion.
- I like the least the working culture. Because it is based on pressure. The goals get more ambitious each quarter, the expectations get higher. You can feel how stressed everyone is. Sure, maybe the company achieves great results, and some people earn great salaries, but I wonder: is it worth it? Is it worth it when you cannot sleep at night, stay overtime at work each day, and risk your health? I think it isn’t worth it, and it is one of the reasons why I try to change my job, even though I earn pretty well in the company, and I see also good things about working there.
- I dislike the lack of opportunities for career growth, unless you have education. In my opinion, company like this one should promote people internally. It isn’t a rocket science managing a shift here, especially if you worked there for some time, and know the challenges first hand. But I have just a high school diploma, and that’s a showstopper for the company. They just won’t promote me, regardless of my results. I do not like it, and want to work somewhere else. Having said that, I accept it as their policy and will have good memories on this company.
- In all honesty, I like everything. My present employer tries their best to empower the people, and to provide us with a working environment in which we can achieve exceptional results. It is a great company, and I would recommend it to anyone asking. However, I want to move into accounting, and they just didn’t have any such position open. I talked to the managers, and they do not see such a job opening in a near future. That’s why I consider to leave and apply for jobs, but it has nothing to do with the company.
- I like the least the outlook of the future. In my opinion, and from what I can observe from a position of an engineer, this company hasn’t invested enough into research and development. They focused on making the most profits in the present, not thinking about the future. The technology they use will soon become obsolete, it will start looking money, and then all employees will suffer. To say it metaphorically, the hole is already in the boat, but there’s not enough water in yet for the passengers to notice. I noticed it, talked to the leaders, but they didn’t pay attention to me. Hence I considered it is time for me to leave this slowly sinking ship, and join a company which prioritizes long-term goals to short-term profits.
- The thing I dislike is that I have to commute to work one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. That’s two hours daily, 44 hours monthly, and over 500 hours a year! It is just too much for me, even though I like many things about the company, and am grateful for all things I learned there. Anyway, with my salary and present life situation I cannot move to a neighborhood closer to the premises of the company, and they do not allow me to work from home either. For this reason I want to change my job. The premises of your company are just ten minutes drive away from my place, so I will save one hour forty minutes each day. That’s not a little…
Final thoughts
It is okay disliking something about your company, but try to avoid sounding bitter. We always have a reason why we want to change jobs, or companies, and hiring managers are aware of it. At the same time though they prefer to hire people who see the glass half-full rather than half-empty. That’s why it is important not sounding bitter, and have also something positive to say about your present/last employer. Hope this helps, and I wish you best of luck in your upcoming interview!
Matthew
May also interest you:
- What do you like the least about your job?
- Describe a time you had a disagreement with someone.
- What makes you unique?
