Level of confidentiality about current company and interviewing

[Nikia]

Next week I have an interview for a somewhat higher level position. At this interview as with previous interviews for such positions, I am sure that I will be asked questions that this might be an issue. Even in answering questions like "What have been your biggest accomplishments? and "What are some important problems that you have solved?" "Have you ever dealt with...?" concern me a little bit. Perhaps, I am becoming more paranoid about this because I realize that not only could I make my company look bad to this other company but I also might not be hired because they consider me unprofessional by revealing too much. You must realize that I work for a relatively small food company in quality assurance and most of the problems that I deal with involve food quality and food safety issues. Is it appropriate to really answer these questions honestly? Is answering them honestly really no big deal? Does it matter if this company is a competitor, customer, or supplier or if the company has no dealings or potential dealings with my company? I never signed a non disclosure agreement. I guess that if it is a company that has no dealings with my company, I am most concerned about the appearing professional issue.

[punpirate]

1. If you're concerned about making your current employer...

... look bad, and to answer a question about what you've done in your job may reflect badly on them, simply concentrate on the procedural details of how you solved the problem, but say, politely, that the nature of the problem is confidential, and you don't want to unwittingly harm your current employer's reputation.

That's something the potential employer would be likely to respect--they'd want to be treated the same way.

You might also want to do some research beforehand on the potential employer. It's not uncommon for someone contemplating a takeover to use employment interviews to gain information about a company.

In the interview, if it seems the questioning is a bit too pointed, that the questions seem to hover around problems of the company, it might be best to simply say, sorry, I really can't speak to specific problems inside the company--I'm not authorized to do that.

Besides, the best answer to any question about problems is what you've done to prevent them.

Cheers.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[put out]

3. Maybe this: if asked a question such as "Have you ever

dealt with..." you can answer "This is how I would deal with such a problem". What problems have you solved? "Problems very common to our industry include blah blah, plus blah. I have found effective ways to overcome challenges such as these, and here is how:...." What have been your biggest accomplishments? "I take pride in helping my company deliver superior and safe service of our product to our customers. They trust us to do this and I make sure their trust is well-placed."

Another good one is "I consider that part of my job includes making my company look good." Or "making my supervisor look good" or "making my co-workers look good".

I dunno. A little kissing up helps. However, I would not be specific about the problems you have encountered in your current work situation. If pressed for specifics, modestly say something like "Oh, I couldn't possibly be specific. It wouldn't be fair to them."