Interview Prep · True or False
Is it true that you should speak negatively about your past teammates to make yourself look better?
False. Putting others down signals that you are toxic and hard to work with.
Running down former colleagues tells the interviewer how you will eventually talk about them, which reads as a future problem rather than a past one.
Elevating yourself by lowering others, and signalling exactly the toxicity you were trying to distance yourself from.
This scenario is one of 500 in the Skillful Interview Prep track. Each card states a situation, you decide true or false, and the explanation follows immediately.
- Answer
- False
- Track
- Interview Prep
- Topics
- professional-integrity, teamwork
Also asked as
Should i criticise former coworkers in an interview? Does badmouthing a past team make me look better? What does speaking negatively about colleagues signal?
The scenario in full
You should speak negatively about your past teammates to make yourself look better.
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that you should speak negatively about your past teammates to make yourself look better?
False. Putting others down signals that you are toxic and hard to work with.
Should i criticise former coworkers in an interview?
False. Putting others down signals that you are toxic and hard to work with. Running down former colleagues tells the interviewer how you will eventually talk about them, which reads as a future problem rather than a past one.
Does badmouthing a past team make me look better?
False. Putting others down signals that you are toxic and hard to work with. Running down former colleagues tells the interviewer how you will eventually talk about them, which reads as a future problem rather than a past one.
What does speaking negatively about colleagues signal?
False. Putting others down signals that you are toxic and hard to work with. Running down former colleagues tells the interviewer how you will eventually talk about them, which reads as a future problem rather than a past one.
Where does this interview prep question come from?
It is one of 500 scenarios in the Skillful Interview Prep track. Each card states a realistic situation, you decide true or false, and the explanation follows immediately.
How do I practise more questions like this?
Start the Interview Prep quiz. It runs about two minutes per session, the first 150 questions are free across every category, and your progress saves automatically.