Strategy

The interviewer will be listening with twofold interest. First, do you point to dislikes about your current position that you’ll also have to deal with in the target position? If so, this will be a red flag to the interviewer. Second, are you not at a loss to list the things you dislike? If so, you’ll be branded as negative. Craft an answer that is upbeat and positive.

If pressed to list something you dislike, point to some minor housekeeping chore that requires little time, such as “backing up my computer” or “changing my outgoing voice-mail message daily.” If you choose the latter, consider saying, “I prefer to just jump in and get started with the day, but I know that it’s helpful to customers and my work group to know whether I’m in and when I’ll be available to return calls.”