When you apply for a job, there’s a good bet your former employers are going to get a call about you. What they say, or  don’t say, could keep you from your next job. And yet, many times when I’m helping people in their search, I hear the horror stories of crappy management, bad bosses, corrupt employers, and unsafe workplaces as for why people are seeking to get the heck out. I’ve experienced it myself.

As job seekers, we’re discouraged from revealing such things about our former workplace, because after all, employers fear we’ll do the same to them. That’s a fair assessment. However, doing the politically correct thing (not throwing your boss under the bus) keeps these people in powerful positions and allows them to keep up the bad behavior. What does that accomplish?

Being a whistle blower is never easy. However these brave people have the guts to do what most people won’t. Allowing them to speak freely about their past experiences in a job interview means you’ll get an honest employee who cares. Not all fired employees did something wrong. I hope that HR Managers understand and respect this. Otherwise, we’ll just maintain the status quo.