Don’t badmouth a difficult boss

I work for a company whose leader is extremely difficult to work with. This woman flies off the handle at the simplest thing. Her mood swings are legendary. I work part time, so I don’t have to see her that much. Whenever I talk to her, though, I tend to catch some of her wrath.

Recently, I was at an industry event, and when I mentioned where I worked, several people instantly gave me a weird look and then began to tell me stories about my boss. They were not favorable at all! I brushed them off and tried to change the subject, but it was hard. I couldn’t honestly defend this woman.

How should I handle myself in a situation like that? I would like to move to another gig as soon as I find something, but I’ve been told never to badmouth my current job in order to get to a new one.

Your instinct is right to avoid talking about your boss. Continue to change the subject when your boss’s name comes up. Talk about the work instead. Whatever you like about this job should be top of mind. If they push back, say that you don’t work in the office every day, so you get to enjoy doing the job without interacting much with the staff.

At the same time, listen for leads. When applying for jobs, talk about what you like about your work. Stay vague about challenges with the boss. While it may see like employers want to hear the “dirt” on a company, it won’t help you to secure your future.