Looking for a job can be a long and arduous process. If you have had issues in the past with any previous employers it can also be a disappointing and frustrating situation as well. It is a basic practice for most employers to do employment verification checks on new hires. Even if the company does not do a full background check, they will pick up the phone and check your past employers.

If you have not been honest about job titles or length of time in the position or even if you were terminated or left of your own volition, it will be found out. Being as honest and as diplomatic as possible when filling out applications or creating resumes is important, this is also an important skill to develop for interviews. One of the hardest situations to master during an interview is being honest without divulging too many horrific details of previous difficult employers.

So, what should you do if you have to list an employer that you may have had problems with on an application and answer questions about this employer during an interview? Be tactfully honest without bashing the past employer. For example, let’s say you were a personal assistant for a particularly difficult person who had a horrible temper. Now let’s say this person liked to call you at 3 am to scream at you about the dry cleaning not being done properly.

Now, let’s say this person may have even fired you because you refused to get out of bed and drive to their house to fix the dry cleaners mistake. You should honestly tell your prospective employer that you were let go from that position. When being asked about the specifics of the situation, you should tactfully reply, “My former employer and I could not come to an agreement regarding the respect of my personal time and boundaries while not on the clock.”

This should usually be sufficient information for an interview. You were being honest without dragging the previous employer through the mud. A prospective employer does not want to feel like he or she may be spoken poorly of in a future interview when you may move on to another company. He or she will respect your abilities to be diplomatic and honest and will more than likely understand the situation.