What not to say in job interviews?

Question

2 years ago, I decided to go back to work for my previous employer in a different city.

I left the first time because the more I did good at work, the more problems I had.

I decided to come back because my previous colleagues made me feel like they did regret the conflict, and kind of admitted that my contribution is nothing but positive.

Unfortunately, when I returned, I could feel that a lot of things didn't change.

Maybe they did an effort to hide the obvious bad moves the used to do, but the core problem was still there: I am always out of the loop.

My performance in 2019 was groundbreaking. However, I got a mundane bonus with no raise, which was very strange.

Meanwhile, I noticed that a colleague who was rather mediocre and had conflicts with an onsite manager with a lot less experience than I, and who can't solve problems that he was not initiated to, this colleague was subject to be promoted.

In 2020, I was waiting for some visibility about my promotion because I earn the maximum of my pay grade.

They know I solve problems someone of my paygrade can't solve. I have solved so many problems, and yet, my gut tells me they have something against me, something personal.

I was officially assigned to a project, and once again, the teamleader kept me out of the loop, while I started the year 2020 complaining about this problem.

Two weeks before the deadline, I discovered unexpectedly that I was not aware of important things and this was frustrating.

Worse than that, the managers organized a meeting to blame me for not knowing something while I was premeditatedly kept out of the loop, once again.

Is the above mentioned disclosable during a job interview?

Answer 1

I would avoid it. There is very little to gain and you risk coming out looking like you can't navigate office politics. The safest bet here is going with a generic "I'm looking for opportunity for advancement" without going into why you feel jilted.

Answer 2

Leonidas, I suspect that you have some still-unresolved issues with that company that are coming back to visit you because they're still unresolved.

Okay, why don't you start by closing your manager's office door and trying to explain your position to him or her, just as you've tried to do here with us? Maybe your manager will want to think about it. Maybe not. But in any case, listen. ("Having talked, you're done talking – now it's time to listen, and to show that you are listening.") Your manager might choose to refer you to Human Resources.

Be prepared to accept that – in some way, you(!) are going to have to be the one to change. And maybe this will start by being willing to see things in a different light: in the way that others do. This is not "faulting you" in any way, but maybe to suggest that, in order to resolve whatever-this-is for good, you're going to need to, shall we say, "expand yourself a bit."