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« on: Feb 27, 2015, 04:00 am »
This was submitted by a professional member who wishes to remain anonymous.
Dear Abby:
I recently finished ASMing a project with a PSM that I absolutely did not get along with. I've actually never been so insulted and disrespected, both personally and professionally, by another person in my life. This feeling was also echoed by the actors that we were working with - so it wasn't just me. In fact, and I've never said this about anyone I've ever worked with (EVER), I'd go so far as to say that they are just a terrible SM in all aspects of their job. We travel in sort of the same professional circle outside of this project, and I feel very confident that I am not alone in feeling this way about this person. While they've never been fired from a job (that I know of) they've definitely never been asked back by the same company after working there once. I also know for a fact that they are completely unaware that their peers feel this way about them. They honestly and truly think they do their job amazingly well, at all times, and have no need to learn or grow from any experience.
I offer that as a small insight to a situation that I worry I'm about to be thrust into: I have two fairly important interviews in the next few days with companies that I know this person has worked with in the past. I'm concerned my potential connection to this person will be brought up casually during the course of these interviews and I am looking for advice on what to say if it comes up. I don't want to launch in to any sort of "Oh yes, John Smith and I did work together but have very different approaches and philosophies," because I don't want it to it to seem like I'm trying to talk around badmouthing someone, but I also don't think that "Yes we did" will be a sufficient response. One could argue that because they no longer work with these companies that it's ok to say something like the former, but I am of the mindset that you never badmouth anyone you've worked with unless you feel it absolutely necessary, and this is not the case here. In our time together, one's safety was in danger (because I was running the deck - the one time they tried to 'help' with a preset it was done completely wrong), no major union rules were broken (but they would have been had I not said something to this person in private), it's just that they're bad at their job and treat people absolutely terribly. I do want to make it clear that I do not share their work style, though I hope that apparent by my interview itself.
So...how do I delicately extricate myself should this come up?