What will your last employer say about you if we ask for a reference?

The interviewer wants to know about two things: first how well you got on in the last job and second, how you think other people see you. Talk up about your strong points in your answer, particularly those that will be useful in the job for which you are being interviewed. You can include negative points as long as they don’t detract from the overall positive image you are trying to create. You could say that your old boss might think that you could be quite direct in your opinions sometimes but that you know he always valued your honest feedback. Or that your old supervisor might describe you as being the life and soul of the work team but that when there was a crisis you would be the first to volunteer to help out.