One of the pieces of advice that is drilled into anyone that is looking to improve their interview skills is to _never_ criticize previous employers. This question practically begs for that. As a result, a hiring manager is practically guaranteed to get awkward stilted answers from candidates who are trying desperately to frame their response in a way that doesn't criticize the previous employer.
It is all a head-game, sadly.
Candidates never really know if their dealing with someone who expects smooth, calculated responses or if they're dealing with someone who expects brutal uncomfortable truth.
It's simple really - if the recruiter expects smooth, calculated responses, chances are the company sucks - so, by being sincere, you just avoided a potentially frustrating experience of working for them.
Since I ask this all the time, I can vouch that it rarely results in the candidate criticizing their previous employer (unless the previous employer did something truly egregious).
It is all a head-game, sadly.
Candidates never really know if their dealing with someone who expects smooth, calculated responses or if they're dealing with someone who expects brutal uncomfortable truth.