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The job I had before the one I have now was a small company and they created two positions because they were trying to grow. In the role I was working in, I was bored and felt like it was too easy and I wanted something more challenging. I applied for one of the positions and was given the run around every time I followed up with management. I stupidly told a coworker that I was looking outside the company for other opportunities and they went and told management. Management seemed okay with the fact I was looking around and finally told me why they didn't want to give me the job (didn't like my emails as they felt they were too "abrupt" but also said I had improved).
Fast forward a few weeks later and I randomly get called into the office and told I'm making everyone's life there a living hell and I need to pack my things and leave which I did. Fast forward a couple of days later one of my friends who works in the same building said the CEO told her that they fired me because I was gossiping and talking about one of the new employees which is a complete and utter lie. This person also told me that management had a history of lying on employees that they wanted out. So in job interviews how do I professionally and politely explain why I was fired from this job without talking badly about my former employer?
If you weren't there a very long time, you could take it off your resume.
There is no explaining you can do that will make a new employer happy. If you try to state your side, you sound whiny and don't take responsibility for your own actions. Or they may assume you are lying and were fired for fault.
If you weren't there a very long time, you could take it off your resume.
I was there almost a year so I don't feel comfortable doing that. Plus I don't want it coming up on a previous employer check and then I don't get the job for lying.
Never say anything bad about your last job or boss. Ever. Simply say that it was a small company that hired beyond their means and had to do a round of layoffs. Since you had been there the least amount of time at less than a year, you were the first one let go. You enjoyed your time there and are glad for the opportunity to gain experience, and wish them well in future growth.
Something very similar happened to me. I got fired for unjust reasons from internal politics (nothing work performance related) and they made me sound like a thief who was stealing company property or something. I know they used this type of excuse to explain to everyone why I was fired when it was completely false and the real reason was due to someone not liking me. I was angry and distraught for the first few months after this happened since it was the first time I had been let go from a job and my reputation was probably tarnished based on this.
I went on interviews and I always tried to keep my reason more general as it's a sensitive topic. But I had a difficult time getting offers because this was my first time I experienced losing a job, several interviewers even mentioned they know someone at my previous firm so they will reach out asking about me, and I never knew how to explain what happened properly. As a result of these, it sadly took me over a year to land back on my feet with a job and it required downgrading my expectations just to get back in the workforce with a company that didn't really ask me too much about what happened. I think I just said that I moved back home to be close to family and they didn't question it much.
I lost several great new job opportunities because of this that I regret not getting. Now that I'm working again, people might be willing to overlook it more when I go on future interviews so you might want to consider getting your foot in the door at a less than ideal job that won't care about it that much. It set me back about two years and I'm looking for a new job now that will allow me to be back at the right level. Best of luck to you.
I have chaired the interview panel for hundreds of open positions and found out that most employers don't trust people who have been fired. They assume that they are trouble and no matter how hard you try to spin it, you have to be twice as good as everyone else to be considered with at black mark on your record.
There are lots of good people, like the poster below, who got fired due to bad bosses whose careers are ruined.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fuji1
Something very similar happened to me. I got fired for unjust reasons from internal politics (nothing work performance related) and they made me sound like a thief who was stealing company property or something. I know they used this type of excuse to explain to everyone why I was fired when it was completely false and the real reason was due to someone not liking me. I was angry and distraught for the first few months after this happened since it was the first time I had been let go from a job and my reputation was probably tarnished based on this.
I went on interviews and I always tried to keep my reason more general as it's a sensitive topic. But I had a difficult time getting offers because this was my first time I experienced losing a job, several interviewers even mentioned they know someone at my previous firm so they will reach out asking about me, and I never knew how to explain what happened properly. As a result of these, it sadly took me over a year to land back on my feet with a job and it required downgrading my expectations just to get back in the workforce with a company that didn't really ask me too much about what happened. I think I just said that I moved back home to be close to family and they didn't question it much.
I lost several great new job opportunities because of this that I regret not getting. Now that I'm working again, people might be willing to overlook it more when I go on future interviews so you might want to consider getting your foot in the door at a less than ideal job that won't care about it that much. It set me back about two years and I'm looking for a new job now that will allow me to be back at the right level. Best of luck to you.
Say that you were laid off and use someone besides your boss as a reference.
Alternatively, you can use a friend or family member to pretend to be your former supervisor. Never ever say "I was fired." You'll never get a job by being honest about it. If an employer has a choice between someone who was fired and someone who wasn't, he will always go with the one who wasn't fired. That's why you have to lie about it.
My husband was fired, and the reason was BS. No one cared. Three months of interviews and no offers later, he is now lying about it. Honesty got him NOWHERE - and it's bad enough that it's created a false unstable work history.
Say you were laid off. But don't name a false direct supervisor, especially if you're claiming they still work for that company - a quick search of LinkdIn could kill that for you. If they ask why you're not providing a reference from that supervisor, tell them that you have not been able to reach him via the phone since you parted ways with the company, that you used him as a reference for another job interview and that the other company told you that he never returned their calls, something like that
Never admit to being fired, it makes you a leper. Say laid off. Most places will not reveal a termination to potential employers however it is a good idea to have someone call and find out posing as a reference checker.
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