fired from last job career change!I was a caseworker the the social services field for a number of years, but was fired from my most recent job. After that I began working as a photographer (a hobby i always had) for children's portraits. I am looking to change careers to the Human Resources field, possibly recruiting (which I think isn't too far off from a caseworker). I can't give any references from the job I was fired from (for obvious reasons) and my photography job has a policy not to give references. I haven't been successful in finding an HR job thus far, though I have gone on interviews for other types of jobs. How do I avoid discussing being fired from a job, and successfully get a job in another field? Have you tried the "post" section of Craigslist? You can post whatever job you are looking for there and anyone needing your skills will find you. That one strategy alone brought me 16 job listings one afternoon that I had posted in the morning. As far as keeping/hiding/not divulging things to a new boss, why bother? Maybe just rewording the facts would be sufficient enough ("disagreed over fundamental working principles") or some such thing. And if in doubt, research the internet for plausible rebuttals to most commonly asked questions in an interview. I have been learning a lot about this very topic in the Worksource community of the state' s employment department. They have free resume writing classes, interview scenarios and a host of other, straightforward situations that could come up in a resume or interview. Think of it as a learning experience and a game to learn, which it is. That way, your head will be clearer and you will react professionally. After all, getting fired is not always your fault, or even about you as much as the corporate structure. Thanks for your advice! I plan on checking craigslist in just a bit. i think you are right about re-wording the facts of my last job. i' m just nervous that they will become suspicious when they notice i don' t have a reference from there. i' ve been going on interviews for jobs i know its likely i won' t take just for the practice anyway. thanks again! Life is short, don' t waste your or the interviewer' s time. Get bold and creative. I have been out of work since August 2007 and nothing was happening for me. I had no degree but over 300 college credits to my name and years of job experience. However, I had no official management experience other than opening and closing the office, running cash deposits to the bank and manning the office when people were at lunch. As I was looking over my resume I decided it was time to step up my game plan. So, I applied to the community college for my associates degree, which I was qualified to receive, save for a writing class that I petitioned to waiver. It seemed like every job I looked at wanted a degree and often they only required a "lowly" associates degree in anything, basically. So, that' s one hurdle out of the way. Since I had been in the collections/credit field for so long, I changed my resume to show that I was pursuing an Assistant Collections/Credit Manager' s job (which the degree now allowed me to do) and eventually as a manager. That change of plan got me an interview and immediate hire in one day! It turns out that the new boss knew many of the owners/managers I worked for over the past 20 years. What a funny coincidence! That fact alone gave me credibility. Sometimes we underestimate what we can accomplish in our work lives and sell ourselves short. You must decide at some point to just "go for it", step up your game plan and don' t shy away from change. I know I hate to give speeches and talk in front of people but then realized that if this comes up, I' ll feel better about having the chutzpah to go after my goals. And if all else falls apart, I know I took a chance and gave it my all. No more looking back and wondering what if... Ok, you probably won' t like any of this but here goes. HR is VERY hard to get into. Casework and HR are not the same thing. You could make a case that there are some transferrable skills, but unless you go to school and get a certificate in Human Resources, I doubt that' s going to fly. Even then it may be pretty tough. Additionally, while people get fired all the time, it is worrisome that you have no reference at all from your casework job, especially since you were in that for a number of years. That would tell me as an employer that you did something awful and I' d be really reluctant to go any further with you. Even someone who was lazy and slow and not suited for a job can usually get someone to say "he was a nice guy but just wasn' t suited to this field" or "we had a change of managment and Bob no longer fit the program". If you can give us the short and sweet of why you were fired, we can help you frame it in the best light (if there is one) and perhaps get you over that hump. You can' t hide being fired. All you can do is own up to it, frame it in the best light, learn something from it and go from there. I would not even tell them that you got fired due to performance. I would just simply say that you left the company because the philosphy had changed and that it was time for you to switch careers anyway. This is not an actual lie because your ex-employer' s philosophy (about you) had indeed changed. Also, you should be able to get at least one good reference from that job. If you cannot, and if a prospective employer questions this, tell them that your company has a neutral policy; they are not allowed to give out references. I like your idea about the company' s philosophy changing. it sounds right. i' ve been thinking alot and i do have a potential reference from there that i didn' t consider before! My supervisor was crying and saying how difficult it was to make this decision "blah blah blah" when she fired me. I asked her if i could use her as a reference and she said no. they made it so difficult for me! i was only there a year, but with a previous employer (in the same field) for 2 years. i do (thankfully) have references from that place because i left on very good terms. | |
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Career Tips
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