How do I explain my termminationYou can simply say that you violated company policy with regard to personal usage of company computer on company time (you can even say you were surfing the 'net on company time--don't say what you were looking at). Say you know it was wrong, you understand why the company let you go, and you have learned a valuable lesson--that such rules are to be followed and it is inappropriate to be doing anything other than working on company time. You need to stress that up to that time you had been a model employee with outstanding performance, very responsible about following rules & procedures, and that you intent to build on that history, and this was an isolated blip on your record. I am sure you are not the only person who has been fired for similar violations, and I sure hope you will continue in counseling till your issue is resolved (hey, lots of people look at "adult" content on the 'net, but not at work--that is a very real problem that you couldn't stay away from it during working hours, as you realize). If you get another job, then make sure you stay clean! Best of luck! What is the company going to say about it? If they explain the situation, then that is what you may have to do, albeit maybe a little more tactfully. If they list a different reason (downsizing, job elimination, etc...) you can use that. You may have to call HR and beg them to use a benign reason or use someone as a reference that will skirt the issue. Bottom line is that your stories have to match.
Thanks for the advice. I had a preliminary interview today and explained my situation as having been fired for making personal use of the computer on company time. The interviewer not only accepted this explanation but went on to suggest that many people within their own company might be fired if that were a universal policy. More importantly, this explanation allowed me to address the issue without going into a great amount of detail. I'm continuing to address the problem and have been clean now for approximately two months. | |
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