explain terminationI am currently preparing to apply for a state job. On the application for the test one question asks if I have ever been fired and if yes to provide details in a separate section. I have been fired before, 3 yrs 3 months ago. I was let go for using a profane word that was overheard by a customer, oops, customer complained. I am now a better person and have definitely learned from that situation, I was mortified. I am a stellar employee in my current job. I have contacted the company that let me go. My former manager claims legally he only forwards reference checks to corporate, who will only verify employment dates. I' m not sure how true that is. He is not very agreeable and will not settle for giving me an acceptable reference. How do I explain in writing why I was let go, what happened, with limited details? I would like to just be honest without risking prospective employment or having to embarrass myself again, but be safe if he is contacted. Thanks! Tell the truth just like you wrote it. You can say, "I make a grave error in judgement and used language that was not professional and my former company terminated me". If the interviewer presses the issue, you should then say you had a temporary lapse in judgement and let your emotions take control at the time for which you have learned a valuable lesson that has not occurred again. Not recommending use of profanity, but I' ve worked in some businessoffices where people have used it many times. One guy used itall the time until he directed it towards one person and then he wastransferred, but not fired. Another guy at differentoffice loudly used the F*** word all day long for over a month untilone person yelled over her cube for him to watch his language and he was not fired either. They could have given you a warning, it' s not like you' re the only onethat has ever used profanity on the job. Some bosses like tograb the first reason to fire someone they don' t like. Its awkward to be forced to look back on a mistake or badexperiences every time a person wants to better themselves by lookingfor a new job. But I think it' s important not to let others makeyou feel bad about yourself. Let the first person cast the first stone thathas never made a mistake. Sure your ex-boss has some mistakes he would not like to have to share. To be truthful, you can say what you wrote in post - "a customer overheard me use a profane word and I was fired for it, but I havelearned from this and have proven myself by being a stellar employeefor the past 3 years." I would say as little aboutthis as possible. If they press for more, just say there' s nomore to tell about it. Keep it short and focus on the positivesyou have done. The important thing is yourbeing truthful and have proof that you learned by your mistake. If they don' t like it, then move on - they are too picky. formula is simple. 1. Own it striaght up. 2. describe what you learned. 3. describe what you have done to keep it from happening again. I would modify OC a little bit and say, "I make an error in judgement and used language that was not professional and my former company terminated me. I learned a huge lesson from that job fatal mistake and have changes my personal style as a result. I feel much more effective as a result and my current employer of 3 yrs will be able to testify to my positive professional conduct.". Thanks for all the great advice. I do believe he was waiting for an opportunity to get me out. I gave it to him. I most certainly know better now. I appreciate all the feedback, it' s so helpful and nice to know there are people out there who are willing to help me deal with this. Thank you all!! Everyone gave you good advice. My only caution is that "legally" they can say anything about you so if there were other reasons that he wanted to get rid of you, he can say what they were. "Company policy" may be that he has to refer all reference calls to corporate. What he may be telling you is that he won't give you a good reference, but he also won't slam you. One of the interview questions I address in my interviewing book is the whether or not you've been fired. Yes, it doesn't look good when they hear you've been fired, but you're not alone! Lots of people have been fired or terminated as most places call it. The important thing is what you learned as a result. For example, you were fired for using foul language. Would you ever do this again? Did you pay a price for it? Yes, you paid a very heavy price by loosing your job! And you learned a valuable lesson, never curse on the job! Being honest and showing you've learned from your mistakes is what an employer wants to hear. We all mess up at one point or another, but they want to know if you've learned from that experience and have changed your ways as a result. And since your firing goes back several years, it's pretty obvious that you haven't repeated that mistake again, and so you can easily show you've learned a valuable lesson and paid a heavy price for your actions. An interviewer needs to see that you've taken responsibility for your actions and regret having done it. This is a bit off the topic but, I' ve heard many complain that this person or that person is not ateamplayer (because they were backstabbing, wouldn' t share information,undermining, spreading rumors, etc). I' ve alwaysthought a teamplayer is one who is willing to share info, providesassistance, confidential, etc. What is a definition of teamplayer ? | |
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