Job search tips : Ethics question...

I left my last job (I had been there over 7 years and started virtually when the company started) for several reasons, but primarily because the owner of the company was wanting me to falsify some paperwork, which I refused to do. The day I resigned the owner told me to leave immediately, without even a chance to clean out my desk. This is a man whom I considered my best friend for many years.

Here is my dilemma - it actually is in two parts. First, many job applications and interviewers want to know the specific reason(s) you left your last job. I understand that you are not supposed to 'bad mouth' previous employers, but saying you had 'philosophical differences with upper management' sounds quite ambiguous. How do you address such a question? Secondly, I've seen on many applications a question to the effect of, "Have you ever been fired or discharged from a previous employer? If so, what were the circumstances?" Since I had already resigned, and was told to leave immediately, did I quit or was I fired?

1.It is standard practice for anyone in a mangement position, once you give notice to leave that the company has you leave immediately. I've seen it occur at mostly large companies.

2. I reccomend that you do not give the real reason. Do not bad mouth the company. No matter the reason, in the real world any negative comments will hurt your employement possibilities. You can do a web search for "top reasons to give on leaving a job" I reccomend you check into that. If it was me, I would just tell them the reason I left is so I could find a position that would offer advancement opportunities or a positions to better utilize my skills and talents.

You need to be careful in this situation. The problem is, because the owner wanted you to commit an act that was unethical and probably illegal, there is no guarantee that this individual is going to be ethical in his answer of why you left the company. And definately not truthful.

You can have somebody contact the company and determine what is going to be said about you and then go from there. You might even go so far, depending on what is said about you, as to report the man to whatever agency oversees this idustry. (Pure bitterness speaking as I have had a rough day but, if he is going to try to ruin your life, then why not ruin his).

That would, quite honestly, be my major concern here. That he will say you were terminated because he caught you trying to falsify papers.

Without actually saying that you thought the owner was unethical, you could try saying something like:

"After 7 years I felt that the ethics of some of my co-workers had changed to a point I was not comfortable working with them."

You aren't saying anything against the company and you aren't really saying anything against the boss. Again, this is an ambiguous statement, but your situation is such that anything you say is either going to be negative, a lie or turned around by your previous company to make you look like the bad guy.

I would hope that the majority of companies are not going to press the issue.

Thanks for the advice, Kelly. I like that reply. As you say, a potential employer will hopefully not press the issue, so if and when it does come up I can try to re-direct the focus on my positive accomplishments with the company.

I would not mention anything about the ethics of a past employer during an interviewer. It is very difficult to discuss an employer's ethical shortcomings without sounding self-righteous or like some kind of self-appointed ethics watchdog. Find an inocuous but truthful way of saying why you moved on but do not pass judgment on a past employer, not for any reason.

I think you resigned, and not terminated. So that's what you should be saying. If they asked if you gave 2 weeks' notice (which I doubt anyone would), you can say that yes, you did, but due to the nature of your job, your boss thought it best that you leave immediately.

As to why you left, why not simply say that over the course of time, changes occured within the company (or its management, or its structure), and it was no longer a good fit for you--that you felt it time to move on to a place where there was more opportunity.

Hello,

I would like to know, what do you do when you go to the interview and it seems like the interview went well, but you do not get the position. You answered all the questions very professional and the interviewer seems like he really do like you and he is please with the answers that you gave to the qquestions.

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Ethics question...