What am I doing wrong on Interviews???? PLEASE HELP?

Question

I have the experience necessary for interviews I have gone too and am well qualified but I must be saying something wrong on interviews. When asked about one of my previous jobs I was fired from I answer truthfully and I feel like that is what is holding me back from being hired. The situation was, and I explain this to the interviewer that I had a family emergency and notified my supervisor I would be late and then told me that was fine but fired me 2 hours before the work day was over. I always felt like honesty was the best policy but I'm starting to feel like it isn't....Also can someone tell me what that company can tell a prospective employer about me? Can they tell them I had an attendance issue? If so isn't that cause for a suit for slander? Someone PLEASE HELP!

Also please tell me what is the best thing to tell the person interviewing me the reason for my leaving the job? Should I continue to tell the truth or tell them I was laid off or something like that?

Answer 1

First you are offering too much information. You do not have to tell any potential employer why you were terminated. By your own description you've spoke the truth but said this to your potential employer:

1. I cannot handle my family responsibilities and they will interfere with my work

2. I am late

3. My employer terminated me unfairly based on one incident

You've made a fatal interview mistake. You painted a negative picture of yourself to a potential employer by being "honest." If an employer asks you if you were ever fired all you have to say is yes. If they ask you why give them a brief but general answer. I was dismissed due to a miscommunication error. I had a good relationship with the company, but unfortunately things didn't work out. Period.

A company can only answer specific questions that a potential employer asks when checking references. If the company asks if you were punctual, they must honestly relay your attendance record. They cannot bring up the one incident that caused you to get fired. They must answer generally and they cannot say anything that would harm your chances of being hired unless you were a subpar employee and the potential employer asks specific questions that relate to your performance.

What you should ask the various companies you interview for is how you did on your interview and what you can do in the future to improve. If they did not consider you for the job, most company's HR will know exactly why they didn't pick you and be willing to tell you. It could be there was just someone more qualified than you. Either way, you can always ask.

Answer 2

I do very well on interviews and as far as I know, different companies have different policies as to how much information they give out regarding past employees. Yes, I believe they can say you had attendance issues. But I still would not tell the truth during an interview. Regardless of how you frame that story a potential employer will see it as you having done something wrong. Never say you were fired. If they ask why you left a job, say you had a family emergency. That's not lying. They will very rarely ask you point blank if you left voluntarily. If they do, lie. The chances of them verifying it and actually getting information to the contrary is slim to none. I see it like this - you should never feel bad about lying to a prospective employer, because 9 times out 10 the job description they give you is a total lie, too. They lie, so why can't you? Once you get the job the quota that was 10 becomes 15. The hours that were 40-42 are more like 45-50. Who cares? If you want the job, say whatever you have to say to get it. It works. Trust me.

Answer 3

Your previous job cannot tell your potential place that much information. I admire your honesty, but you may be cutting your chances of getting hired with the new company. I would add some additional background information. Just from hearing that you were let go from your previous place of employment for a tardy leaves me to believe that you had a long history of attendance problems. Try to add a positive spin and additional information. For example, was that the first tardy you had in 6 years of working with the previous company or was it the last tardy in what was a reoccurring basis? Is there any positive information that you can add? For example, after 6 months of receiving a perfect attendance award, I was terminated for being tardy since I was a new hire and still in the attendance probationary stage. Also, can you get a letter of recommendation from someone in the company? Think of your next interview as a marketing campaign or a real estate ad. (Essentially you are marketing yourself to potential employers.) Instead of listing a house as "too tiny to breathe in and in need of major repairs" an ad lists the house as "great starter home", small and cozy" and "lots of potential with the care".

Answer 4

If I was you I would not tell prospective employers about being fired from your previous job. You don't even have to mention that job on your resume. It goes against you and maybe that is why prospective employers are not considering you for employment. As far as I know, a previous employer who fired you can't tell the prospective employer you were fired. But they can tell about your attendace issue. And no, that is not cause for slander. When you go in for the interview and they ask you about that, just tell them you had a family emergency that needed taken care of. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I have found out that no matter what you say or do, somebody will interpet the right way, somebody will interpet the wrong way.
Your either be too zealous, or not zealous enough.

The best thing is to have friends. A network. Somebody you know that can help get you in. Somebody you know that already works for that employer, that can put a good word in for you.

Other than that, they have no idea of who you are.
"Past performance is a good indication of future peformance"

Honesty is NEVER the best policy. You don't ever want to ever give away too much information. Just enough.
Learn from Lawyers. Say that you tried your utmost to resolve the situation, by doing this or that. Don't just say you gave up and accepted the being fired.

Never say "I don't know". Say something else like "I know this and that about it".

Answer 6

You may want to find out the actual reason they fired you. Unless your supervisor was a total hardass, being late due to family emergencies isnt grounds for firing someone. Maybe this was the final straw for them because they felt they were having issues with you.

I'm not saying you are in the wrong on this, just try to get the full story and spin it in a way to your prospective employers don't feel like you are pointing fingers at your supervisor (even if it was their fault). It may make them wonder about your loyalty.

Answer 7

If the interviewer asks you if you were ever fired from a job, you should answer truthfully. But try to put a spin on it. Make it a positive learning experience. Tell them what you have done to ensure that the situation doesn't occur again. (i.e. you now have a back up plan or better daycare etc...)

Answer 8

i grew to become into an govt recruiter for some years. I hate to be the bearer of undesirable information, yet he would desire to have considered something he did no longer quite look after on your resume. OR he did no longer sense which you and he "take to a minimum of one yet another" amazing away, OR he had already indentified a miles better candidate in the previous you. i do no longer would desire to make you sense insecure approximately your seems or something- whether that's a certainty that folk additionally get grew to become off in case you're no longer dressed professionally (that contains having your hair and makeup look sturdy). of direction, the makeup area is for the ladies human beings. In my journey in debriefing hiring managers and applicants, whilst the hiring supervisor enables you to flow particularly in the present day meaning they did no longer sense you have been a in high-quality condition. I constantly knew that my applicants have been interior the working if the hiring supervisor stored them interior the interview longer than the norm. do no longer complication; issues ensue for a reason. Chin up and save on shifting til the ultimate interest for you comes alongside. playstation ...the #a million ultimate question you are able to ask on the top of any interview is: "Do you have any concerns as to why i does no longer be a potential candidate for this place?" meaning, why i'm I no longer amazing? in the event that they have concerns, have self belief me, they're going to inform you. then you definately get the possibility amazing then and there to beat the subject (in case you are able to). as quickly as you walk out the door, in the event that they have concerns and you probably did no longer ask it, you will no longer have the possibility to beat it in any respect. EDIT: yet another poster mentioned you need to not could sell your self. Please do no longer make that mistake- you may desire to constantly sell your self and be waiting to tell an enterprise why they'd desire to hire YOU over all the different applicants!

Answer 9

I would get a letter of recomendation from your former employer and present that and just say that you were fired because your private life at the time was under a lot of turmoil and you were going to resign anyway,but now you have your life in order and you are ready to commit 100% to your job ..and smile when you say it.

Answer 10

You do not have to tell anything about your firing. Your previous employer is not allowed to say anything detrimental about the employment there. They are only allowed to say that you were employed from such date to such date. There is an invasion of privacy law that they have to adhere too. You do not need to talk about the firing from your last job.