I just got fired. What should I say at my next job interview?

Question

However the boss has agreed to give me a positive job reference and he wished me luck in all my future endeavors.

I am fresh out of college as of 6 months ago. I am relocating from the central Illinois area to the suburbs of Chicago. The job oppurtunities are "very good" in the field I am in.

What should I say at my job interview when they start asking me why did I leave my last job? Should I say I got layed off, or should I say that I decided to relocate? I think I have some wiggle room with what I can say at my job interview. What do you guys think?

Answer 1

Whatever you say, dont say anything negative.
The best thing to say (at least on an application) is "conflict of interest."

Answer 2

As we are growing up everyone is always asking, "what do you want to be when you grow up"? As soon as you show any college potential at all a new, but no more mature, group of people will hound you with, "what are you majoring in"?

Then as you approach graduation you have to deal with your, family, friends, peers, and strangers asking, " so what are you going to do after you graduate"?

Well you do your best to find a job while studying for finals and preparing to move out of your home of the last four, five, or six years.

You are faced with running out of money while trying to purchase appropriate interview clothing and traveling to destinations near and far.

You answered many questions, asked too few, spent many a night in lonely hotel rooms and some how managed to graduate and land a job.

About a month later to your horror both you and your employer discovered that you both had made a terrible mistake. They are not happy with your performance and you are miserable working at a job you hate.

It takes a while but the situation becomes intolerable and you both decide to end this arrangement.

So here you are wiser for the experience and eager to start a job that you are trained for, good at, and happy to perform.

Feel free to embellish as you see fit.

Answer 3

Well the firs thing you have to do is stop getting fired from every job you get. That would be a start. You are in a difficult situation. Is it better to show the work experience even though you didn't perform well enough at those jobs to actually keep them or is it better for you to pretend that you have no work experience at all. In your case, since your track record is so poor I think you have to pretend you have no prior work experience and start all over. This time try to grow up and be a better employee.

Answer 4

I was laid off (yeah, I had to check the spelling on "laid" - ha ha -- just and FYI)......AND I have been let go from a position before too (where I could not get unemployment) -- if I were you, I would say you were relocating. Why did they let you go? If it was missing too much work -- you can say you were job hunting because you weren't happy. Not knowing the "details" it's kind of hard to answer the question. You can email me -- my email is open -- details and maybe I can help -- I hope -- worked around this kind of thing in the past. I'm 49 too -- not a kid.

Answer 5

For starters you've said publicly on the internet for millions of people to see, that you got fired. Not only that, your name and even your picture are right next to it.

Another thing you've made public on the internet (maybe your next interviewer has already seen it) is that you ARE going to lie in the interview, but you're trying to solicit "the best lie".

Perhaps you should go back to "college" 'til you're a little wiser. Perhaps a course in ethics would be good. Obviously, you're not embarrassed by saying that you got fired. I would be. I wonder how much integrity you have.

A few things I wonder about is why DID you get fired? How long did you have this job? ...6 months? Were you fired for a valid reason?....something illegal?....can't get along with people you work with.....can't get along with authority figures because you already think you know everything? ..poor work ethic?......won't accept responsibility?....didn't show up and didn't call?....sexual harrasment accusations? Was it one of those reasons?

Be honest with yourself.


Personally, I find it strange that you didn't use the term "graduated" from college. A graduate usually doesn't say "I just got out of college". A graduate says "I just graduated from college". He's/she's proud of that , So now I'm also thinking you didn't graduate from college.

What to do now?

Ask your previous employer for a written recommendation just to have on hand for the future. If he won't do that then most likely it bothers him to "lie" about you to another employer. A "recommendation" is something of extreme
value. If you get recommended by someone, that someone
put's his own reputation and judgement on the line for YOU.
Don't take it lightly when you get one. Don't expect one.

Your post implies that you only worked there for 6 months right after you "got out" of college, .and implies that the job wasn't in "your field". If that's true, AND in your heart you know you messed up and got fired for it, BUT have learned a life lesson from the experience and won't repeat it:; Then don't put that job on your resume at all. Leave it out, don't worry about it and move on. If asked, say you took some time off after "getting out" of college. This could be the one and only time in your whole adult life that you can use this "excuse" to explain a gap in your chronological work resume.

Now if you MUST put this job on your resume, and since you've made it so identifiably public by saying you were "fired" in the title, you have no choice but to tell the truth and take responsibility for your actions....win or lose. This could be your 2nd chance. Don't blow it.

Answer 6

If you're relocating and your former boss has agreed to give you a positive reference, how is telling a potential new boss the reason you left your job is 'relocation' a lie?

Answer 7

Were you "fired" or "let go".?.To some companies there is a big difference between the two phrases..You cannot say that you were "fired" if their wording was "let go"..
My husband was "let go" without warning, no backup plan nothin'..He told the truth. He knew the supervisor's job better than the supervisor did.. Then backed up his resume by showin' the people he knew what he was doin'. Of course, at the company he was at, there was a lot of backstabbin' two faced @#@#$@. And some of the supervisors would only hire family..
Be honest...

Answer 8

Don't offer up anything. If they ask, you just wanted to relocate. It's no big deal. It would only be a problem if your old boss wasn't going to give you a good reference. That would be tough. It's no big deal. You decided to move and you need a job!!

Answer 9

Say you decided to relocate, and it wasn't a good fit for you by just picking out one very negative and true thing about this company or your job that shouldn't apply to other companies.

Answer 10

Relocate, never say you got fired, even if they did promise to give you a good reference. I don't think any places actually CALL for a reference.

Answer 11

I wouldn't try to wiggle------the truth will catch up with you. Tell the truth. Maybe ask your previous employer what he would say if he was asked, and then give that for your reason.

I love these people who say a previous employer cannot, by law, say anything about an ex-employee except dates of employment. A previous employer can say anything he wants to as long as he can back it up with fact, and doesn't mind being sued if he can't.