How do you explain why you were fired to potential employers?

Question

I was fired recently for a very silly reason. I admit that it was very immature of me and I learned my lesson the hard way. I was returning from lunch break and was trying to enter the front door when I was stopped by a security guard. I instructed to go back through the door and swipe my card through the card reader. I was having a bad day that day, and I was tired and slightly irritated, but of course none of that is any excuse for my behavior. I told the security guard quite harshly, "are you ******* serious?!" and went back through the door and did exactly as I was told. Several minutes later I was told that I was being terminated for "irate behavior". So far I have explained the situation in two interviews. In the first one, they did not believe me despite telling the truth. In the second one, I did not get the job and I really think it was because of what I said about being terminated. Is there anyone that could offer me any sort of suggestion? Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

You should sue that company for harassment, starting with the aggravation of their security system and their lack of understating of how it affects workers who are just trying to do their job. You should also make that security gaurds lifes a living h**l for a little while. Make him or her be ashamed of their job and their behavior. Never tell anyone at any future job interview about what happened.  

Answer 2

Sugar coat your answer adn be very precise with your words.

Explain there was an incident and your day wasn't the best - though that is no excuse - and they 'fairly' dismissed you as it was unappropriate behaviour. Since then, you have acknownledged what went wrong and done something to prevent future incidents.

Answer 3

You certainly don't have to mention being fired on your CV (resume if you're American). There is no point in bringing up the circumstances of your leaving until you have to.

Try not to mention your previous employer in a bad light. You can use terms like "job ended" without stating you were fired.

If in the job interview you are directly asked if you were fired should you answer yes, you need to be honest about that. But you could try to keep your answer brief. You could just say "unfortunately I had a bad day and accidentally used the f word once" and try to leave it at that.

I think the most important thing is to mention that you have learned to take something positive from a negative situation and make your new potential employers aware that you have learned from the experience.

Answer 4

You don't tell the potential employer that you were fired. What you do is you contact your former employer and negotiate a reference from them.

First, people get fired all the time. It's not at all uncommon. But in an interview, the potential employer doesn't like to hear that. If you have had bad experiences in the past, you learn from them and move on.

Next, here's how you handle it. Call the former employer, either your manager or HR. Start by admitting that you made a mistake and have learned from it. The say, "I do need to get another job. Is there anyway I could get a reference?" So long as what you did wasn't illegal, i.e. theft, or something serious such as alienating a big customer, they should give you one. By asking for a reference, that indirectly means you will not sue them which is a relief to them. Plus, a verbal reference costs them nothing. Negotiate what reason will be given for why you left the job and what will be said about yoru performance. Make it sound honest and genuine. In interviews, say exactly that. If the potential makes a reference call, the former employer will back it all up and you are in the clear.

Best,

-- Liam

Answer 5

First, don't volunteer that fact they fired you.  Your resume should only give the dates of your employment.  Second when asked, simply state, my mind was elsewhere after returning from lunch and I neglected to slide my badge.  The security guard startled me and I reacted poorly.  I certainly regret my actions but unfortunately, the company has very high firm regulations concerning their security and I was dismissed.  My work ethic is above approach however and I welcome you to contact them concerning my performance.

The law in the states is that they cannot not provide any personal information on the reason of termination unless you violated company regulations.  You may want to contact your previous supervisor and find out if they would write a "brief" letter of recommendation regarding only your work performance.

Answer 6

two jobs ago i was fired only because a girl who had hated me for a VERY long time lied to my boss saying i decided not to call and not to show up on a certain day when i did call and speak to her four days in advance and find someone to fill for me. My boss is a greedy ***** scuse me and i was coming up on my year in a week and would be given a raise and benefits she fired me on thespot. afterwards i spent 4 months looking for a new job. every interview i went to asked me that question and i told them the whole truth but i kept gettin turned down. the reason was, employers dont care about how you were wronged. they dont care at all! they know bosses can be a holes. my brother, who was currently looking for new secretarys told me when he interviews people who have been fired they want to give this whole long story about how it was stupid or not there fault. what he wants to hear is you humbly admitting that you made a mistake no matter how stupid it was and how you learned from it. i did that at my next interview and i got the job on the spot

Answer 7

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Answer 8

when you explain it at another interview, perhaps begin by saying, "I certainly learned from the terrible mistake I made..."and then explain your story. Be honest but be sure to place the blame on yourself WITH the indication that you learned from it! Most folks will understand that if you are humble about it.

good luck!