I need advise - i was dismissed, now am finding it hard to get another job

Question

I was dismissed from my previous job... I was getting into work at 6am and didn't actually start until 8am, this is because we moved out of the area and only my partner can drive so he was taking me into work when he had to go in.

I was using the internet for personal use during these 2hours, as stated we could do - use the internet & company computers for personal use outside of working hours.

I had made a webpage on facebook about how i feel about the decline in our country, EG, immigration, knife crime etc. the lady i worked with saw this and took offence by this saying it was racial, she made a complaint against me (sge is black) and it ended up in me being dismissed.

Now I am looking for another job, have had some interviews, I am a very open & honest person and when asked the question "why did you leave your last job" I tell them that it was basically due to misuse of the internet using Facebook.I dont want my possible new employer asking for a ref and finding out I was dismissed. If I lie to them in the interview it wouldnt be a great 1st impression, therefore I have been telling the truth.

Can people please give me advice on what to do.

Thanks

Answer 1

Tell them you were let go which you are now having the proper authorities investigate as you  feel you were victimized.  As you said you could use the computer for personal use an edict from the boss therefore as long as you didn't use the computer for malicious uses then that would show you were wrongfully dismissed.  Also make sure you delete your face book page.  I honestly believe you have a case for wrongful dismissal, were there any other parties present when you were dismissed?  did you have a representative present to discuss your side of the story?  so it was one persons word against yours and you got the sack.  Thats hardly fair!  When your being dismissed from a job the proper actions have to be taken.  Instant dismissal can only be allowed when extreme miss use of company property takes place or extreme disregard for health and safety even then when being read the riot act there has to be more than one person present who has to counter sign a chit as a witness.  Take your case to the CAB  no verbals warnings no written warnings not legal as far as I'm aware.

Answer 2

Please don't listen to the naive people who say it's good of you to be honest.. ITS NOT!!

What do you think the first thing an employer is going to think about you when you mention you got sacked for surfing the web, and on top of that you created a page with depressing, heavy stuff on it???

No matter how honest and how unfair it was you were sacked the person interviewing you is going to be thinking your glossing it over and you were probably surfing the web during work time (and very excessively)

Just think the next person going to the interview probably won't have been previously sacked... so how do your chances look now?

If you wan't to spend the rest of life traipsing from one interview to another with no success then by all means be really 'honest' and 'open' about it.

What you should do is tell them you just resigned and when it comes to reference get a friend to pretend to be your old boss.

Edit: To all those people giving a thumbs down to answers similar to mine - GET REAL.

I can only assume you are people who have probably only had 1 or 2 jobs, have no experience in recruiting people and naively assume honesty is ALWAYS the best policy.

I am a successful retailer with my own chain of shops, before that I worked for lots of high street names and got sacked from nearly all of them, you get adept at 'playing the game'

Sure, I must have interviewed and given jobs to people who have lied through their teeth, but as with everything - the proof is in the pudding. I'd rather have someone working for me who told a white lie and was an amazing salesman than someone who was whiter than white but couldn't sell water in the desert.

Answer 3

Don't tell them that you were dismissed from your job cause you used Facebook. You'll never get a job that way!

I've been fired, and its not nice. But did you not get a written/verbal warning before you were dismissed? I don't think it's fair to dismiss you just based on what your colleague said. I would look into this and see whether you were fired legally.

If an interviewer asks why you left, say it was due to a family problem or that you went travelling in Australia.  

Answer 4

Unfortunatelyy you have become a victim of a company that is afraid of someone playing the racial discrimination card.

Most employers now have written into their policies and procedures that any type of racialharassmentt or discrimination will be classed a gross misconduct which results in instant dismissal even though it was your personal opinion on your face book page done in your time. The fact that this person made a complaint was enough for you to be branded a racist and lose your job.

Put it behind you and apply for positions stating that due to a mutual agreement your contract was terminated, if asked why just state that their policies were not made clear and that you were disciplined unfairly for a complaint made against you. State that the accusation was made but never proven, but you felt as your integrity had been damaged it would be impossible to rectify and had no alternative but to leave.

or,

depending on how long you worked for them completely leave that employer off your CV Not exactly the truth i know but you could always make out you took a career break to find a job you really wanted to do and felt it would be unfair to the current employer to take time off for interveiws etc.

you will get something just keep at it.

Answer 5

There's nothing you can do really - You'll just have to take a very basic job for a while & keep your head down to get a good reference.

Answer 6

Very brave and honest of you. A good employer will always realise we all make mistakes. I would employ you as I would appreciate your honesty.

Good Luckx

Oh the arrogance of youth. Been running companies for 30 years now.

Answer 7

I'd add to your explanation to potential employers that this was not during your working hours.

Answer 8

If you are telling them "Misuse of internet using Facebook" they are assuming you got caught using Facebook on company time. You want to be honest so tell them exactly why you were dismissed, what you learned from it, and what actions you've taken to correct yourself.

Answer 9

You're correct in your honest approach; however also point out that it was outside of working hours.  So I would say ...

"I was dismissed due to my personal use of the internet.  I was only using it outside of working hours as was permitted, but my employer took offence at the content that I was accessing."

Get it ... you were just accessing it, you didn't make it yourself.  Don't mention the word Facebook as this will put some narrowminded people off, and definitely don't get into the racist stuff.

If you're asked to expand upon this (and you might be, because it sounds like you could have been accessing p**n) then I would just say something like it was a social networking site which had some content which, in hindsight, you can see could have been considered inappropriate for the workplace.

Also make sure to point out that you have learned from the experience, and you wouldn't do anything like that again.

Remember that they will call your former employer for a reference, and that employer most probably will say that you were dismissed.  So you need to be reasonably honest.  At least you get to give your side of the story first.  In fact, getting your side in first is so important that if this isn't brought up in the interview, I would suggest that you bring it up.

Answer 10

Ask Cornish Granny for a job. Noone else will give you one, although I suspect if she runs a company it will be bust soon.

Wise up. You left your last job by mutual consent because it wasn't the right place for you.

Answer 11

Only one out of  ten employers will reason with you. Employers will think that you will misuse their office computer if you are given a job.

If you continue telling the truth, I am sorry, you will stay unemployed for a long time.

It is better not to quote the name of  your former employers because of reference. Tell prospective employers that you were on your own working from your house on-line, but found things difficult. You now wish to take up salaried job.