Made a mistake in previous job. Looking for work at animal refuge centre where old boss works.?

Question

I used to work at a science centre. I had had no previous experience in working with wild animals. I was nervous to start but very passionate about doing well.

Unfortunately, one morning when I was misting some of the habitats and cleaning the water dishes, a small amount of bleach water had been left on the counter where I had placed one of the bowls. The following morning, one of the tree frogs had died. I understand that the gravity of one, tiny tree frog dying may not seem very bad to most of you, but where my job was concerned, I probably appeared to be unprofessional, maybe even "immature". The fact of the matter is that I took it upon myself to complete the morning tasks before everyone arrived and simply made a mistake. I was then transferred elsewhere to finish my credit.

I'm now looking to volunteer at an animal refuge centre where she also works. How should I approach this situation? What if she recognizes me and makes me look bad to everyone else? What if she mentions it?

Answer 1

Just be upfront and honest about it.  Admit you amde the mistake and say you ahve learned a lot from it.

Answer 2

YOU need to mention it first.. with the same honesty you mentioned here...

accidents happen...who knows why the frog really died.. yes it probably was the bleach but to hold that over you forever is bad...

Answer 3

If she remembers it admit that you had made a huge mistake and have really learned from it. Tell her now that you've gained more experience you know what to do and what not to do and what to keep a closer eye on when working with delecate things.  If she tries to make you look bad....feed her to the snakes j/k.