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What to tell prospective employers about why I was terminated?
I was terminated from a job that I loved with absolutely no warning. The official reason was that I "made too many mistakes". This was the first I had heard about it. I was never called into the boss's office about it, never written up, and it wasn't mentioned in any of my annual reviews.
I did make some mistakes. None of them were egregious, I owned every one, corrected every one and never made the same mistake again.
My question is: What do I tell prospective employers when they ask why I was terminated? I'm an accountant and attention to detail is vitally important. Do I tell the truth? Make something up? I have never been terminated and this has me reeling.
Any advice is welcome.
31 Comments
Barb Hansen
Ask me anything about Startups
3.34k
11/17/20 at 4:17PM UTC
"The corporate culture where I was employed before was not a good fit for me. I worked there for X months/years and I learned a lot and I become a better accountant during my time there. I appreciate the time that I spent there but there came a time when I needed to move on"
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Ehryn KramerFreelance small retail market consultant
109
11/17/20 at 4:36PM UTC
To be honest. The entire concept of at-will employment is the freedom to allow corporations to dispose of employees for any reason or no reason at all. Many times these reasons are malicious. At the end of the day, regardless on merit, they have the power to essentially blacklist anyone they deem "unsuitable", through the act of termination by tarnishing your record with it, making this harder and harder to recover from each time. This proxy-discrimanation is a designated effort to legally empower those that want certain types of people to be in demand and certain types of people to always be jobless. I been there. It has taken me over a decade of underemployment, unemployment, poverty and homeless to finally come to the realization that its actually LESS risky being self employed, an entrepreneur or in any position where arbitrary rules set by a "manager" doesnt have you walking on eggshells. Far too often, I've seen people lose jobs because of the ethical, technical and emotional shortcomings of their supervisors.
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2 Replies
AlyssonCommunications Specialist
67
11/19/20 at 2:59PM UTC
Wow. This one hit me hard. I have never thought about this in this way before, thank you for sharing your perspective. I agree wholeheartedly. I was also terminated without cause from a job I loved (and with only positive performance reviews) but was led to believe it was all my fault, which caused me a great deal of emotional and psychological damage for years afterward. What I have gradually realized was that (a) in this case they were eliminating the entire department but did it in a very underhanded way so the public would not be aware; and (b) this was not about me, but about the people above me who were the exact description of your last sentence. I am now self-employed and could not be happier. But it took me a long time to get here. Thank you Ehryn for opening my eyes!
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Angell JonesSenior Analyst, Athlete & Healthy Food Blogger!
57
11/20/20 at 2:36PM UTC
Wow that is a tough one! At least you now know what happened so that you didn't beat yourself up.
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Julianne BuckNotary Public & LSA
20
11/20/20 at 2:44PM UTC
Agreed! I was discriminated against because of my disability. I was emotionally tortured by the narcissistic boss. After I quit, I found out she has literally been doing this to people for years- a huge track record of her deciding she no longer likes you and then does what she can to get rid of you. HR does nothing. I am trying to reinvent myself now and start my own business so I don’t have to be subjected to this kind of behavior ever again. It was very discouraging but I learned a lot.
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Lesa EdwardsTHE career expert for high achievers
847
11/17/20 at 4:38PM UTC
Anonymous, it sounds like your employer wouldn't be able to tell a prospective employer that you were terminated for cause if they have no documentation of such in your file. SO...here's how I would handle this:
"I was called into HR one day and terminated, despite never having been counseled or documented for any performance issues. As an accountant, my accuracy and work quality is paramount, so I was left confused as to why I was being terminated."
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6 Replies
Diannah rPositive reinforcement based trainer and mentor
26
11/17/20 at 5:13PM UTC
LOVE this!! Spot on! Honestly without blaming or playing victim.
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Leilani Chee
24
11/17/20 at 5:26PM UTC
This is a perfect response! Like Diannah R says below, it is not blaming or playing the victim. I think it is important to maintain that stance throughout the conversation - if they ask additional questions, be careful to make sure that you don't come off negative when talking about your previous company.
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Annie LimWriter/Editor in NYC area
235
11/17/20 at 8:17PM UTC
I think something similar to what Lesa said but tweak it in your power. I would add in a positive focus on what YOU expect from the company as all jobs are two-way streets. For example, add something like, "That is why it's important to me that there are periodic performance reviews and full transparency. I want to know that everything I do is up to standard as my top priority is the quality of my work."
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Sarah Mudd
147
11/19/20 at 1:54PM UTC
Yes- this is perfect! They may call your former employer and they may verify you are no longer eligible for rehire. This gets in front of that in a way that is not negative towards your former employer or makes you sound bad.
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Anonymous
11/19/20 at 2:01PM UTC
NO! As an HR Manager who handles recruitment, I would never proceed with a candidate who said this. Do not talk about your termination or say anything negative about previous employers. It doesn't matter going forward, so just spin the positives, take control of the narrative and keep the conversation focused on your skills and how you can add value for the new opportunity.
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1 Reply
Adrienne Noel
11
11/19/20 at 2:46PM UTC
As unfair as it seems to not consider a candidate in this scenario, I can see why a recruiter would be hesitant. Can you give us an example of how to honestly address this? A script that we can adapt into our own would be helpful.
1 Reply
Anonymous
11/19/20 at 3:03PM UTC
There are already some helpful suggestions in this thread on how to handle the discussion. The main thing is that you control the narrative, keep the conversation focused on the value you bring to the table for the current company. I know job searching is daunting and it's a total confidence killer to have gone through an experience like OP and it doesn't surprise me as too many companies/managers do not handle performance management correctly and for all we know, it was an excuse to fire OP for some other reason. But all of that is in the past and irrelevant to the conversation at hand. Stay future-oriented and control the narrative.
Per Hannah a few comments down:
[Something to the effect of "During my time at Company X I had a number of great experiences and really got to build up ABC skills. I am now looking for an opportunity that will allow me to focus more specifically on [insert examples] which is why I am so excited about the opportunity here at Company Y."]
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Bruce Glasscock
48
11/20/20 at 1:58PM UTC
Excellent
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Lesa EdwardsTHE career expert for high achievers
847
11/17/20 at 6:07PM UTC
Yes - never go down the negativity rat hole with the company or the boss, and if you stick to the facts, you won't need to.
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Brooke Davidson HoareauTransforming UX for exceptional results
82
11/17/20 at 10:25PM UTC
Don’t focus on your past struggles - talk about how you are a good fit for this new company.
If they ask why you left, say it wasn’t the right fit and refocus on the new position.
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Anonymous
11/17/20 at 11:05PM UTC
If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you told someone. That said, think about what you learned from this and how you might do things differently in your next work space.
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HannahAdmissions Officer @ CBS | Org Psych Student
29
11/18/20 at 1:47PM UTC
Hi there! First, I am sorry to hear this happened to you. It is terribly unfair that this feedback was never delivered through performance conversations when there was still time for you to correct the issues. It sounds like you will ultimately be better off in a new organization.
My advice is to be brief but direct and then move the conversation back to why you want the job you are now interviewing for. Never say anything that can be interpreted as you speaking badly of your former employer. Something to the effect of "During my time at Company X I had a number of great experiences and really got to build up ABC skills. I am now looking for an opportunity that will allow me to focus more specifically on [insert examples] which is why I am so excited about the opportunity here at Company Y."
Best of luck in the job search!
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DeLisa Simon-Dawkins, MBA, MT(ASCP)Consultant, Business Faculty, Market Strategist
101
11/19/20 at 7:42PM UTC
Best answer ever: I was no longer a fit for the role. Totally true statement without being negative on either side.
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Anonymous
11/20/20 at 2:28PM UTC
Was there ANY change in the organization or people above you? If so, then you had a "regime change" to thank for your surprise termination, and that happens to workers all the time.
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Angell JonesSenior Analyst, Athlete & Healthy Food Blogger!
57
11/20/20 at 2:41PM UTC
I had a negative situation happen in my past as well. I was never told I was doing anything wrong, never given constructive feedback to know that there were different expectations, although I wasn't terminated, I def did not feel I should continue to work somewhere, where a leader wasn't direct with their expectations. It was not a good fit in my eyes. Going forward, I was honest in saying, it was not the right fit for me, however I did learn a great deal therefore I am happy to have the life experience.
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Jennifer Weinberger
12
11/20/20 at 3:01PM UTC
This really struck home for me. I was terminated from a job too that I loved with no cause, performance documentation, or warning signs. I was replaced by a friend and prior coworker of my supervisor. I’ve been saying, the reason I was terminated was because my supervisor hired multiple directors from his prior employment and one of the positions he replaced was mine.
It’s the truth. Should I phrase it a different way?
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mcasterlloydDallas EA; Writer, Artist, Graphic Designer
50
11/20/20 at 3:48PM UTC
You can tell them you were laid off and mention you always received good performance reviews.
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Kaylee Campbell
13
11/20/20 at 6:43PM UTC
I'm an award winning marketer and magazine editor and yet I've been terminated without cause from my last two positions. What I've learned through this is that it never pays to lay your cards on the table and it always pays to stick to the positives. Generally I just say that I left my previous position because it wasn't a good fit, or I was ready for a new challenge that will allow me to continue to grow in my profession.
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Maggie Walker
154
11/21/20 at 3:15AM UTC
I was fired from a "legal secretary/paralegal" job I tolerated. The office manager had pancreatic cancer and was declining in health. The last month or two before she passed the receptionist "assumed" the role of office manager and was not pleasant about it. Yes, very odd dynamic.
The attorney felt threatened by me, not assumed, he actually said so, that he expected me to correct the mistakes of my predecessor who he thought walked on water.
Knowing she was failing soon, they hired another secretary (destined to replace me) and move my work space to the library. (Yes, I got the message.) After the office manager died, we all went to the funeral, but I didn't go to the cemetery. A few days later I was called into his office and was fired.
This guy was notorious for not paying unemployment benefits "because he always won." When I applied, he contested and, of course, I appealed. My argument was the tension was so high in the office from the loss of the office manager, that my termination was the overpressure plug. I got unemployment. It was all true. I just left out the animosity the receptionist stirred up and escalated.
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Anonymous
11/21/20 at 4:21AM UTC
If the layoff was in the last 6 months or so, millions of people have been laid off due to the economic impact of the Pandemic. I think most people would assume that's what happened, but no, if asked directly, I would not lie. I would say what's been suggested above about fit, how much you learned and why your want to grow with ABC company.
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Anonymous
11/21/20 at 2:19PM UTC
I had this experience recently myself. There was a management change and after 3 years, all of a sudden, I became the worst employee that ever walked the face of the planet. Now that I am actively seeking employment, I was told by a recruiter, moving forward to say, not that I was "terminated" but, if asked why I am no longer at my previous job, to say it's due to "Corporate Reorg" that way I don't put a negative spin on the previous company in my interview. I do however completely understand where you are coming from and wish you all the best.
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Anonymous
11/22/20 at 6:15PM UTC
Lie. Lie, lie, lie. I've been in the same position. When I was looking for a new job afterwards, I did literally 54 interviews (I kept track of the details in a spreadsheet). For the first 53 I was truthful and got rejected. Fifty-fourth? I lied and got the offer three hours after I left the office. Seriously, what's the worst thing that happens if you lie? They call the place you used to work, find out you lied, and don't hire you. Well, if you tell the truth, they're not going to hire you either, so may as well take the chance.
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Anonymous
11/24/20 at 12:04AM UTC
A lot of companies use this as a question to see how you handle it. I have found the best answers have come short and sweet. There don't need to be a lot of facts and certainly leave out the emotion. Something simple as "my company went through a massive reorg that eliminated thousands of positions in which one was mine" works just fine.
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Anonymous
11/24/20 at 9:57PM UTC
I have to disagree with the poster who advises you to "Lie. Lie, lie, lie." I have several years of experience as a recruiter and if I checked references on a candidate we were interested in hiring and discovered he/she had lied, it would be game over. I would advise the employer to not only not hire him/her for this position, but to make a permanent note in the candidate's file that he/she is untrustworthy in case another application came in down the road. Depending on your location and industry, it may also be a "very small world" - meaning the dishonesty could harm your chances of being hired elsewhere, too. Finally, if the truth came to light after you were hired, your dishonesty during the hiring process could be grounds for immediate termination.
I agree with the posters above who encourage you to focus on the positives and refrain from trash-talking your former employer [that's never a good sign in an interview!]. When I ask candidates, "Did you leave that position voluntarily?" I appreciate a straightforward answer, even if the answer is "No, I didn't." You could follow up by explaining that the company culture was not a great fit; that there was a lot of turnover among management [if true]; that recent changes and restructuring resulted in the loss of many positions; that you were already exploring other options because you had realized the company/position wasn't a fit, etc. Answering graciously but honestly is 100% better than either lying OR stating something along the lines of, "My old boss was a psycho and I was awesome at my job, but they fired me for no reason."
You could truthfully explain that you received [good, great, excellent] feedback about your performance during your tenure with the company, and that the position gave you a lot of experience in ABC and helped you strengthen your XYZ [attention to detail?!] skills. Say that you were let go rather suddenly, for the first time in your career, and that you never received a satisfactory explanation. I've heard it all; the truth as you explain it in your original post would not disqualify you from hiring; lying or disparaging a former company or colleague likely would.
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Anonymous
11/29/20 at 7:28PM UTC
Don't lie, but remember you have a great deal of latitude in the story you tell. You aren't obligated to provide every single detail, and there's nothing wrong with spin. And don't disparage people or the company--that will always be considered bad form.
For example, I had a related experience two years ago. I worked for a small firm in start-up mode for a year, during which time many changes happened. It became a place I was no longer excited about, and the partners could sense it. They wanted to demote but keep me, and I refused the offer, so they asked me to leave. When asked about it now, I say it was a dynamic firm in growth mode, but the rapid change made it unrecognizable in a year, and so we parted ways. This response is not untrue, and no one has ever questioned me further.
Another strategy I use when preparing to answer questions about employment history is worst-case-scenario things. I imagine every terrible question that could come my way and then I spend time writing and refining my responses. This exercise gives me the perspective I need to shape my narrative honestly but on my terms.
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