Have you ever been fired from a position?

Anonymous

September 12,2022 at 1:03PM UTC

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Have you ever been fired from a position?

I'm applying for new jobs, and I've seen the question listed on a few applications, 'Have you ever been fired from a position?' and I kind of can't believe that this is something that companies still ask applicants. Firstly, I think that many people (if not most) have been fired or have been asked to resign from a position at some point (although perhaps I'm mistaken), and the reasons for being let go may have nothing to do with the person's performance. For example, if a department is restructured, should that still reflect poorly on the people or persons that were let go? Or, if one receives a new supervisor and finds that they are no longer a good culture fit under this new leadership?

Furthermore, when I think of how much better we collectively understand things like implicit bias in comparison to the more recent past and how that may impact one's ability to be successful in a position. Or what if a person was terminated early in their career with due cause but has been successful in all other positions since then?

I guess I just don't see how one can answer that they have been fired or been asked to resign and remain in consideration for a position where that question is part of the application.

What are your thoughts, hive mind?

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Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterSeptember 12,2022 at 2:46PM UTC
All I can tell you is that it is a legal question - and hopefully, there is space in the application to give the reason.
Nicole DupuisSeptember 12,2022 at 4:03PM UTC
I have been fired as well and I have also been asked in interviews why I left a job. I always expressed it in the most positive way possible. I shined a light on the fact that it was a good thing because of [point a, point b, point c] and highlight what I learned.
If you can talk more about what the experience taught you and how you grew from it, rather than the incident of being fired itself, it shows your maturity and ability to overcome obstacles.
AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 4:13PM UTC
I completely agree with you that there's more to the story of people just getting fired and employers may use that against the person even though it wasn't that deep. To be honest, and people may not like my opinion, but you could omit the job from your history in general, especially if it was over 5 years ago. However, you can also say you were fired because of XYZ and have since grown and improved in that area. Just depends on the unique situation and what you believe is the best move to get you the job you want.
AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 6:00PM UTC
I've never been fired from a position but I have worked with many who were laid-off as the result of budget cuts, mergers, and outsourcing jobs to other countries. I knew internally that many of those let go were also low-performers or at the high-end of the pay range.
To your point, the question is antiquated and promotes bias. I have worked for several large organizations who refused to answer this question when verifying employment. My current employer will only verify dates of employment and job title.
AnonymousSeptember 13,2022 at 1:09PM UTC
Being fired for being at the high-end of the pay range underscores the OP's point. Theoretically, if you're in the high-end pay range, you're in a more senior role as a result of your experience and good work. Why should that be held against you when you're asked if you've been fired? As the employee, you didn't determine that you'd be among the highest salaries in an organization. The employer did that.
AnonymousSeptember 13,2022 at 4:28PM UTC
Being in the high-end of the range does not mean you are a high performer. In this scenario, it simply meant they had been around longer than others and negotiated more annual raises. We hoped they would have performed higher than the new staff. They did not.
AnonymousSeptember 13,2022 at 4:32PM UTC
We just laid-off the highest paid engineer on our team just to save costs. He is brilliant but we couldn't come close to covering his salary with his billable time.
AnonymousSeptember 13,2022 at 12:26PM UTC
Most companies only ask for the dates that you were employed with a past employer and that's it. That should be all that they ask, and honestly, if they can for additional details I'd be cautious about working for them.
The reality is, whether you were fired, or left before you were fired, it shouldn't matter. Your work ethic, skills, and other items needed for that job are all that should matter.
I've been fired before and have never been asked why I've left a position. I've also been lucky to have found something within that same month. But even if you haven't, it's okay for you to say you took some time off. I'm not saying to lie on the application, but also be cautious about how much information you give a job on items that are none of their business. People would disagree with that and say employers have a right to know who they are hiring. And they do. Perform a background check (which won't flag if you were fired btw). Not all positions are the best fit for people and I think we should recognize that more and that's its okay.
AnonymousSeptember 15,2022 at 12:18PM UTC
I've been fired. A lot.
Sometimes it's the result of working thru a temp agency, sometimes it's the result of not being a good fit for the company culture, sometimes it's a result of leadership restructuring (e.g., tribal government), and sometimes it's a result of state audits not providing the best statistics of your work regardless of how well you fit in and do your work otherwise. I've also quit because the job was not a good fit for my mental health or gas money budget. The mileage varies for the cobtext of the why behind the firings, and I do try to be professionally honest and tactful when explaining the reasons why. Civil service jobs in my state ALWAYS require a reason for leaving and they do not allow for ambiguity in those answers.
carolina girlSeptember 15,2022 at 12:38PM UTC
If you go on indeed, usually the question will be “ why did you leave?” Just answer” wanted better opportunities “ and leave it at that.
LORI-ANN BURLINGAMESeptember 15,2022 at 2:43PM UTC
As HR is reviewing submitted applications, they use "filters" -- and how you answer this question -- will determine if your application is reviewed or not.
In addition, this question will have a "red asterik" next to it -- which means you have to answer it.
If you do not answer the question truthly, you may be disqualfied. Why? Because you lied on the employment application.
AnonymousSeptember 15,2022 at 2:43PM UTC
I had a great job that I was eventually fired/laid off/asked to resign from.
The reason? My role changed from something I was 110% qualified to do and that’s why I was hired. I was the only person doing this job. As the business grew, the role kept changing and adding more tasks in had to learn on the job. Specialized financial work, which I don’t like and never wanted to do. Long story short, we agreed to a “separation “. I took it as being fired and did the NYS unemployment office. Interviewers have asked for further information about this and I say what I wrote above. It’s always ended there.
AnonymousSeptember 17,2022 at 2:48PM UTC
As someone who performs Exits and has done for nearly 25 years, I'm genuinely very sorry for your experience. It often happens in growing businesses that people who have been there at the start are moved into less and less suitable roles, but frequency of occurence is not an excuse. The person who led you through the separation should have apologised that you were no longer a fit, however angry you might have been, concentrated on all your achievements, and they should not have left you feeling the way you do. The best Exit processes are focused on enabling people to move on positively to a better future. The worst are soley focused on getting someone out the door.
It reads like you have been left still very angry and disappointed about a situation that cannot now be resolved. I think it hurts to be treated this way, especially somewhere where you previously thrived. Once you are thriving in a new role, it will all fade, but you need to get into the new role for this to happen. Experiences like this need to be given weight and can be akin to grief and even make a person feel victimised, not by an unknown robber in the street, but by people a person liked and who they thought valued them. This is why getting some help like counselling or similar can be a proportionate response. A career coach could be just the person to help. I am coaching someone in a very similar position at the moment and while the sessions are tough, they are moving on from their terrible Exit in a space of a 3-4 months, when it could have taken them 2-3 years to overcome all the negative feelings they were left with. It is just something to consider.