So, I'm very politically active and that was a problem for my previous employer.
I was fired for my facebook content.
It didn't occur to me that my bosses would worry much about my content since they've known me for years.
My profile is private so it's not like I was posting with my employer visible.
Anyhow, the problem now is how do I address my termination in interviews ?
I can't say my employers were childish stalkers .
So what do I say?
Jennifer Taylor
Communications Professional
1.28k
07/13/21 at 2:28PM UTC
You never have to reveal the reason behind a termination. You can simply say “I left my last position because it wasn’t a good fit for me”. That is the truth. You left, whether it be voluntary or not.
Deborah MitchellCoaching for the mid-career Woman
910
07/13/21 at 12:49PM UTC
Did they officially tell you your FB content was why they fired you? I mean with the Panedemic it's really easy to say "things just weren't working out with the employer in the Pandemic" especially if it was politically charged vaccine or covid postings they objected too.
Alternatively, if they did say "we fired you for Facebook" and you don't have a social media clause in your employment agreement you might qualify for unemployment.
Anonymous
07/13/21 at 5:49PM UTC
Oddly enough, there was a social media clause.
And the politically charged covid posts were the kicker :)
Anonymous
07/12/21 at 5:06PM UTC
If your profile was private, it sounds like it was brought to them by someone else. It stinks, but social media is never really private, unfortunately. I would state that you had some differences and that's why you left, but you don't need to get into all the details.
Anonymous
07/12/21 at 5:01PM UTC
A reminder, though, that Facebook content is *never* private. That's the whole point of Facebook--sharing with other people. It is super-easy to forget that there's a whole audience out there, and the people you have in mind when you're posting are not necessarily the only ones who read it. Even if you aren't connected to anyone from work, your content is meant to be shared, and somebody probably did. Yes, you have a right to free speech guaranteed by the US Constitution, but it's not guaranteed from social liability and company policy. It kind of falls into the "you can be fired from your job for a DUI even if you were on your own time when it happened." In my state, a person can be terminated without notice for any or no reason at any time.
That being said, don't address the reasons for your termination unless you're asked. You don't have to disclose that you were terminated, and an interviewer can't ask that or about any circumstances when they do a reference or background check. You can just say that we had fundamental philosophical differences, and leave it at that.
Rachel @ Life AdvisorsSuccess by Design.
55
07/12/21 at 1:58AM UTC
It is not likely you were randomly stalked. It is more likely that there was content or comments made that were controversial enough to be shared with your employer by a third party and it raised enough concern that they perceived the association of those views with their organization to be a bigger risk than the alternative option.
In an interview, keep the explanation short and factual with the emphasis being on what you learned from the experience, how you've grown, the exact changes you have identified that need to be made and how you have implemented them and promote your other personality traits, education, skills etc. that would make it a no brainer to hire you.
Best of luck to you. You will recover from this and later you will understand why all of this needed to happen in order to get you to the places you are going.
Anonymous
07/11/21 at 11:13PM UTC
I’ve been fired before. I know it can feel demoralizing but it just means that you have to get another job and you will. I would just say it was a culture you couldn’t thrive in or something or values misaligned and then shift it back to what you have to offer and why you want to work at XYZ company.
Patricia BeneveniaPrivate Foundation Program Manager
58
07/13/21 at 6:49PM UTC
This is the perfect response
