Got fired...what should I tell potential employer?

[ArnoldIsMyIdol]

I had a very promising interview last week and listed my current employer on my resume.. I go back for a follow up interview later this week. I just got terminated today. I understand this employer only contacts your previously references once you get an employment offer, so now if they contact them they will say I no longer work there.

What should I tell the new potential employer? Should I tell them I resigned and make up some story or something?

 

[Beau]

It depends. To begin with, why were you terminated? The answer to this will drive a good deal of how this should be addressed.

 

[yeahright]

What he said.

 

[mmowry]

I agre with Beau we need to know why.If it was downsizing or restructuring be honest.If it was your fault the best you can hope for is to keep quite and hope it slides.Dont start out lieing cause it will bite ya in the end.

 

[Jayhawkk]

If you were fired due to something that will look bad on you then it will probably be better to just leave them out. McDonalds may not check references but most employers will.

 

[Beau]

Most Corporations have an HR policy that restricts what can be said about an employee or ex-employee. This is done so that they won't face a lawsuit if the candidate (their ex-employee) doesn't get the job (if they said negative things about the ex-employee, they might have some liability to the extent it was the reason he didn't get the new job). Corps that follow this policy - will only confirm employment dates.

OTOH - If it was a small outfit that terminated you, they may not know any better - and may blab everything.

I'm not trying to be a private eye here but - if you know someone with a mature tone and manner of speaking - you might have that person call you ex-employer for a reference. If done professionally, they shouldn't be able to tell that it isn't exactly the real McCoy.

Unless you really screwed the pooch, I would find a way to disclose the reason for termination on YOUR terms. And I would suggest you do so without a whole bunch of "creativity". If they hire you based on a lie......eventually they might find out the truth, and you would be in deep mud. It is better to tell the truth in almost every case - it is also much easier to remember.

 

[ryano]

Good advice Beau...I think the general consensus here is not too lie. From what I understand most companies just give the dates you worked and maybe if asked rehire status.

 

[Irish_Rogue]

I tell them that they cannot contact my current employer since I am still actively employed there and could create troubles if I am not hired.
or
Have your mate at your old job be your reference.

 

[DougMan]

I totally agree with Beau.

Trying to cover it up can definitely be dangerous because being caught in a lie is almost certainly a deal breaker. As Beau said, it depends on why you were terminated. Just be prepared to explain your side of the story if there was some sort of conflict. Personally I would say absolutely do NOT bad mouth your former employer. Unless they did something illegal and then you objected which led to you being fired(which is illegal I believe depending on job role/qualification of whistle-blower status), say that you didn't agree on something and now you are trying to move on. It is OK to say stuff like you didn't like the opportunities to be promoted, or that the job you ended up doing was different than what you were hired for, and explain how these things led to termination. It is not OK to say that your boss was a **** or that the company sucks.

 

[DazzlinJack]

Tell 'em your being fired was beyond your control. Like being refused a raise to support your ailing mother/father/5 siblings so you had to look for a better paying life saving job.

 

[methusaleh]

I'd tell the truth, because if the EVER discover you hid the facts, they can probably either terminate you OR give you a bad reference furthur on down the line.

I am currently in the last steps of being hired for a Federal "spook" type job...want to talk about thorough background checks, this agency has had their people visit friends of mine at home and at work unexpectedly, has contacted each and every single employer AND former co-workers going back until I was 15 years old and had my first job, asked for about 50 references from my personal life and visited each and every one of them, etc etc etc.

Who knows how thorough someone could be!

 

[mmowry]

methuselah hows this gonna effect your touring and whats the deal with your girl?

 

[methusaleh]

Sir I was just about to update that thread after a few days of arguing with her, so check it in a minute...I have 57 sick days, 19 vacation days, and 2 personal days with my current employer. As soon as the Feds tell me I passed the security clearance check, which could be anywhere from 3 more months to 8 more months (Tango Sierra level for those familiar), I will quit my current job and take a few months off to enjoy the music life for one last time.

 

[ryano]

A few months to record an album and a tour? Thats alot of work to do in 3 months let alone 8! Good luck with that.

 

[methusaleh]

I have it all planned out, we have studio time booked in January but haven't decided if we will do the re-release of old material, or record and master the new stuff first. Or release both at once. We aren't label shopping and plan to release the old material by ourselves, and have a local label release the new album.
We are looking at a March-April timeframe for the tour, at the earliest. Which is perfect for me as I plan to take 2 to 4 months off from work to use up my sick, vacation, and personal days. I only work 4 days a week so all of those days off equal almost 4 full months.
That's about all I feel comfortable saying on here, I value my anonymity...and now back to the original topic!!!

 

[Rivet]

want to talk about thorough background checks, this agency has had their people visit friends of mine at home and at work unexpectedly, has contacted each and every single employer AND former co-workers going back until I was 15 years old and had my first job, asked for about 50 references from my personal life and visited each and every one of them, etc etc etc.

They do that here in Canada as well for certain security forces. Even "visit" your neighbors etc. So Methusaleh hows your goat doing?

 

[methusaleh]

Still negotiating but my bears, moose, and mountain lions on my 120 acres are gettin' frisky!

I have yet to close on the property, but it's so close I can smell the woodsmoke already....aah!!!

 

[Jason Pegg]

Most Corporations have an HR policy that restricts what can be said about an employee or ex-employee. This is done so that they won't face a lawsuit if the candidate (their ex-employee) doesn't get the job (if they said negative things about the ex-employee, they might have some liability to the extent it was the reason he didn't get the new job). Corps that follow this policy - will only confirm employment dates.

OTOH - If it was a small outfit that terminated you, they may not know any better - and may blab everything.

I'm not trying to be a private eye here but - if you know someone with a mature tone and manner of speaking - you might have that person call you ex-employer for a reference. If done professionally, they shouldn't be able to tell that it isn't exactly the real McCoy.

Unless you really screwed the pooch, I would find a way to disclose the reason for termination on YOUR terms. And I would suggest you do so without a whole bunch of "creativity". If they hire you based on a lie......eventually they might find out the truth, and you would be in deep mud. It is better to tell the truth in almost every case - it is also much easier to remember.

I dont know if this has recently changed, but I was under the impression that federal law prohibits them from giving a bad reference. They are allowed to say that they wouldn't rehire you, but I dont believe they can state why. My apologies if this has already been posted.

Jason

 

[Beau]

I dont know if this has recently changed, but I was under the impression that federal law prohibits them from giving a bad reference. They are allowed to say that they wouldn't rehire you, but I dont believe they can state why. My apologies if this has already been posted.

Jason

To the best of my knowledge all they are supposed to do is confirm dates of employment and what their rehire status would be.

Now then, I have worked with some small companies that don't even seem to understand the Civil Rights Act, much less stuff like this - so I'm sure many smaller companies do not know any better.

Me? I just re-direct the inquiry to HR - unless the person was really awesome.

 

[yeahright]

There is no law prohibiting an employer from saying whatever they want about you (good or bad) as long as it is true.

However, it is a very bad idea for an employer to do so. This is why many employers have policies dictating what they say (dates of hire, salary, re-hire status, etc.). This is where people erroneously get the idea that there are laws covering these things. There aren't.

Employer's voluntarily adopt these policies to shield themselves from legal liability. If they give someone a terrible reference, that person could file suit arguing defamation. The former employer then has to defend this suit even if it is without merit.
If they give someone a glowing reference and the person turns out to by a serial killer, the former-employer could have to defend themselves for having given a negligent reference. You get the idea.

So, most large employers just give out neutral objective facts (Yes he worked here from this date to this date, his last salary was $. etc.).

 

[ArnoldIsMyIdol]

I called my former employer and pretended to be doing a reference check on myself. They outsource it to some other company and they will only tell if you are currently employed, dates of employment, and income. They will not discuss reasons for separation. So I am not going to tell anyone I was fired, but I need to come up with a good story as to why I left without having another job.