MindoverMatter Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Sorry, didn't read all the responses. Did you talk with your former employer to make sure you won't commit the same mistakes again? I wouldn't take it off the resume, because that would make for one huge gap. What are you doing to get more interviews? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Sorry, didn't read all the responses. Did you talk with your former employer to make sure you won't commit the same mistakes again? I wouldn't take it off the resume, because that would make for one huge gap. What are you doing to get more interviews? The problem is they never gave me any REAL feedback as to what "mistakes" I actually made. They gave me some little nitpicky feedback here and there (like my pants needed hemmed) but I took care of everything they told me. They actually gave me good feedback after they put me back on probation and made me think my job was safe. As for interviews, I am continuing to apply for as many positions as I can. It seems I don't have problems getting interviews, I am having problems getting hired. Link to post Share on other sites
Ariadne Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Any advice??? Just calm down. You'll find a really nice job, keep looking. When you go to the interviews, seem like a nice girl that wants to do the job and knows her stuff. Get your story together.. No need to be afraid. Link to post Share on other sites
allina Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 LB, do NOT take your job off of your resume. Your fiance is WRONG. Your employer will find out and you will be outed. Then you'll look like a liar with something to hide and you may get fired again Please do not let your fiance pressure you in to doing this! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 LB, do NOT take your job off of your resume. Your fiance is WRONG. Your employer will find out and you will be outed. Then you'll look like a liar with something to hide and you may get fired again Please do not let your fiance pressure you in to doing this! That's what I think also. He doesn't believe me, I don't know why! He thinks they will never find out. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 Fiance suggests I call the place I called last week. They told me they were checking my references when I called on Wednesday. Could they still be doing that? I don't want to piss the lady off, but fiance thinks I should be more "proactive" about it. Maybe they called my old job and they said something stupid? Link to post Share on other sites
MindoverMatter Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Do it. You should also consider calling the places that turned you down, to ask them how you can improve. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Fiance suggests I call the place I called last week. They told me they were checking my references when I called on Wednesday. Could they still be doing that? I don't want to piss the lady off, but fiance thinks I should be more "proactive" about it. Maybe they called my old job and they said something stupid? No. At this point, doing so would give off a sense of desperation... LB, are you being HONEST with your prospective employers when you interview? Are you leading them to believe you were a stellar employee who left of her own volition? Because when they check your references and find out otherwise, they're not going to be interested anymore. You need to own this, really. Find a way to explain why you're not employed in a way that shows some integrity. I did a Google search and found a great article that just might help you: http://www.career-intelligence.com/transition/How-to-explain-being-fired-to-the-interviewer.asp Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 No. At this point, doing so would give off a sense of desperation... LB, are you being HONEST with your prospective employers when you interview? Are you leading them to believe you were a stellar employee who left of her own volition? Because when they check your references and find out otherwise, they're not going to be interested anymore. You need to own this, really. Find a way to explain why you're not employed in a way that shows some integrity. I did a Google search and found a great article that just might help you: http://www.career-intelligence.com/transition/How-to-explain-being-fired-to-the-interviewer.asp That article is more about being laid off/fired. I read a good article on some ways to respond. I didn't let any of the employers really "think" I quit, I disguised it by saying that "the job didn't work out." That's pretty much code for being fired. NOBODY wants to hire someone who has been fired, that's just the facts. And the problem is that the competition is so fierce and jobs are so scarce that they are going to hire someone who didn't get fired over someone who did. So basically I just need to find somebody who doesn't care. I have no idea when that will happen. As for this job, some other girl interviewed me, not the person who actually makes the decision. She asked if I currently was employed and I said no. She said okay and moved on. I didn't offer up any other information and she didn't ask. She seemed very nervous, she is probably new at interviewing. Link to post Share on other sites
broken umbrella Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 I think that the article that SG posted is VERY relevant to your situation Lauriebelle. Since you have a lot of free time right now I would suggest that you really take the time to think through your last job and all of the pieces that played into you being fired. Write them all down, and then decide what you could do differently next time you are in simular situations. It really will help you in the long run. Being fired is not a death sentence, as long as you learned something along the way. If you can let your potential employers know what you learned from that experience then it will go a long way in their eyes. If you continue to give vague answers, such as "the job did not work out", then you will continue to not recieve job offers. You need to be proactive in letting your interviewers know that your last job was not a total waste. You learned something while there. You must have walked away from that situation knowing ways that you can be a better employee. If you tell the interviewer these things, when they call your past employer if they happen to say something negative then you have already beat them to the punch. You can negate the bad things by saying you learned a lesson. P.S.- do you really want to work at a place where they "don't care"? Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 That article is more about being laid off/fired. I read a good article on some ways to respond. I didn't let any of the employers really "think" I quit, I disguised it by saying that "the job didn't work out." That's pretty much code for being fired. NOBODY wants to hire someone who has been fired, that's just the facts. And the problem is that the competition is so fierce and jobs are so scarce that they are going to hire someone who didn't get fired over someone who did. Did you even bother reading the entire article? Most importantly, detach yourself from the event and honestly examine what happened. That's the only way you're going to get any insight and begin adjusting your thoughts and perspective. There are hundreds of reasons for dismissal, so no pat answer will suffice. The unequivocal rule is to tell the truth. If they discover you lied, you'll be wondering for a long time how you'll pay your bills. So when you're asked why you left – tell them you were fired. Forthright brevity is best. It's all in how you phrase it. The trick is a shift in perspective, which is easier when you've purged the defensiveness and shame. Don't give a long, rambling story or blame the company, your boss, or anyone else. Were you –even partially- at fault? Take responsibility. Did you learn from the experience? Say so. Are you completely at sea as to what happened? That's okay. Not every job is right for everyone. There are philosophical differences, chemistry problems, tough spots, and bosses who are difficult and self-absorbed. Regardless of the reason, it wasn't your perfect job or you weren't quite what they needed. The great thing is that it was recognized (in whatever form) and everyone is moving on. The goal is to be real about what works for you and why the firing took place. The first step, as trite as it sounds, is to look at it as a blessing. It may take some time to see, but no matter how bad it looks or feels, something good will come of it. Maybe it will be a better job, a chance to grow, or the realization that you hated your career – who knows? But if you're too busy being angry and defensive, not only will you miss the chance to capitalize on the positive outcome, but you'll also keep experiencing negative consequences. When you're in a victimized frame of mind, you'll miss recognizing an opportunity and continue to perpetuate your unemployment. Let's examine two answers to the question: "Why did you leave your last job?" HOLDING-ON HENRIETTA: I don't know. I was doing my job. Everyone liked me. They always came to me for advice instead of our boss. When the other manager left, they promoted the assistant. She's maybe about 28. I guess they thought she'd be good just because she'd been there a long time, but she really was a shrew. I think she hated me. She was always talking down to me. One time she took credit for one of my projects. She's the one that should have left! I'm glad to be out of there. OBJECTIVE OLIVIA: I was fired, actually. The assistant manager was promoted to manager because she had seniority and she was very good at her job. Unfortunately, she was young and perhaps she thought respect was automatically accorded instead of earned, because when everyone else began coming to me instead of her, it didn't seem to sit well with her. Despite that I excelled in my responsibilities and met my goals, she let me go. I'm sorry to have had to leave the company. I learned a lot there. Can you spot the differences? As the interviewer, what would you think? Right now, you're Henrietta. Until you turn your response into an Olivia, you're going to continue having this problem. Getting fired isn't the end of the world, LB. Plenty of people are fired, and do get rehired - if they didn't, unemployment would be at like 40%! People who are fired are eventually hired despite the experience because they're honest and demonstrate that they learned from the experience. If they made a mistake, the explain the mistake, what they learned from it, and assure that it will never happen again. If there were outside circumstances (say, something affecting attendance), they explain how the circumstances have changed such that they can guarantee good attendance. Yes, you're giving code language for being fired, but you're not demonstrating that you learned from it and getting fired was actually the right thing for you. In doing this, you look like you're putting your stubborn little head in the sand, resistant to personal growth and development. Link to post Share on other sites
allina Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 LB, this is getting frustrating. I want to see you succeed but I feel like you're really not getting it Link to post Share on other sites
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