How to Tell Interviewers You Were Fired without Using the Word Terminated

[VegazLegend]

I meant employee.

[VegazLegend]

@DGeorgevich  but what about the employment background checks? Isn't the potential employer, going to call and ask about the reason for the employer leaving?

[DGeorgevich]

@VegazLegend legally, they can't disclose that information

[mudhudgie95]

What do you say if you were terminated for "not having the right skillset?" I was almost done with my probationary period when my boss, out of nowhere, called me into a meeting with the HR lady and said I was being terminated because he noticed that I wasn't doing a good job, but I didn't do anything wrong. He never even gave me a warning or anything, he just sat in his office all day. My HR lady and him will say to a future employer that I wasn't the right fit, so I cant say I was laid off.

[DGeorgevich]

@mudhudgie95 they are not allowed to say why you were fired. that's a fairly common law, though it may vary from state to state.

[dsanan97]

Thanks Don, I would just like to add another wording for "laid off" from my experience. One can say "Due to corporate restructuring, my position was eliminated" How does that sound?

[DGeorgevich]

@dsanan97 perfect.

[DGeorgevich]

@dalecampbl6 sounds like you were just under-qualified for the job. maybe tell them the qualifications for the position changed after you were hired and your previous experience did not prepare you for that. make it sound like it's the company's fault, not yours.

[Lok783]

when you explain to your boss, how the folio's got misdelivred, he still goes throiugh with your terminaton and does not want to approach his client to varify who made the mistake, so when i fill in the reason for leaving on a job aplicaton how do I handle this?

[Lok783]

Senario, you work fora contractor contracted out to a client, one of the clients emplyee's hands you a stack of folios to be delivered to thier customers, each one hand written with the clients room number in a hotel to be delivered to thier rooms, however the guest service representive the clients employee came in several hours late for work, and rushed through the folios, hand writing the room numbers and made many errors, each one sealed with tape, you deliver them then get fired.

[CareerConfidential]

This is a really tough topic.

I find that candidates have so much emotion involved that they have a hard time discussing it.

Glad to see you tackle the subject here.

Peggy McKee

Career Confidential