How to explain fired – How to explain getting fired – How to explain being fired

Don,

I have 1 question…..I was fired and accused of not giving flextime in
lieu of overtime, which was false, but never given a chance to plead my
case and it seems hard to get passed that question of why I was
terminated or why I left… What would be your suggestion?

Fran

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Hi Fran,

The Complete Interview Answer Guide from www.jobinterviewtools.com will
show you how to answer questions like this.

If I was fired for the same reasons as you, I would not even attempt to
explain this to a potential employer – it just sets off too many red
alerts with them and it rarely matters how convincing your explanation
is, they won’t even give you the time of day because there are so many
other job seekers out there.

I never advocate lying in an interview, but if my survival is on the
line, I might stretch the truth to ease their concerns and tell them I
was laid off. Getting fired should not be some kind of scarlet letter
that you have to carry with you for the rest of your working life and
forever be banned from ever working again. More importantly, why should
the firing decisions of just one person limit your work opportunities?
But unfortunately it carries some weight.

If it were me, I would use any of the following good and believable
reasons for my departure from my past employer: my position was
eliminated as a result of downsizing, I was laid off along with several
others because the company was not doing well, they hired a new manager
who decided thin out his/her staff because of budget cuts.

There are endless combinations of reasons like this, but if you choose
this route, try to pick something that you won’t have a hard time
backing up and that is easy for you to say. And most importantly, keep
your answer very short to avoid suspicion and say it with conviction.
Worst case, but unlikely, they catch you in a lie – then just tell them
the real story and explain your circumstances. I think you have a
better chance of getting hired by stretching the truth and getting
caught than you do just telling them you were fired.

Just so you know, I never advocate lying in an interview unless it comes
to this. Unfortunately, you have few options. Another thing you can
try is to tell them you were fired, just change the reason – perhaps
make it personal. You could say you and your boss did not have a good
personal relationship and he fired you and there was nothing you could
do about it. This way, and if you tell it right, they will feel sorry
for you and more importantly believe you and probably even side with
you.

I hope this helps and good luck.

I don’t charge for this advice, but it is a free service for people who
buy my book, The Complete Interview Answer Guide from
www.jobinterviewtools.com and I continue to coach them through the
entire interview process.

Best regards,

Don

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