Do I Have to Admit That I Was Fired?

Perhaps one of the most awkward things you must do as you search for a new job is to admit why you were fired by a previous employer. The conversation is rarely pleasant, but at some point, you may have to come clean and talk about your reasons for a past termination.

How you disclose the way you were fired depends on the job search process. On a resume, you generally do not disclose the reasons why you left each job. Within a resume, applicant trackers and HR managers just want to know when you worked, for how long and in what positions. If you left a job on bad terms, that may come out in the referral process or in a background check during verification of employment.

The resume is one thing, but a job application is something else. Many application forms ask, "Have you ever been fired from a job and why?" You must be honest with this answer. A lie could mean that HR never considers you for employment or that you terminate your employment after just a few weeks on the job when the lie makes itself apparent. Honesty is the best policy if someone asks you directly about whether you were fired at some point during your professional life.

When someone does ask you about the circumstances of why you were fired, handle yourself in a professional manner. Practice how to respond to the question ahead of time, and learn to give a response with as little emotional connection to the unpleasant experience as possible. If you felt sad after your boss fired you, do not cry as you give your answer. The same thing goes for bitterness towards the situation; denigrating your former employer shows you are not a team player. When you feel angry towards your firing, do not let that cloud your honest, thoughtful and intelligent response to the question.

Turn the negative experience into a positive one. During an interview, tell the people in front of you what you learned from the time you were fired. Relate how you decided to fill a skills gap, receive some extra training, work on your health or turn to freelance work.

Work around a bad experience in a few ways. Call HR to verify your own employment there. The person on the other end of the line gives you some clue about what HR and what your former supervisor say about you when a potential employer calls during your job search. If you can afford to, you could even hire a reference-checking firm to call your previous employer to determine what people say about you before you apply for a job.

Termination from a previous job does not have to ruin your chances of finding another job. How you handle the period after you were fired, coupled with a positive response to new employer, can go a long way to finding career bliss.

Photo courtesy of Casey Fleser at Flickr.com