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"I actually started out as a temp and was hired on full-time because of my excellent performance, but it didn't end up being a good fit. I do appreciate XXXXX (gained experience in blah blah, or something), though."
A year ago, I was fired for the first time ever from a job I had 9 months. I worked as a full-time temp for 6 months, they actually hired me on full-time citing my great performance, then fired me a little over 3 months later saying I was not a "good fit". Good fit as in culture, not performance or anything... They also said I was in my probation period (I was actually 2 days out of the 90 days period...), which is why they didn't follow the due process outlined in their handbook. (I only had one verbal warning for something that couldn't have been prevented anyway because it was outside of my control)
I was very upset about this and have even contemplated suing but figured it would be in vain since I worked there under a year and they were a Fortune 500 with countless legal money to throw around. The biggest issue though is that I've had a hard time explaining to future employers about my termination from this position. I tell them that I was fired for "not being a good fit" and they look at me strange like I'm trying to hide something worse. If they ask me to elaborate, I tell them how I was hired on full-time after being a temp for 6 months because they were happy with my performance, but then they terminated me because they said I was actually not a good cultural fit, and that was all the info they would give me.
I don't feel like employers are buying it... but that could be me being paranoid. Employers almost always give me a look like I'm trying to hide some major personality or performance issue when that is not the case. Is there any better way to explain that I was fired for no fault of my own, that they just deemed I was somehow not a cultural fit?
Try and believe that they did you a favor early on. Better at 9 months than a year + - now you can pick up and dust off and keep on moving. Do you live in an at-will state? If so they can fire you anytime just because.
Please leave it on your resume, tell the truth at your upcoming interviews. By truth I mean bare truth.... no need to elaborate. Just say it was a temp job and the position ended! Period! Don't leave it open. Since it was an accepted position, I hope that you are getting some unemployment. If the interviewers push and push, say it didn't work out as you had hoped! Always keep it short, positive and upbeat, no negatives. Don't use the word "fired" it has a negative connotation. "position was not a good fit" and the recruiters get it. I also would NOT say the thing about culture fit. That leaves speculation in the mind of the recruiter. If you need more tips, send me a PM and I'll throw out a few more suggestions on what to say.
Between us, they did you a favor. On to a better job where you will be valued! Don't let it get you down, most of us have been there.
Can you still talk to them and ask for a good reference?
Is there something that they would have checked as an employee that they wouldn't have checked as a temp?
Did you change supervisors when you accepted a position with them?
If so, will your former boss be willing to put in a good word?
Some states require you to be employed as an employee six months before being eligible for unemployment.
Forget about suing. You sound too young to have that follow you around.
Also there is something called a rehire code. Ask them to change that to a yes based on your performance as a temp.
Did you work for a temp firm? What kind of reference could they give you?
Two years ago when I graduated with my new degree in Accounting (I'm a career changer), ...
A lawsuit is a great way to turn a molehill into a mountain. Just keep it simple and tell them the company went a different direction with the position, which they did when they let you go.
No. They just said I wasn't a good fit and didn't match the fit they were looking for.... I pressed for more details but they wouldn't provide any and eventually the HR manager that was there said "that's enough, this is over, there is no more discussion - please leave". I was escorted out by HR and she would hardly give me time to gather my belongings.
I have been tempted to just say the position was eliminated, but as I mentioned I'm afraid employers will do an employment verification and see they actually marked it down as a termination.
The truth is probably that some senior executive's ne'er-do-well nephew needed a job, and you were the easiest employee to get rid of to make room for him.
You've had several good suggestions on how to finesse the experience on your resume and in your interviews. I hope you are able to find a new position that will launch a successful career.
"I actually started out as a temp and was hired on full-time because of my excellent performance, but it didn't end up being a good fit. I do appreciate XXXXX (gained experience in blah blah, or something), though."
^^Not good . This is a great example of how talking too much could work against you.
As a hiring manager, I'm now wondering why if you were so excellent, after investing 9 mos of their time/resources, this company would fire you after making the decision to hire you perm. Perhaps buyer's remorse....or something in the background check came up suspect, etc.? I could see your explanation working if it were a shorter term assignment, but this explanation would set off my BS radar given the length of the contract.
Try to put "job ended" as a reason for leaving all your previous jobs so it can blend in and not stand out as a termination. That's what I did when I was fired and was never asked about in the job interview since I made a good impression. It would also help if you could have a coworker as a reference for that job to also cover up the firing.
^^Not good . This is a great example of how talking too much could work against you.
As a hiring manager, I'm now wondering why if you were so excellent, after investing 9 mos of their time/resources, this company would fire you after making the decision to hire you perm. Perhaps buyer's remorse....or something in the background check came up suspect, etc.? I could see your explanation working if it were a shorter term assignment, but this explanation would set off my BS radar given the length of the contract.
Sadly in my case, this is exactly what happened. Friends and family are still flabbergasted at how they made this big deal about hiring me on full time, only to let me go three months later, under ambiguous claims... I said made a big deal about hiring me because my manager began mentioning to me she wanted to hire me on full-time about 2 months before it happened, and I believe she had to pull some strings because there was a hiring freeze going on at the company at the time. In hindsight, I'm wondering if she overstepped some boundaries or perhaps talked me up too much (made me out to be something way better than I currently was, maybe saying I had 10 years of experience when really I was just a new grad). Nonetheless, I was hired because my great performance, then fired so quickly after, and I promise my performance didn't change, especially in that short of time!!
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Don't let it get you down, most of us have been there.
. This is a great example of how talking too much could work against you. 
