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Hello,
I am a software developer in the Bay area and I got fired from a pretty reputable startup after close to 1 year of working. I felt it coming since I had difficulty delivering a very complex feature. My last boss has said that he will give me good references. This is the first time this is happening to me and I have to find a job quick in about 2 months due to personal reasons. I am starting to interview again and I was wondering how should I handle the question as to why I got fired? I guess the right thing to do everyone will say is to state the reasons as to why I got fired. But, I was wondering does anyone have any experience in a situation like this? Did anyone feel that they lost a good opportunity because they truly stated why they got fired. Or did anyone feel like they got a lower salary because of being truthful? How to handle this situation?
It is not that you got fired that will keep you from getting a new job. It is how you handle it.
Tell the truth when asked why. Do it with dignity and no accusations or anger. Think about what went wrong and what you would do differently.
There is no database of who left for what reason. If a prospective employer calls this company, they'll get a verification of the dates you worked and nothing more.
You can literally say anything you want. Say the project wound up, or it wasn't challenging, or there was a poisonous atmosphere. Whatever. If you feel compelled to be honest, you could say that you were fired, but paint it like "My boss had impossible expectations, I had no support, things that I did that met spec were rejected for political reasons....
IMO (as they say): worse advice ... just don't. All sound like excuses, not reasons. Prospective employer will hear that you will use those same thoughts to screw up his place if he hired you. They make it sound as if you're high maintenance.
There is no database of who left for what reason. If a prospective employer calls this company, they'll get a verification of the dates you worked and nothing more.
Not true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by convextech
"It was a startup and I got laid off when the project wrapped up."
There is no database of who left for what reason. If a prospective employer calls this company, they'll get a verification of the dates you worked and nothing more.
You can literally say anything you want. Say the project wound up, or it wasn't challenging, or there was a poisonous atmosphere. Whatever. If you feel compelled to be honest, you could say that you were fired, but paint it like "My boss had impossible expectations, I had no support, things that I did that met spec were rejected for political reasons..."
Everyone's been fired. Probably everyone has quit a job before being fired, and is that really any "better"? It isn't a scarlet A. Tell how you learned something and improved yourself.
^This and probably the infamous "would you hire this person again" question. OP, just say the contract wrapped up.
Just say that "the company and I were not a good fit" and move on. The more you say, the more you can incriminate yourself. Have your ex-boss provide a good reference for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oasiscakes
I never said "I was fired". In the past, I tried to play it off as I was still working but looking for a new opportunity. It worked for me, but wouldn't recommend it unless you think you can definitely get away with it.
I have been laid off a couple of times. I got fired a few jobs ago. It was sort of sketchy, but they gave me 3 or 4 weeks of notice. I no longer remember. I went into interviews saying it was no longer a good fit, and I was looking for roles that were different in the followings ways in my next opportunity. These challenges were not negative about the company I was leaving and sounded very me focused.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dumb
Research the startup. They may not be as clean as you thought.
I've only been fired once. After a few months of looking for work it was clear that many others had also been fired. Few, if anybody took them seriously, and people didn't usually mention them in their career.
So be careful- they might not be everything they seem. You might not want to advertise that you've even been with them.
That is a good point, tech startup land in the Bay Area is pretty small.
Also, you should got to meet ups that focus on topics you know about. You might find some good opportunities that way. Schedule some coffees and the like with former colleagues to "catch up" and let you know if you hear anything.
Also reach out to your former employers competition. Most of the completion is interested in someone who knows the space so it could be a fast track.
If you want to stick closer to the truth in case the former employer gets blabby, how about "My skillset wasn't applicable to the next stage of the project" or something in that vein. And then be able to document what you've done since then to expand your abilities...additional training, studying, etc.
You just really don't want to sound high maintenance, or like you might have done something sketchy to get fired.
I never said "I was fired". In the past, I tried to play it off as I was still working but looking for a new opportunity. It worked for me, but wouldn't recommend it unless you think you can definitely get away with it.
Hahaha, this is a porky that I've told & got away with before.
Generally speaking, for some reason, employers prefer to offer the job to someone who's employed than someone who's not. I tell the interviewer to please do not contact my present employer or they'll start looking for a replacement. It worked 2 out of 2 for me. But that was when I was young & brash.
OP, if you had a reasonable rapport with your former employer, you could always ask if he/she wouldn't mind saying that you were retrenched due to the position being no longer required when prospective employers check your references. If he/she felt bad about firing you it shouldn't be a problem. Retrenched sounds like bad luck & much better than 'terminated'.
If they agree then make sure that you have a friend with a confident phone manner call your former boss & pretend to be a prospective employer just to be safe.
Or if your boss was a complete a-hole you could say that you were replaced by a 3rd world worker on a work visa at half your salary, lol. This happens all the time these days.
To be really honest I don't know (I read Oasiscakes post & had to respond) Hope you get some solid advice.
Stay positive & good luck.
I was in IT for my entire career, was also an IT headhunter for several years. Though it's been awhile. I would NEVER tell an interviewer I'd been fired. Do not ever speak negatively about a former employer or boss & you certainly don't say that your boss was difficult or unreasonable or ANYTHING of the sort. That's even worse than saying you were fired & it only reflects negatively upon you.
When asked why leaving your current/last employer, you just answer in positive I statements about yourself. "I didn't find it as challenging as I'd hoped", "it wasn't a fit for my XYZ skillset", "I wanted a commute that was more reasonable", "I did not see any advancement opportunities or opportunity to learn ABC skillset", etc. You want to deflect & bring the focus back onto your skillset & what you can bring the interviewing company. You can also throw in a question to the interviewer , eg: (Mr. Johnson can you tell me about the opportunities to learn the ABC software here?). I would not outright lie b/c that can come back & bite you, especially since IT can be a 'small community'. You don't want to say you were laid off, when the interviewer may well know your former employer is hiring like crazy. Though you may be able to get away with the contract ended b/c it did. Granted it didn't end how you wanted, but it ended.
Also, not everybody has been fired & you shouldn't assume that. I've never been fired, my husband, also a lifelong IT'er has never been fired. Most of our friends, also in IT have never been fired. A few have been laid off, but most of us have never been laid off either.
Would it be a good idea to leave it off your resume? what is everyone's opinion on this?
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