Being honest is not working! (company, minimum wage, hire, training)

[hopefulone]

Originally Posted by eevee188

Some HR's will give out lots of info--most won't do anything more than verify employment dates and state whether they are eligible for rehire.

Let me put it this way: if she says she was fired, she will never get any further into the interview process. If she says she left for better opportunities, etc. they will call HR, who probably will not say why she left, but if they do, the interview process stops. So she can pick--either a 100% chance of not getting hired, or a partial chance of not getting hired. Which would you pick?

[AJBarney]

And here I thought honesty was a way of life, not just a 'technique.'


I've lied every possible way, guess there's nothing left to try but honesty!

[knt1229]

I would tell them I relocated due to my husband's job as the reason I left my last job. For me, it's not about lying, but, about controlling the conversation and managing the impression I leave on the interviewer. Telling them the things that you said here makes you seem like someone who can't handle stress, is unstable, uses poor judgement, is dishonest, and basically someone I wouldn't hire or want to work with.

An interview is an opportunity to sell yourself and put forth your best image. It's not the time to divulge highly personal situations. Discussing your therapy, miscarriage, mother-in-laws health issues, hubby's job loss and to top it all off you cheated on test and got fired is extremely inappropiate.

The best course of action is to not bring it up at all. Honestly, I can't even think of how you could spin this into something positive. Even discussing misconduct on your previous job is too much because it will naturally lead to them asking what kind of misconduct and cheating on a test is not something that can be turned into a positive, IMO.

The best possible spin for you is to say you relocated. It's not a lie because you did relocate.

[beera]

My friend's calling today, so I'll see what the old boss says.

[criminaljusticegrad]

I was too stressed because the work "insert negative".
I was displeased with the work because "insert negative".
I was depressed and or suffering from some kind of mental/emotion trama.
I simply didn't want to work anymore because I had enough money to quit, or wanted to pursue a passion for awhile.

I'd say the above four answers have one thing in common. They will essentially remove you from consideration in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of HR. I'm sure some HR would look past that stuff, but for the most part those answers will reflect someone unstable in their eyes (true or not). Point being, if you're not the out of the park pick with that stuff when in the running, you're probably going to be short on luck 90% + of the time.

Conclusion: Spin any of the four answers into something neutral. If you have anything that can be omitted do so via a spin. Technically it's still a lie...it's a lie of omission. However, if you can live with it and the likely vast improvement in job acquiring success it will create, do it. If you can't, well, you've got some insane character, but be prepared to not be rewarded for it. Honest gets shafted daily. Most people aren't 100% honest in the interview process anyone. It's all abotu "selling yourself".

[beera]

I tried to choose a representative bunch of questions that didn't make the conversation too long. So my friend called and here's how it went:

1. What dates was she employed? 2. What was her job title and what were her responsibilities?

She answered these.

3. How would you rate her job performance? (for my boss)

She said I was quick and efficient but didn't complete my second round of training.

4. How did she get along with her coworkers? (for my boss)

That I got along with people well but sometimes could come across to people as knowing a lot (apparently being smart is intimidating), and she mentioned that I did talk a lot (considering that I would get annoyed by all the chit chat around me that surprised me), and that some girl moved out of my cubicle area cuz I talk a lot (which is bull again because I would not be talking while that girl who did move out would come in and chitchat with the other girl in our area for hours).

5. Did she have good attendance?

Yes she didn't have any excessive absences.

6. Why did she leave the position?

"I can't answer that."

7. Is she eligible for rehire?

"No."

She also told them they could speak to human resources if they wanted to but she can't give anymore information unless they make a formal FOIA request. I don't think most employers would do that because it costs money and takes time.

My friend said it was obvious my old boss was super nervous on the phone but didn't sense any animosity.

Tomorrow morning I will call human resources, ask the same questions, and see what they say.

Any thoughts?

[Quantum]

Good job. Gotta make sure.

[beera]

Those things she said kind of bother me, specially since I cannot back myself up and say I don't talk a lot and I don't talk like a know it all. Looks like I may not use her as a reference after all. Just send them straight to HR. Seriously why even say those things?!

[Measuretwicecutonce]

Your were a government employee? The FOIA act does not apply to personnel records. It does apply to any emails that you may have sent or received from work about work. A recruiter could not file a FOIA on your employment records.

Unless you are filling out a security clearence form I would not give your boss as a reference period. I would only provide the number to the municipality HR department and leave it at that.

Also

[beera]

Also?

They said something about public records, but I remember HR telling me something like nobody can get my file without my written consent, not sure if that is true either.