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I don't know how old you are but from the way you worded your original post it sounds like you learned something in that position and you can make it into a positive for yourself, because it was a 'teaching moment' and you learned and grew. That's what I got out of your post and to me it can only make you a better candidate. You were honest with your weaknesses, you took the 'notes or 'teaching points' as they say these days (constructive criticism), and you improved! If you can get a face-to-face interview you can explain all that and I think it will make you look good.
I've caught people lying about why they left their last job, cause I call their previous employers. When they lie, I don't hire.
People who tell me the truth, I still call their previous employers and 99% of the time I hire them.(if they were fired) I'll find out soon if it's because of their previous work "environment" or if it was due to their own faults. If I can correct them, all is good, if not then I am also not a good fit for that person.
I'll admit, all my interviews are face to face which may not be common in other business'.
How do you know that it is not the former employer that is lying? The former employee left that company for whatever reason and the former employer may be disgruntled and may not wish their former employee well. So they lay it on good and thick.
Besides, many employers don't want potential legal headaches and will simply state the title of their former employee and the start and end date of the former employee, and nothing else.
I would say the position was not a good fit and you and your employer decided to sever ties.
I have never had a hiring manager ask me if I was fired. I had a recruiter ask me once.
She though it was strange I quit my job without having one lined up.
I understand we all need to make a living. Sometimes, it does not work out. The average length of stay at my present place of employment is 3 months. It is a horrible place to work. I am not in the position to leave now. I will shortly.
I understand employers are looking for the right fit. As an employee, I have expectations too. After this experience, I will never allow this to happen again. It takes years off your life when you have to go somewhere for 8+ hours per day that is sheer agony. Abuse is contagious.
Hello. I am looking for some assistance in my job hunting and would like to ask how I can explain my termination from my previous place of employment without putting myself in a negative light to any potential employers.
A few months ago, I had lost my job at a popular clothing retail store for failing to keep up with the rest of the stock team. I fully admit that I am not the fastest person within the team but my supervisor did tell me that I had improved in my productiveness during my final few weeks, but that it "came too late" according to him. I am still free to apply to the store again, but I am not sure of a way to explain my termination to other employers in a way that would incriminate me in a bad light and make me seen as someone that cannot keep up with others on my team.
At this point, I am only just beginning my job search again, but I am not sure of what to write down when the inevitable question comes up on the job applications; "Reason for leaving". I would like to restart my job search soon, so a quick explanation as to how I can sum up my termination from my last job would be greatly appreciated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dallasgoldrush
I'm not sure what the right thing to say is, but the wrong thing to say is the word "terminate". Believe it or not, in many cases it's completely unnecessary to disclose that you were terminated. And if that disclosure is likely to only harm you, why even bother?
These days it's almost unheard of for employers to acknowledge ever having "terminated" a former employee. They consider that information a part of an internal HR record that is not to be disclosed to just anyone asking about someone's work history. The former employer is much more likely to just confirm dates of employment, plus maybe title and salary.
If you were terminated they may also say you are "not eligible for rehire". In the vast majority of cases, new employers would assume a "not eligible for rehire" statement from a former employer means you were terminated, but since there are other reasons a person may be considered ineligible for rehire (like a sudden resignation, for example), the new employer is unlikely to be able to confirm their suspicion.
Besides, you state that you're "free to apply to the store again", which means the whole ineligible for rehire bit may not even apply to you. There may not be anything negative on your employment record with the store that could be confirmed by an outside party.
Unfortunately some employers will directly ask applicants the question, "Have you ever been terminated?" There's really not any wiggle room there. But most of the time they present the question as some sort of vague insinuation. In which case, you can vaguely insinuate that it's none of their business.
You can tell them your "reason for leaving" was you needed a job that was a better fit for you, which is technically true.
Then you get your new job offer and keep things moving. Easy day ...
I bolded the points that I wanted to emphasize. It looks like since you are eligible to reapply at your former store, that any reference provided to a potential new employer may not disclose that you were let go.
So, I agree with others who have said, don't put down that you were terminated....make up something that doesn't sound so negative.
Or, perhaps if it is a similar job, reapply at your old job when they have an opening and demonstrate that you did learn from your past experience there. It is likely that the stores numbers were why they were forced to let you go.
I cannot imagine any employer, anywhere, discussing anything about a previous employee other than to verify dates of employment. There is absolutely no upside for them, and enormous potential downside... there is literally nothing but the risk of a lawsuit with no benefit to counterweigh it. Even the old "Is this person eligible for rehire?" has become too risky.
If you truly believe this, then you have never participated in a S.M.A.R.T. interview. Nearly every part of such an interview is about what you did, how you did it, and the results of what you did. Each answer is graded and at the end of the interview you have a great summary to discuss with others.
I’ve done a lot of such interviews and I can tell you it’s a great way to eliminate a person who is a bad fit for your organization. There is absolutely no chance for a lawsuit by following the scripted interview process.
I would never consider hiring anyone for any position that couldn’t interview well using the above process.
I spent my entire life, working in he business world. I have hired a lot of workers. Lets look at what you need to do, to get another job.
1: Warehouse and stocking your former category. Don't apply for such jobs. You know you were let go, as you were too slow, and not able to keep up with the rest of the staff. Saying you had improved, was just being nice, as you were not able to pick up enough speed to qualify for further employment. You now know from experience, this type of position is not for you. They told you you can reapply in the future, but that does not mean they will hire you again. This in employment field is just being nice so you don't leave angry. In a retail store, stocking is an important part of the store's operation.
2: Find a different type job, which you think you can do, and not be so slow you will be let go again for being too slow.
3. If you are applying in a different field, you can say you left for a more fulfilling opportunity. Make it sound at an interview, you consider this new type job as a great opportunity, and you will be a hard and conscientious worker.
If you truly believe this, then you have never participated in a S.M.A.R.T. interview. Nearly every part of such an interview is about what you did, how you did it, and the results of what you did. Each answer is graded and at the end of the interview you have a great summary to discuss with others.
I’ve done a lot of such interviews and I can tell you it’s a great way to eliminate a person who is a bad fit for your organization. There is absolutely no chance for a lawsuit by following the scripted interview process.
I would never consider hiring anyone for any position that couldn’t interview well using the above process.
Youre confused. You're response has nothing to do with what he was saying. A smart interview is just the employer asking you questions. That doesn't have anything to do with the former employer not disclosing information.
Mutual decision that your old job wasn't a good fit. That tells an employee everything they need to know. If they dig deeper, then you can go into what you are looking for, and spin your story positively so they don't even care that you were probably fired or walked off a job.
Hello. I am looking for some assistance in my job hunting and would like to ask how I can explain my termination from my previous place of employment without putting myself in a negative light to any potential employers.
A few months ago, I had lost my job at a popular clothing retail store for failing to keep up with the rest of the stock team. I fully admit that I am not the fastest person within the team but my supervisor did tell me that I had improved in my productiveness during my final few weeks, but that it "came too late" according to him. I am still free to apply to the store again, but I am not sure of a way to explain my termination to other employers in a way that would incriminate me in a bad light and make me seen as someone that cannot keep up with others on my team.
At this point, I am only just beginning my job search again, but I am not sure of what to write down when the inevitable question comes up on the job applications; "Reason for leaving". I would like to restart my job search soon, so a quick explanation as to how I can sum up my termination from my last job would be greatly appreciated.
Just be honest. I think everybody knows how much of a grinder retail work is.
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Disgruntled Employers
