Have You Ever Been Fired?
July 5, 2007 by Darlene McDaniel
Filed under Jobs
The reasons people get fired are as varied as there are people on the earth.
Why do people get fired from their jobs? Have you ever been fired? I am looking for a list of unusual reasons why people have lost their jobs? I would like to feature top three unusual stories of why people have been fired here at Interview Chatter!
Share your story. Leave a short summary in the comments below. If I like your story, I would like to contact you and interview you and share your story here.
Here are some top reasons why I think people get fired:
1. Carrying illegal weapons or illegal drugs on the job
2. Outburst of anger/Out of control behavior
3. Poor performance
4. Dishonesty – especially on your application
5. Stealing company property
6. When your boss dislikes you, combined with your poor performance
What’s your story? Share this search for the best story with your friends and family!! I look forward to hearing from all of you!
THE weirdest!!! Of All Time!!! For me…
I still remember who, where and when, it was so distinctly ridiculous.
Quote – “If you need a reason, we’ll make one up.” Unquote
Two days after being told I had nothing to worry about – this was a “normal” occurrence at this CAR DEALERSHIP!
:)
Mark
Thanks for sharing Mark!! I like the quote too! I am sure there are others who have heard that before. Did you ever find out the reason or has that been a mystery to this day?
I was never able to determine the actual reason. The manager, Howard, didn’t last much longer than I did and I lost track of him, plus, I’d moved on…
I’ve guessed at it based on previous conversations with that manager (with whom I was getting along) and could only determine that I had learned far too much about the “inner workings” of a car dealership therefore I’d become a “threat” i.e. could talk to other salespeople and let them know the real “skinny” on their commissions etc.
AND – I was asked why I was let go from that job by a prospective new employer. You had to be there for the look on his face when I repeated what I’d been told. He probably thought I was some kind of nut.
I agree today – I’m sure others have heard the same insanity by now.
I appreciate you sharing your story.Thank you. Despite the fact that knowledge is power, it can also be dangerous. I am sure some of my readers here at Interview Chatter can identify with your story and have heard similar things in their experience. Thank you!!
Fired because ????
The nurse manager (who normally did all the work) was told by HR to “terminate” me at 10:00am on my fourth day on the job.
It was the nurse manager’s last day on the job, as she was retiring. I gave her a card and a gift and the card said “thank-you for all your kindness in helping to teach me, best wishes to you in your future.”
We ate a buffet lunch (that I had made) together to celebrate her retirement, she gave me no clue of what was to come, nor did she thank me for my gift, card or lunch.
The nurse manager waited until the work load was completed by me and at 5:00pm, then called me and her replacement into her office. (I think she wanted him as a witness because she kept repeating, “I’m sorry Omar!”)
She first told me what a wonderful nurse I was, “hard-working, pleasant, professional, got along well with the staff and the patients” but, I was told by HR at 10am to “terminate you”. “I expect you to leave and not make a scene or show any hostility, you are terminated, leave immediately!”
Her replacement and I both had our eyes bugging out because we didn’t know what was going on.
I began crying.
I asked her why and she said “HR said to terminate you because even though you are on orientation, you left the job without permission the other day so you are terminated, get your belongings and leave without making a scene!”
I am 61 y/o and have never made a scene in my life (nor have I ever been fired from any nursing job in 35 years of nursing) so, I didn’t have a clue why she kept repeating this.
I reminded her that I was told to leave the job by her secretary 3 days earlier because her secretary accused me of having clear nail polish on and her secretary further told me, “You can’t work here with clear nail polish on or false nails so you will have to go home!!” (I don’t have false nails or clear nail polish on.)
I further reminded this nurse manager that she knew I had left, had callled me once I had gotten home and apoligized to me for her secretary’s behavior. She had also told me that I was above (in charge of the secretary) and that the secretary would be giving me an apology for being unprofessional. I also reminded her that she had begged me to come back to work the next day, which I did.
In front of her replacement she denied ever having this conversation with me other than calling me at home to find out what had happened.???
The day after she told me I would receive an apology, when I reported to work, she took me outside and informed me that the secretary denied ever telling me anything and denied being rude to me. She further said, “YOU will not be getting an apology from my secretary she and I have been friends for 10 years and I believe her. She then used her favorite phrase about hostility. She got very loud and said, “Do you think you can continue to work here without any hostility and be pleasant with my secretary?”
I told her that I would “always remain professional but I would only communicate with the secretary when the job required I do so since an issue of trust had been broken.”
She pointed her finger in my face and said loudly, “I SEE you are hostile now!” I assured her I was not and repeated that I could remain professional and communicate with the secretary when required to do so.
She said, “I guess we will see but NO HOSTLITY” Perhaps, this is her favorite word because I have never been hostile towards anyone, most people call me an “easy touch and too kind hearted.”
Back to the “termination” issue.
I got up from the chair in her office and proceeded to leave at which point she grabbed my hand and tried to shake it.
I removed my hand from hers, refusing to shake it and went to get my belongings to leave.
She sent her replacement, Omar, after me on the grounds of shaking my hand and saying ” I wish you good luck, you are a very nice nurse to work with” I shook his hand and said thank-you, but strangely each of the 3 technicians I had worked with showed up to watch me put my coat on and asked me why I was leaving.
I told each one on them I was terminated and why and all them said but you got along good with everyone even the secretary after she told you to go home, this doesn’t make any sense. 2 of the technicians had overheard what the secretary said to me previously but I know would be too fearful to tell the truth because the organization is so rigid (you have to ask permission to use the bathroom) plus, the retired nurse manager is very confused and doesn’t remember what she has said from moment to moment. Her “best friend”, the secretary told me this the first day I filled out an application to work there.
My husband said this is termination without just cause and retaliation and discrimination.
The nurse manager said the secretary was her friend, promised me an apology which never came and even allows one of the technicians to wear white nail polish.
I have been crying about this since it happened 4 days ago since I did nothing wrong except for being kind to everyone I worked with. I feel like a fool that was used.
The nurse manager took 2 hour lunch breaks each day I was there and let me and her replacement do all the work, she talked about the company as being the most horrible, stingy place she had ever worked for, and then slapped me in my soul by “terminating” me.
I need a job but am too upset to even think of the long process of trying to find one again at my age.
I retired from my former 30 year job 6 months ago, but cannot live off the little money I get.
What should I do? I feel like fighting this cruelty.
Hi Judy, I am so sorry you have gone through situation at a new job. I definitely think you need to find out directly from HR what really is going on.
Do you want the job? If so, you need to contact them, and set up a meeting to discuss from their perspective what actually happened. If you do feel like there is a discrimination issue here, you may want to seek counsel.
As far as another job, I know there are lots of opportunities out there for good nurses. You may want to look for a recruiter who specializes in placing nurses. I will be sending you a note off line in your email. If for any reason you don’t get it, I don’t have a good email address on you. Send me one. My email is on the sidebar of this page next to my name. Send me an email.
Again, I am so sorry to hear about what happened. You can get through this an be stronger on the other side. Look for my email.
i just got fired today for stealing a giftcard. i feel bad about it because i knew better and did it anyway. it jeopardized my integrity and i ended up losing a job that i liked for something stupid.
so anyways, i am curious to hear how many people who admitted up front that they were fired, how many of those people were able to find jobs. and of course how many people kept it a secret and were found out.
Bummed – Thank you for visiting Interview Chatter tonight! I am sorry to hear about what happened today. I may use your questions as a post in the next couple of days. They are good questions.
Given that you knew it was wrong, any ideas on what was motivating you to take the giftcard anyway? Was the value of the giftcard worth the price you paid getting fired?
It was definitely not worth it. I was greedy and thought i could get away with it. I had a great employee discount so there was no need to do it. I justified it by saying that it was a small amt (more than $10, less than $40) and the person would not miss it. I forgot about it until confronted yesterday (2 weeks later). Even though policy is to keep the grounds for termination confidential, I am too ashamed to face my co-workers (at least for now). It’s sad because I enjoyed working there and I liked the people I worked with. i feel like shit. it was a shitty thing to do.
I’ve been layed off before and it didn’t seem so personal but this time I was fired 2 weeks ago from a high profile compnay and I’ve been reeling from it ever since.
They said it was for “Performance” issues but I know that the performance issue was the more legalistic way of getting rid of me. I know that it was a personal issue towards me. Someone thought that I had something to do with getting their friend transfered to a different department, when I, in reality, had nothing to do with it and didn’t even see his transfer coming. After that things seemed to go down hill. This person seemed to go to my Supervisor about everything that I had EVER done wrong. Not talking to me, talking AT me through my supervisor over the cubes. It just seemed so unfair that they’d use poor performance as their excuse to firing me, when the company was reducing their headcount anyway. Now I have to continually answer the “Have you ever been FIRED?” question in shame when I don’t believe that I did anything truely wrong to this company.
The company itself is a great company, just the team I was on seems a little screwy. I don’t want to be bitter or depressed about how personal this got. The sucker punches have done their damage. I’ve lost my confidence in the things I knew because that is what they called into question. I want to get back on my feet fast and put this all behind me but how do I answer the “Have you ever been FIRED?” question?
Dazed & Confused – First, let me say how sorry I am that you are going through this right now. I know from personal experience that it is not easy.
Second, I want to encourage you to shift your vision about this entire situation. For whatever reason, you have been “dealt this hand.” My dad taught me a long time ago, that you have to play the hand you have been dealt. The great part of it is that, though the hand looks bleak right now, there are all kinds of creative ways to play the hand so that you come out on top. You get to choose whether you walk in depression, and for how long. Remember that!
It sounds like it was an unjust termination. Those are the worse. But if you allow yourself to be a victim in this situation, it will take you longer to recover. You said yourself, that you want to “get back on your feet and put this behind you.” Do that! Sit down tomorrow or Sunday and begin to see this situation from a different vantage point. What is it that you GET to do with the rest of your life that you have been putting off? What steps do you need to accomplish this goal/desire? If you don’t have something that you have always wanted to do, then start there. What is it that you would like to do, what do you enjoy? And begin to move in that direction.
Will the question come up at some point about the termination? YES it will. Again, I know from personal experience. But you don’t have to let that question or your answer be the focal point of the discussion. Here is a link to another post I have written on this issue: http://www.interviewchatter.com/so-youve-been-fired/.
Your termination does not have to be an issue for your next employer. It only becomes an issue, if you bring bitterness, malice, pain and depression into the interview. This is an opportunity to pursue dreams and desires you have put off for years. If that is true, than you can proudly say “yes, I have been fired. This is what happened…, this is what I learned… and this is where I am interested in going in my career… I will make an excellent … in your organization.” And move forward. Please feel free to contact me by email if you want more thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how you can move forward and past this “speed bump.”
So… I was terminated last week for something I did not do. I was accused of theft, but there was no way to prove either way what happened. I had never had a problem before this. Can my ex-employer give the detailed reason for my termination to inquiring new employers?
Thanks!
Hi Ready to Move On!
I am sorry to hear about your termination. I am glad to see you are “ready to move on”.
To answer your question, most employers are very careful about what they say when giving a reference regarding an employee especially one that has been terminated. My recommendation to my clients is to confirm with the employer what their policy is on employee references. They have one – you need to know what it is.
Some employers only share salary, dates of employment and whether you are rehirable. Others will share everything and anything they are asked. Go back to the employer and ask them what they do.
I was terminated in March from my position at a very well known financial institution. It was night shift, part-time in the institution’s data center. It was about 20-25 hours each week, with paid holidays off, and set hours M-F. I am a full-time college student and thought this was great. I worked with 6 other women, all but 2 were also college students, the oldest was 21.
To make a very complex story very short, 2 of the girls were best friends from high school and decided that they didn’t like me and wanted rid of me. The supervisor did whatever they told him and they set me up big time. I got fired over a MySpace page. No joke. And the great thing was, it was a MySpace page that these 2 girls were controlling and blamed on me.
So now I’ve been unemployed for over a month (about 6 weeks). Thank goodness, my tax refund came in at that time and I’ve been living off of it, but it’s almost gone. I’ve got a really awesome interview lined up for Tuesday and I would really love to have the job. I’m terrified that the interviewer will ask me about the last job or why I was fired. I don’t know what to say without making it blaming someone else or going into way too much detail when I shouldn’t. I’m so nervous. I really need this job and I’m afraid that I’m going to blow it.
Hi Kate! I am sorry to hear about your previous job, but very excited to hear about your interview. As far as what to say about the previous job, telling the truth is always the best option. Here is my recommendation: “I was terminated for accessing a My Space page.”
If this infraction was against company policy, then you need to be accountable for your decision to participate with your colleagues. Share that information. Then, you need to discuss that you will not make that mistake again. Say something like: “I am committed focusing on my job. I will not be accessing social websites while at work in the future. You can count on my remaining focused on this job (describe the job).”
Please confirm that you were able to see my comment and let me know if you have any additional questions. Good Luck on your interview!
Darlene
Hi, Darlene. Thanks for getting back with me soon. My interview is around noon tomorrow. The complex part of my termination is that the MySpace page was not accessed during work. In fact, our department had no access to the internet at all. We were on a company “intranet” and only able to access our Outlook Express compmany email accounts, which were never used in that dept.
These 2 girls printed off screenshots of a fake MySpace page and showed it to the dept. supervisor that they had under their control. He then showed it to the VP of the building and they fired me over the page. It basically boiled down to pictures that were taken inside the place being put online. The dept. supervisor took a lot of pictures himself, but they blamed it all on me to get rid of me. There’s more to it, but I’m trying to compress it for simplicity.
It was just part-time and I was about 2 weeks shy of being there a year, so they could still fire me without any specific reason or explanation. It was a total nightmare. I was pretty much fired so that these 2 girls could stay together.
Hi Kate,
It sounds like you have a case for an unjust termination. I won’t go down that path at this point, but it sounds like you can simplify the story of what happened including the two weeks shy of one year. If you are asked why you no longer work at the previous place of employment, i would recommend that you keep it short and sweet. I wouldn’t go through all the details. You always want to speak from a place of accountability. But don’t take responsibility for what is not yours. Keep it SIMPLE! Good Luck with the interview!
I was reading over this website and found it very interesting. I am going through a horrible situation at my job right now and will most likely be terminated for something I did not do. I having a hard time dealing w/ this and would need some advice. Can someone help me out?
Thx,
E
Hi Ericka,
I am happy to help! Please feel free to leave a more detailed comment or send an email. You will find my email in the sidebar of my blog!
Darlene
what do you say to an employer if you were terminated for a Hippa violation that was unjust & then terminated again for time card falsecification from another employer?
Thank You
Hi Tina,
Thank you for stopping by Interview Chatter today. I am happy to answer your question, but I need a little more information on the first termination that was unjust. Can you share a few more details?
Darlene
I am so glad I found this site. Here’s the story. I was told by my former employer that I was being looked at for outside interests (starting a business outside of work) and was asked to leave and they said they would let me know how they process the separation. In the meantime, I filled out an app. and said “NO” to the “Have you every been involuntarily discharged question”. The HR person called from the new place and I told her I was laid off and receiving severance…I panicked and didn’t know what to say, it was so soon after being fired. I then went on an interview and explained to them that prior to my separation my previous employer felt we had a conflict of interest over owning rental property that showed up in a random background check. They didn’t think twice about it. (witch hunt) 30 people since have been fired for internet use with more layoffs coming next month. Anyway the HR person asked for references and I’m on my way to landing a new job…..only problem is I was just told by my former empolyer I was fired so now I lied on the application. They contacted my references and my ref’s told the new HR person they weren’t privy to why I no longer worked there. I had 6 years of service with good reviews and impressed the new hiring mgr. during the interview and had a recruiter and a high ranking employee of my former job call the President of the new place to recommend me for the job. The HR person did ask my reference who my direct boss was. I’m afraid she’ll get in contact with him and he will be forced to say no if they ask him if I’m eligible for re-hire, or somehow find out I was fired and not laid off…..please help! I don’t want to lose this job.
Hi Jack, Thank you for visiting Interview Chatter today. The situation you find yourself in is not unusual given the employment climate. There is something you can do, however there is no guarantee that you will continue to be a strong candidate for this position. So, you will need to count the cost before you do what I am going to recommend. Counting the cost includes understanding that the position may already be lost. That being said here is my recommendation:
Contact the hiring manager, not the HR person. If you have access to the person who will make the decision about your candidacy contact them. See if you can get in to see them again. How you do that will be interesting, but get creative. You want to meet with them again and share some information about your previous employment. If they will not see you (and that is possible), than you are going to need to have this conversation by phone. What you will need to say is what you said to me in the comment, “I was asked to leave my previous employer because I started a business outside of work. They told me they would notify me of how the separation would be processed. I did not find out it was processed as a termination until after I completed the application for your company. I am very interested in working for your organization and I wanted to let you know as soon as possible. I am happy to complete another application accurately if you will give me the opportunity. I am contacting you because I do not want to mislead you. I truly believe I am the right person for this opportunity and I never intended to lie about my separation from my previous job. I was a very good worker for them and I intend to be an excellent worker for you if you are willing to give me the opportunity.”
Understand that your one issue in having this conversation is that you have violated their trust on a legal document. If the hiring manager really wants to hire you, they may allow you to complete another application and “extend grace”. But it will come down to the hiring manager and the HR person to determine within the scope of their organizational culture, whether you “lied” to them intentionally. Some organizations are non-negotiable. No matter the circumstances. If they find out you lied, it is over. I am a woman of prayer. I pray about everything. I would pray before having this conversation and then bite the bullet and call. I would avoid the HR person if at all possible because, HR people think differently then operations people. The HR person will hear the story and want to follow the law to the letter – I am an HR person and an operations person. It makes me unique in the field of HR. Which is one of the reasons I write this blog. I know what HR people do, but I have a solid understanding of how to run a business and I know operations people and I give both perspectives on any given situation. The legal document is where your issue starts. If you can get past that with them, you may still have a great chance of being offered the position. Please keep me posted on your progress and let me know if you get the job offer. I would love to celebrate your story here at Interview Chatter!
I was fired for the first time ever on Friday, December 19, 2008. All that was said, “It was not a good fit.” My only explanation was since I was the newest person on the staff, they were expecting a good subordinate regardless of how poorly run the dept was. Others in the dept who had been there years (having continuously witness several others quit on the fly) had numerous open complaints on how things were managed in the dept. I think my former manager thought it was time for her to be the dumper rather than the potential dumpee. She did not even have a plan in place, as I saw my job posted on craigslist the following Monday. Ouch. I won them a high percentage of proposals (revenue). It was never about poor performance or doing any harm to the company. I always go by the rules. This time, it was strictly politics. Six months at this job and I am forever now going to have to answer this lousy question!
Hi MD! My first response to your comment is sympathy, however sympathy will not help you get past this very difficult time. I am not sure how to respond to the issues you experienced on the job, however I can respond to how you may want to respond to what happened.
Apparently there were issues on the job, but there issues do not need to hinder you from getting a decent job. Release them and their foolishness. Forgive them and move on. If you were successful as far as productivity, that is what you need to discuss when you have the opportunity to interview for the next job opportunity.
I don’t know how many years of work experience you have, but as long as this wasn’t your first job (and even if it was), it will not be the “show stopper” when you are interviewing and competing for a new job unless you bring all the baggage that transpired on the job. Let it go and start looking at what you have done in the past to be successful with previous employers. Focus on that and learn from what happened in the previous job.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
Here is my story. I am so devastated and it feels like my life is over. I have been an RN 18 years including serving in the Army Nurse Corp reserves 16 years and a Vet of the Gulf War. I took pride in my ability to give great care. I have never had trouble finding a job. But now, I get offers and then it falls through. Here is what happened. In july of this year, at the end of my shift I signed for a box of controlled meds. We have a new pixis (med cart that charges patients by numbers only..no key needed), and I was just learning to use it. We had carts previously. I called the pharmacist and she agreed I could put it in the lockbox til Monday
(I was off Sunday and Monday).I discovered that
the lockbox didn’t lock anymore but there were all kinds of patient valuables,& at
times there were uncontrolled and
controlled meds in that cupboard belonging to the clients (plus valuables).
and I thought it would be ok there. I told the 3-11p two
male RN’s coming on shift it was there, and showed it to them in front of my LPN. They left it there and when the DON found out She told me it came up missing after my shift. The 3-11 RN’s never moved it either and never even told the 11-7a shift it was in the lockbox. I should not have put it there and there was a million things I could have done, but didn’t. They let me go and the two male RN’s are still working there. I now get offers for jobs, but when they check references, they change their mind. I called HR and she told me nicely that the only thing by policy they can say is my dates of hire and my position. Is giving only that information a red flag for prospective employers? My self esteem is low, and I am panicking financially because I am single and have a house and car to pay for now. What can I do? I thought of hiring an agency to call and see what they are really saying. I even applied to a company where I worked PRN while working for this company and it ended in my not getting back into this company after references.
I was there 3 years and ran the floor. The DON was a staff nurse and interim DON and then assistant, she feared they would let her go and not need her and made the comment she wanted my job. She has harrassed me and disrespected me so many times in the past year. I get depressed. I have 10 more years to pay on my home. Sometimes, I don’t want to get up and face the day…and that’s totally not like me. I have never been through this before. I was so shocked I didn’t think to resign as they said they were letting me go and blamed me for all of this. If it was wrong for me to put these meds in that cupboard, then wasn’t it wrong for the 3-11 RN’s to leave it there? This doesn’t feel right to me. They are ruining my life….HELP. I am praying hard!! I have not told prospective employers I was terminated. I am to embarrassed and don’t think they would understand or perhaps not believe me. Now what? Thanks and Bless you for your help to others. I do have a BSN which always helped me get work before.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that this lockbox is behind locked med room doors where only nurses are suppose to go at all times. I am sure that does not happen and others staff are in the med room. I feel singled out. Susan
Hi Susan, Thank you for visiting bizzia Careers. WOW, there is a lot to your story. My first recommendation is that you have to find some peace in this situation. I hear the desperation of the situation through your comment. That desperation may be more what’s in your way than the references that the employers are calling. Second, you may want to change the people you have on your reference list. Those who you do select need to be prepared. Talk to the people and help them with answering the questions that may be posed to them concerning you.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that the previous organization is only giving salary and date of hire, but they also can answer the question of whether you are rehireable. You may want to verify with HR if they answer that question. If they say no you are not rehireable, without an explanation, that may be what is in your way. Which leads me to the third recommendation, you have to be honest with prospective employers. By your own admission you have not told them you were terminated. That alone is enough to take you out of contention for the position. You have not been honest, so they find out something happened, but you have not given them an opportunity to make an informed decision about your candidacy. In this market, that will hurt you in the hiring process. You must be up front. Tell your story, not all the gory details. Be accountable for what you did and take everyone else out of the story. It doesn’t matter what every one else did in this situation. It only matters what you did and didn’t do. Own your part, be accountable and talk about what you have learned and most hiring managers who hear a credible story about a mistake and your willingness to be accountable for your part will give you a second chance. Than when they call the organization and they say she is not rehireable, they already know why because you told them.
Lastly, you have got to pull yourself out of the funk. Without even looking at your resume, I know you are skilled. Stop looking at everyone else and focus on the person in the mirror. Who are you and what can you bring to another organization? Answer that question, allow yourself to be human, work through the anger, frustration of the situation and than move on. Move forward. For whatever reason it was time for you to leave the organization. Whether you wanted to or not, there is something else for you to be doing. Figure out what that is and get to it.
Please let me know how this all works out. I would love to hear the end of your story. There is a hospital waiting for you and what you bring, get out there and find out where it is. You have patients waiting for you!
Darlene