The Dreaded Question
April 17, 2009 by Darlene McDaniel
Filed under Jobs
So many people have lost their job for poor judgment on their part. Many times we don’t think about the consequences for our actions. As a result, when attempting to find employment in an employers market, involuntary termination can be a difficult
thing to respond to in an interview. Most people who have been fired, dread the question, “Have you ever been discharged or asked to resign from a job? Yes__ No__ If yes, explain.”
Here is a question I received recently. I have changed a few details to ensure I maintain the identity of my reader.
“A few years ago, I was in the parking lot of my job ready to start my shift. I was approached by a co-worker and was offered a beer. Normally, I would have declined, seeing as I was underage anyway at the time, but I caved under the pressure since my Department Manager was WITH the co-worker, and they were both consuming beers before their shift as well. Stupid peer pressure.
Now I know honesty is the best policy, but I really don’t want to get into specifics with the company I’m about to interview for. How would I handle this on my application and in my interview? Could I cite “Terminated for breaking Company Code of Conduct?” and leave it at that, and during the interview say “Yes, I was fired for breaking Employee Code of Conduct, but I have since grown up, learned a tremendous amount from my mistake, and will never make that mistake again?”
Luckily, I have successfully worked 3 jobs since the job from which I was terminated, and those 3 are the only ones that fit onto the employment history part of the application. Since the incident, I’ve got a spotless job record with those 3 companies/organizations, I’ve graduated from college with an associates AND a bachelor’s degree, and was accepted into a Masters of Business Administration Graduate program, where I’m about halfway through completion. Track record since then = spotless. Furthermore, this company is having me sign a Disclosure Regarding Procurement of a Consumer Report, and a Release Authorization for the possibility of “a consumer report or an investigative consumer report, including information as to my character, work habits, performance, and experience, along with reasons for termination of past employment.”
So while it seems like my best course of action is indeed to be truthful with them, I just don’t want to get into embarrassing details. I’m afraid I’m not even going to be considered anyway because of my answer to that one question on their application. Any input or feedback on this will be very much appreciated.”
My response to this reader:
I definitely am a firm believer of telling the truth. If the organization is large and they tell you they are doing background checks you don’t want them to find something out that you didn’t share.
As far as the beer and whether you should give the details. I would play that by ear. Why? First, most organizations are more interested in knowing that you are honest enough to say you got fired, but more importantly they want to know that you learned something and that you are not going to do it again. In your case you have worked 3 jobs since the incident. So even if they want the details about the beer drinking, to your point, you have grown up. It was a mistake, and one you learned from. You can say that. The fact that your record is clean since then is the best testimony you have to support the lesson.
Make sure that you highlight your strengths, your successes from the previous jobs and don’t spend a lot of time talking about the incident unless they are digging for details. I like the statement, “I was terminated because I didn’t honor their code of conduct.” They may want to know how you violated the code of conduct. If they ask, tell them, “I drank a beer in the parking lot prior to my shift.” Don’t say anything about the other people. Own what you did. “I was terminated the next day.” Then say, “What I learned was…. and I have not made that mistake again. I understand why they terminated me. I was young, and exercised poor judgment. That is no longer a problem for me. You don’t have to worry about me doing that again. Since then I have gone back to school and focused on being an excellent employee for the organizations I have worked for since that happened.”
Take some time and think about what you want to say if they dig beyond the “code of conduct” statement. What I have given can be used as a guideline for developing a statement that will work for you. What ever you do, don’t be embarrassed or meek about what happened, Be candid, transparent, open, and give them peace of mind that, that young man is not who they will hiring and you should be able to move smoothly past this question in the interview.
Image Credit: sxc.hu
What you have said makes sense. I have recently been terminated (first time in 30 years of employment) because I refused to lie for my boss to the Board of Directors. I was in a management position. I was also discriminated against for my gender. My boss made 3 statements to this effect. I have a phone interview with a recruiter for a new job for which I applied. What do you think about replying to the question about termination like this:
“The company I worked for provides important services. Sadly, one person in management has values that were out of sync with mine. I’m sure your organization’s core values are close to mine due to the type of work you do.”
I do not want to slam my former boss, but do want to be honest without giving too many details.
This is a million dollar advice. Sometimes we do things that we should not have done but out of peer pressure or some other stupid cause. Still, what is done can not be undone. The best way is to be honest with one’s employer.
Hi S.M. Mehdi! Thank you for stopping by bizzia Careers! I appreciate the value you place on the recommendation I gave this reader. I have spoken to hundreds of people over the last 2.5 years who have lost their job because of poor judgment on their part. It is absolutely amazing to me. But there is hope for each one of them. Some people have difficulty finding employment because they have been terminated. While others seem to find employment with no problem whatsoever. I believe for some, they were dishonest and the employer didn’t check. While others have been transparent, contrite and able to turn the negative outcome from the past into a positive for their future. I will be writing a book on this topic this summer. My hope will be to have the book complete by the end of the summer. Please feel free to stop by Careers anytime!
Hi, Darlene. I was recently fired as a computer programmer and have decided to change careers to become a teacher. While I am getting my teacher certification, I am trying to get a position as a teacher’s assistant. All the applications ask if I was fired and to provide an explanation on a separate piece of paper. Below is what I have written so far. Could you give me a critique? I think I am on the right track (it’s honest), but probably can use some tweaking. Thank you for your help! Dan
I was dismissed in my computer programmer position with XYZ Company. Although, I was told that the company policy did not allow my manager to give me a detailed explanation for letting me go, I know that my heart was no longer in programming, and it was apparent in my work performance. A career that originally was satisfying had gradually lost meaning to me over the years. I know now that I cannot again make the mistake of taking a job just to pay the bills. The job must be meaningful. I have known for several years that I wanted to become a teacher, but it took this situation to finally make me realize that changing my career to something that would give me satisfaction was not just a luxury, but a necessity. I have begun my Masters degree in Education, and am seeking a position as an instructional assistant to help prepare me for becoming a teacher.
Darlene,
I have another question. In my severance letter, my former employer referred to my separation as an “agreed-upon Release between you and XYZ Company”. No other description of my release is in the letter or the severance agreement. Is this different than being terminated? I want to be honest on my applications, but I don’t want to say that I was fired, if, in fact, I wasn’t.
Hi Dan,
I actually like your explanation. It is well written and you are taking responsibility for what happened. You have written it from a place of being accountable for the outcome rather than blaming the organization or your previous supervisor. That alone makes it an excellent explanation. Excellent job.
Severance Question: When it is mutual, you can frame it that way. I wouldn’t use fired, I would say that you left as a result of…(and give the reason you left). It should be based on why you agreed to the release. In other words if you wanted to explore new opportunities, say that. When you get a moment Dan, shoot me an email at darlingmcdaniel@gmail.com. I want to talk about this one off line with you.
Darlene
Hi Kay! Thanks for visiting bizzia Careers! Let me begin by saying that you absolutely can not slam the former boss. The interview will be over. My recommendation for you is that you say to the recruiter, “I was asked to lie about ….. to the Board of Directors. When I refused to do so, I was terminated.” You definitely will want to speak about your values, and your integrity. So that they understand that you have strong convictions and that you will bring that to their organization. Understand that today, you can not assume that all organizations operate with a high level of integrity. Just watch the news and look at your own experience, so making that assumption in your statement about the next organization is not going to help you necessarily, unless you know for a fact that it is true.
You don’t know about their values yet. I highly recommend that you invest some time discovering their values. That comes by asking good question in the interview and doing some homework. Find people that work in the organization you are interviewing with and listen to what they say about the organization, their values and beliefs. Than you will know if you are considering an organization who operates from a high degree of integrity.
Forget about the discrimination issues. There is no way to discuss that without speaking against the discriminator. If you feel like you have a case against the previous organization and/or the boss for discrimination, handle that as a separate issue with an attorney. For the sake of employment, you don’t want that to leak into the potential job opportunity you have in front of you.
Please let me know of you have any additional questions. Please stop by again and let me know how the interview went with the recruiter. I love to hear great success stories. If you are have an issue that comes up in the interview, please come back and share that as well. Good luck!
Darlene