I hope I posted this in the right forum, mods please move it if not. I was fired from my last job as a customer service rep for a large DSL provider. I basically found a way around the phone system so I would not receive calls for a period of time. I was caught and terminated on breaking company policy. Stupid of me I know, but what’s done is done.
Since then I’ve applied to a few similar positions in which I was more then qualified. But during the interviews when asked why I left my last job I would tell the truth and say that I was terminated. If pressed for details I would simply relate what happened in the most positive manner I could, and be sure to explain how I’ve learned from that mistake.
But I’ve not had a call back yet, and while I did break the rules at my last job I was actually really good at it. I was frequently in the top 10% of the metrics out of 900 odd agents. Now I’m wondering if I should just lie in any future interviews, I know it’s wrong but I’m getting desperate.
From my understanding if a prospective employer were to call my pervious job, all that my pervious employer is allowed to disclose is the time period that I worked. So should I just lie, or continue to tell the truth? Even though telling the truth seems to kill any chance I had at getting the job. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
This is not true. It is common practice (in the US) for many HR departments to refuse to divulge any but the barest minimum of information, there is no legal requirement. This is mostly imposed by lawyers wary of a lawsuit if they give out negative information. However, if the prospective employer bypasses HR and talks directly to a supervisor or cow-orker, who knows what they might say.
how long were you at the previous job? if not all that long, you might be best advised to pretend on your resume & in interviews that you did not even work there, especially if the experience at that workplace is not needed for reference purposes (i.e if you have plenty of other related work experience and/or training in the field.)
It is difficult to imagine a hiring manager giving you a CSR job immediately following you having been fired from one for not doing your job. You were a CSR who found a way to not receive calls. This is the equivalent of a security guard who goes into the back room to take a nap. It just ain’t a selling point.
I don’t want that to seem judgmental–it’s just a fact (and I am involved in similar hiring). The market for CSRs would have to be tremendously desparate for you to get a job from someone with this knowledge, I would guess.
In my experience, most big firms will not provide anything but confirmation of the span of time you were employed.
Do with this information what you deem appropriate.
What some past employers do when called by a prospective employer:
If they have good things to say about an employee:
“Yes, Bob was a great guy, did great work, yada yada, it was terrible to lose him. He’ll do good work for you, I’m sure”
If negative:
(knowing tone of voice)
“I’m sorry, I cannot give out information on that employee because of the potential liability if he fails to get a job because of information I provide”
Most prospective employers will know exactly what is implied.
Cite a non-specific personal (or prefessional) conflict with your superior and say that you were asked to work under very difficult and strained circumstances.
In the mean time, learn your lesson and don’t repeat your mistakes.
When asked Reason For Leaving on an application in reference to a past job, are you required to say if you were fired? I wouldn’t think so- if anybody knows different, please share.
I’d just say that I’d come to the conclusion that there was no opportunity for advancement in that workplace. Not really a lie, right? ;
I say something like that is the best way to go. I really think that you should try to avoid saying that you were fired at all costs. Lies of omission with creative spin are the best way to go but I would lie if necessary if you feel that you learned your lesson and would be a good employee to them.
When interviewing, (according to the temp agencies I have worked for):
You never left a job because you were fired.
You never left a job because you had a personality conflict.
You never left a job because it wasn’t good enough for you.
You always left a job to seek advancement, explore your growth potential, expand your horizons, yada yada.
In other words, always put a positive spin on it. Never admit to any difficulty in a negative way. Find a way to say it in a positive light.
I’ve spent many many years in personnel offices.
There is a company “party line”, and then there is real life. You need a job and are qualified.
YES, since you have learned your lesson, you should just lie. You are not under oath in an interview. Most of the time they will not call. Most of the rest of the time they will call the wrong person, like a payroll clerk, who will be hard-pressed to do more than confirm you once worked there, but won’t know why you left.
BUT you should also know that if they do call your old manager, old bosses will usually not be picky about what they can and can’t say, despite their personnel manager’s wishes. They will blab all sorts of things, including your exact salary, your SS#, your mother’s maiden name, and any little or big spat you had that they recall. And they might make up things if they don’t like you. They are not under oath either, and despite the possibility of lawsuits, they won’t care. Take my word for it.
So, you should come up with one of the more common cover stories. Just say you were “laid off”, “downsized”, or “the department was over budget”(always true, by the way). If other workers were let off around the same time, mention that. Safety in numbers.
I agree with this. I preside over a large corporate division. If someone tells me they’ve been fired in the circumstances outlined in the OP, I wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole. I don’t care if they’ve contrite, had a miraculous conversion, and today preach the word of God. I wouldn’t hire because: (a) I simply wouldn’t do it and (b) I couldn’t do it, given the realities of the workplace. We get plenty of applications for everything, so we are selective. Even if I wanted to give such a person a chance, hiring someone with a track record of dishonesty demonstrates MY bad judgment to my superiors. You may think that’s my own hangup, but if you could confidentially poll executives and HR directors, I think the majority would agree. I have to answer to my superiors and can’t gamble my credibility on someone I don’t really know, yet whose history could come back to bite me.
Yes, do with this information as you must, but realize that a corporate environment forces people to toe the company line and not take risks. My guess is that you’ve learned a valuable lesson. I’ll also readily concede that neither I nor my employees are anything close to saints. Best wishes.