Help! I need job interview advice!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

OK, some of you know the story. I’m not going to regale the rest of you with the gory details. If you want to know them, check my MPSIMS thread titled, “I got fired…”

Basically, I was fired from my job as a craps dealer 30 days into a 90 day evaluation, allegedly because I have a “negative attitude.” Inquiry with the Human resources revealed that this was based on a single, minor misunderstanding with another dealer, plus some false statements by a couple of supervisors to the effect that I would “get upset” when I was corrected or given constructive criticism. I was not told anything that I may have said or done to give them the idea that I was upset.

While I was working there, I complied with all company policies and procedures, was cooperative with my co-workers, followed the directives of the supervisors, and gave polite, friendly service to my players. I was never given any indication that my job performance was unsatisfactory, or that anything I was doing was creating a problem.

Incidentally, in the handbook, there is a clause that in some cases, an employee who didn’t meet the standards at the end of the 90 days can be given a 30 day extension. I didn’t even get the 90 days…

I was the only female craps dealer on the shift, and to my knowledge, there are only two others, who switch back and forth between blackjack and dice, so effectively there is only one. (Both these women work graveyard shift. There are no female craps dealers on days that I know of.) Many of my male coworkers were extremely uncooperative with me on the game.

I believe that there is a clique in the casino considers the dice pit to be a “boys only” club, and that they basically fabricated these complaints as a way of getting rid of me because they didn’t want to let any girls play in their treehouse.

So, now, I’m looking for another job. I have an application in, and another place that I applied a while back where I’m still in the running for a job there.

My problem is this- how do I handle the question, “Why did you work at … for only a month?”

I can’t find anything in my “how to interview books” that address the issue of being let go for reasons, um, other than poor job performance, misconduct, or your basic economic layoff.

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m the type who cries “discrimination” any time I don’t get my way.

Anybody out there in management or any job interview veterans have any advice on how to handle this issue in an interview? I need all the help I can get.

2

Can you leave it off the resume altogether? Say you’ve taken a short sabbatical to focus on defining your long-term goals. (Be prepared to know what those goals are if your asked)

If you can’t just leave it off, you might try the phrase, “It was a poor fit.” If the rest of your work history is solid, you can then imply that leaving after a month was a mutual decision made for the overall good of the “team”. It’s hard to stomach, but it shows that you are, even when it is not in your personal best interest, you are a “team player”. If pressed on the issue, blame non-specific personality conflicts as the reason for the poor fit.

3

How about something like “I was the only woman working in this job–I don’t think anyone there was happy to have a woman on staff.” Combined with a wry, knowing look, I think that would convey your perception without going into too much detail. If the person presses, you can add more info or use the “poor fit” line that Commander Fortune suggests.

Good luck with the job hunt!

4

It is always a mistake to disparage former employers and co-workers. Even if you’re 100% correct, at best, it’ll seem like sour grapes. At worst, you’ll seem like a trouble maker. Speak well those you worked with.

You’re best bet is a pleasant sounding lie. “That was a fine (company, or group of people), but the shift hours conflicted with (whatever)”. Or the commute was taxing, or hey, you couldn’t shake the feeling that the Lord did not approve of your occupation.

Best of luck!
…spooje

5

Never list a job you only had for a month.
And never make up a resume with exact dates.
There’s no margin in it.
If they give you a form, give them a resume instead. I’ve never had one refused.

6

1st Interviewer: Mr. Murphy, do you mean that you lied on your application?

Spud: No! Uh. Yes. Only to get my foot in the door. Showing initiative and that like.

1st Interviewer: But you were referred here by the department of employment, there was no need for you to get your “foot in the door,” as you put it.

Spud: Ehhh… cool. Whatever you say, I’m sorry. You’re the man. The dude in the chair.

2nd Interviewer: Mr. Murphy, what attracts you to the leisure industry?

Spud: In a word: pleasure. It’s like, my pleasure in other people’s leisure

7

Fonz-

Most casinos in this town will not accept a resume, and they insist that you account for any gap in employment, even for a month. They want you to go back ten years, and they make you fill out a separate form if your job history won’t fit on the application, you can’t even give them a resume for that. So, fudging the resume isn’t a problem.

I’m thinking of taking the approach of saying that the shift boss who fired me said that I “wasn’t meeting the standards of service,” I asked him what I had done wrong, or what had I not done that I should have been, he said he didn’t know, I needed to contact Human Resources. (This is true, by the way. The asshole literally didn’t know why he was firing me.) And when I called Human Resources, they told me in very vague terms that a couple of supervisors felt that I had a negative attitude, but couldn’t give me any specific examples of anything I had done that made them feel I had a negative attitude, and that at my previous job, I frequently got compliments from both supervisors and customers on my friendly, upbeat personality.(all of this is true, but with some details omitted.)

Needs polish, but that’s the basic idea, I think.

8

No, don’t admit that YOU didn’t meet thier standards. If you ABSOLUTELY must tell them, say that your personality was not complimentary to the environment they created. And leave it at that. If the interviewer questions you on this, say that you just felt that you didn’t fit with the ambiance they were trying to create. Make it as vague as possible without sounding like you’re dodging the question.

9

I’m with swiddles - if you tell them that, not only will they instantly think that you are awkward (your word against the company’s word & they may have a lot fo respect for the other casino) but also difficult to get rid of - your version of “I couldn’t get a straight answer out of them” no matter how true can sound to an employer like “kicked up a huge scene when asked to leave” - it’s a jeckel and hyde thing - employer/employee view of a situation.

I’d try to avoid saying that the shift hours conflicted ot the commute was bad also, as that sounds like you are not willing to make an effort for the company. Commander fortune’s one sounds best - poor fit, decision made for the team, team player sort of thing.

10

I was in on the last thread, and I work with convicts helping them get through interviews. (this is to let you evaluate my advice. I work with some of the toughest folks to place)

So, since you need to actually admit you worked with them and only for about a month:

  1. DO NOT mention the “only woman in a casino full of men”. It is my considered opinion (as a FEMALE, mind you) that by implying there was a sexist environment in your prior job, the average interviewer will see YOU as a person LOOKING for discrimination, and not the other way around.

  2. I would use the “bad fit” line. going on to say, “I have (x amount) of years of working cooperatively with coworkers, supervisors and customers.” and then start mentioning compliments you may have gotten from other places.

  3. If they press, say “There was a supervisor who apparently had a difficult time working with me. I felt that it was not productive to argue with management about issues like if that supervisor had made any attempt to make me aware of a problem and how to take corrective actions. So I agreed that the job was a poor fit for both that organization and me. I’m sure they’re a fine place in most respects.”

What they’ll be looking for is confirmation that you’re a hard person to work with. By stating that you CHOSE to not argue the point will render the other casino’s claim of “hard to work with” less viable. Good luck.