How long were you there? Maybe you could just leave off that employer all together.
Since the end of 09. :dubious: And a friend from that job has a gf who’s a manager at PHEAA, so supposedly she will put in a good word for me.
Unemployment might be problematic, but that’s another issue.
Technically, legally, they can if they want. However most HR departments have a standard policy that they only confirm title and dates of employment, because if they give a reason they can set themselves up for a lawsuit from that terminated employee. Regardless whether the lawsuit is spurious or not, they cost money, and that’s something the company will just want to avoid.
That said: in my experience, in most cases, the question of why you left your previous employer doesn’t even come up in the interview. For all I know this could be an industry-specific thing (I don’t handle anyone else’s money for my job), so take this with a grain of salt; but remember that you don’t have to volunteer any information if they don’t ask a direct question.
If they do ask, same thing applies – you can give a truthful but vague answer, and then stop talking. It’s unlikely they’ll press for more details.
Most candidates hang themselves because they feel a compulsive need to fill the silence. Be aware of that and don’t fall into that trap. Silence is okay.
Ahem…so the gf manager is then going to know the ENTIRE story, as I am sure she will ask your friend, “So why doesn’t Love Rhombus work with you guys anymore?”
Well - I suppose that does clear the air, but it does make your question moot.
I mean, if she knows, then somewhere along the line others are going to find out as well.
That is the good news/bad news about using friends to network for you. No confidentiality when going through back doors.
Sigh I hadn’t thought about that. 
Well at least I have my nice green suit all laid out. I’ll look good even if I screw up.
I wouldn’t worry TOO much. If she knows and is still putting in a good word for you, she can’t think it’s too much of a dealbreaker, and she’s a manager there.
I don’t know WHAT she knows. She waved at me at the open house, but we didn’t get a chance to talk. Sigh I’ll just be vague and professional I guess.
Some jobs have ZERO tolerance for certain errors.
I personally know a young adult who was an honest person and hard worker. At a young age they got a new job at a supermarket.
It was a Sunday morning. In that hick county it was illegal to sell beer before say noonish. Person sells beer before noon not thinking. Person “fired” that same day.
I agree. Noone will know the reason for your separation unless you tell them. I sure am curious to know where you worked that you got fired for writing down the wrong number - presumably along side your real signature. I mean warnings are designed for this type of thing.
On the whole they were pretty decent. I’d work there again if I could.
Well, yeah, but liquor laws are no joke, and this guy put the store on the line with liability for that sale. That’s something they can lose their license over, along with hefty fines. If the store neglected to train him on the specifics of the liquor laws before they let him sell liquor, then sure, they were being unfair. If he was trained and he just wasn’t thinking as you said – well, attention to detail is an important part of many jobs, and it’s going to be something he needs to work on.
When I waited tables I would have been fired on the spot (and personally fined in the neighborhood of $500) if I was caught forgetting to card someone who wanted wine with dinner, too. Since I needed that job, I made damn sure I carded everyone who didn’t have white hair and wrinkles. I just made it a part of my routine.
(I do think blue laws are stupid – Sunday is just another day to me and I don’t see why I need to be inconvenienced because some other religion got a bug up their ass about it – but that’s not within the control of the store selling the booze.)
And how do you think casinos feel about how money and bets and chips and such are processed? Particulary since every idiot on the planet seems determined to figure out some way to game/scam the system?
Heck, I’d bet (heh) casinos are more parinoid and careful how money is handled than most nations are about how nuclear material is handled.
Yes, yes they are.
Just start by providing the least amount of information. They may not care. People understand that you can lose a job for different reasons that may not disqualify you at all. If there are conditions that would disqualify you they’ll ask you about them specifically. Answer any specific questions honestly, but again provide the least amount of information necessary.
I agree, and it seems that Love Rhombus does too. If an innocent mistake happens to violate state law, there’s not a hell of a lot anyone can do about it. I can certainly understand why the mistake happened – it would be the equivalent of suddenly having to use a brand-new SS# when I’ve had my old one memorized my entire adult life. It would be nice if the law allowed for someone to go back and correct typos like that on the form, but I guess it doesn’t.
Apparently it was pretty bizarre that they issued her a new license number; so it’s a shame that this whatever state agency basically set her up to fail. Shit happens, I guess.
That might be an angle to use if the OP ends up having to explain this, actually. If it is really unusual to be issued a new license number, then this mistake doesn’t stem from a habitual lack of mindfulness on the job. She got tripped up be extraordinary circumstances, a number which shouldn’t have changed but did, which is substantially different from not double-checking that you put the decimal in the right place on the financial aid form.
In the interest of fighting ignorance, this is 100% false. There are no Federal or state laws that prevent employers from saying anything they like about you as long as it is true. Many states even have laws that exempt employers from defamation suits as long as they provide true information. Many companies do follow the “dates only” policy in order to avoid potential lawsuits, but there is no legal obligation for them to do so. There are even cases where companies have been sued for not disclosing information about a former employee to prospective employers. So unless you are certain of your company’s policy, you should never assume that they won’t disclose the reason you were fired.
No, you have to get it renewed every so often, but I’d had the same number since I started. Knew it better than my social, almost. Same as a driver’s license. Also…her? :dubious: 
The thing to keep in mind here, though, is this: what’s the previous employer’s upside in providing negative information to your future employer? Virtually none.* What’s their downside? Potentially the cost of a libel lawsuit, and also bad reputation among prospective job applicants. It’s all loss and no gain for them, so why would they even bother? The math overwhelmingly works out in favor of saying nothing.
*I’d be interested in a cite in your claim that employers have been sued for not providing negative information on previous employees. If there were criminal charges then I could believe that, but just for failing to provide unobjective he-said-she-said stuff? I’d be highly surprised.
I’m brainstorming what to say when the interviewer asks. When I have something, I will post it for your perusal. 
So you agree with the point I made first. That some errors, even very minor, are not tolerated? Even though in a realistic world they would be.
Perhaps the OP should spread his bets so to speak. Tell 1/3 of the jobs he applies to the whole story. Another third nothing (and he tells the references to say nothing about the actual firing details either). Then, the final third he says nothing but tells the references its okay to tell the details of why he was fired.