What shall I say doing interviews for next job as I was fired from the previous one?
Question:
I am moving on with a positive attitude but I'm afraid the above question will not get me past the interviewer's first-pass filter. I believe I lack certain skill-sets: good communication skills & good Project Management (PM) skills, so I'm addressing the latter with an intensive 3-day PM course. Also learning more about confident public speaking with Toastmasters etc.
Answer:
The most important thing for you to realize is that this type of thing happens everyday to people in business. It is not uncommon for backstabbing coworkers to sabotage the projects of others. They will sometimes do it for the good of the company or higher goals, but more often simply to propel their own careers. Fortunately, there are other employers out there who have seen these types of situations before and will be willing to see past your recent underperformance.
Of course, you must admit that on some level you did not succeed at your task. Whatever the reasons for your failure, it was in fact that: a failure. All is fair in love and war, and most is fair in office politics. So you must learn to live with people who may have more muscle than you do, can destroy your work and reputation whether it is right or not. Care must be taken around these people. Sometimes these are fights that just cannot be won.
Moving on, your next employer should be able to take advantage of the skills that you earned in the 8 years prior to your meeting this hideous woman. You may have to be willing to take a step down to a lower level so that you can obtain employment, but assuredly someone will see your value. You should secure good references from your bosses in previous years so that you may have much credibility to lend to your side of the story. Any threat of legal action on your part can hinder this effort. If the topic of your firing comes up, then you must acknowledge the mistakes that you made and how you have learned from them. Often employers prefer to take advantage of an employees greater experience.
Finally, if its truly a first-pass filter that you are worried about, then ensure that you get past it by writing out your answer beforehand. Around sensitive topics, politicians are always very precise; in this case, maybe you should be too. Accentuate the positives, and don't talk too badly of anyone else, including your ex-boss. Once they get to know you through subsequent interviews, your new employer should be glad that someone with your experience slipped through their first-pass filter. The worst you will have done is wasted someone's time in giving you an interview. For someone's who has given 8 years to an industry, that is by no means too much to ask.
Good Luck!
The truth...they have ways of finding things out, so it's always good to be up front during an interview.
Here is a link to an article you might find helpful about interviewing after you've been fired from your previous job. http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewq...
If you check out some of the internet job sites (monster.com, hotjobs.com, careerbuilder.com) they often have articles &/or message boards that will give you a great deal of assistance. Good luck!
I recommend for you to be totally honest, but vague at the same time. When a potential employer asks you why you were fired, simply tell them you and your boss did not have a good working relationship. Essentially, you two were not a good fit. Every employee does not get along with their boss and that is a fact of life. However, it is a shame you got the short end of the stick. Keep your head up and remain faithful.
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