How to Explain Why You Were Fired

How to Explain Why You Were FiredHow to Explain Why You Were FiredHow do you explain you that were fired to friends, professional contacts, colleagues, and prospective employers? What should you say, when should you say it, and how should you share the fact that youve lost your job? Its definitely not an easy task. In fact, responding to questionsabout the circumstances surrounding a terminationcan be a serious challenge. For most of us, emotions run high in that situation, and there canbea temptation to vent those feelings. However, acting on thisimpulsecan be damaging to yourreputation and could even sabotage your efforts to restart your career. The Best Way to Explain That You Were Fired When youre talking about your experience ofbeing fired, its important to be aware of who youre talking to. Sharing your reaction with a small inner circle of close family, friends, confidants, or a counselor can be an important and necessary step as you recover emotionally from a termination. You should limit that group to just a few individuals who have an unshakeable, high regard for your abilities and who you trust, absolutely, to keep your feelings confidential. The people that care about you the most, and who you trust, are ones you can tell how badly you feel, how frustrated you are, and will help you get over the fact that you were fired. When discussing your firing beyond that inner circleof special people, try your best to carefully gauge what you say about the incident. For example, when talking to someone you dont consider to be a close, trusted friend, be mindful of what role he or she might play in your job search. Job leads can emerge from the most unexpected people and places, so when you discuss your firing, frame thesituation to minimize any negative perceptions about your ability to perform on future jobs or your ability to connect with coworkers. Best Options for Discussing a Firing 1. The Job Wasnt a Good Fit While youre trying to figure out what to say, start by reflecting on your termination and determining if it would be a good move to redirect your career based on your firing. One of the easiest ways toexplain afiring is to characterize the past job as a less than ideal fit for your interests and personal abilities. This explanation worksbest if you have decided to pursue a significantly different role. The key is to differentiate your current career goals from the failed job experience. 2. You Needed to Work on Your Skill Set What should you say if youre sticking to the samecareer path? If you werefireddue to a personal limitation and have taken steps to upgrade yourskill set, then you can share a story about how you have addressed any weaknesses in your abilities. For example, perhaps Excel skills were essential for success in your past job, and you have since taken a workshop to enhance your proficiency. 3. The Company Wasnt a Good Fit Another angle is to explain your terminationasthe result ofapoor fitwith your compa ny.Again, this will play better if you can describe a different size employer, industry affiliation, ororganizational culture that you are now targeting. For example, if you were in a conservative industry like healthcare and your efforts to introduce change were not well received, then you might mention an emerging focus on a more entrepreneurial industry like technology. Or, perhaps you felt suffocated or isolated in a large, corporate setting and wanted to move to a smaller, startup environment. Focus on howyour strengthsmatch up with the new type of environment youre seeking, rather than how you didnt fit into a past role. 4. It Wasnt Your Fault In some cases, a termination can be explained by unavoidable factors such as budget cuts, erledigung of product or service lines, mergers or acquisitions. Even if the termination was the result of a situation beyond your control, be ready toconvey evidence of your personal success in the role and to provide a clear explanation of why you lost your job. Dont Be Negative Regardless of your reasoning, its perhaps most important to avoid criticizing pastmanagement, supervisors, or colleagues. If you talk badly about your situation, you might seem like a pessimist with a poor attitude. This can lead to questions about your ability to develop positive working relationships. Also, keep in mind that you never know what information might get back to your employer. Even if you left under bad terms, you dont want to fuel the fire. Of course, you can convey your disappointment in losing a job, but avoid speaking negatively about the situation. While its important to be genuine, try to seem as neutral, and as positive, as you can. Have a Conversation Even though its easier to send a quick email or social message, its better to have a conversation. Either in-person or on the phone works best especially if youre spinning the terms of your departure. You shouldnt put anything in writing that isnt 100% accurate. You also d ont want to share the hard feelings about getting fired that you have at the moment, which may be tempered once some time passes. How to Handle Interview Questions You may need to know how to answer questions about how your job ended during interviews. Review these tips for answeringinterview questions about termination and examples of the best answers for questions about why you were fired, so that you can frame your departure as positively as possible. Key Takeaways Dont dwell too much on the negative.Shift the focus to more positive topics, such as your excitement about the new skills youve learned since your termination or your new job interests.Practice your delivery prior to meetings and interviews, so you can tighten your story and stay on script.