 |
|
|||||
After a firing, be sure to examine reasons
A lot of readers ask about the issue of being fired and how to explain the circumstances to interviewers - how much to tell, when (or whether) to bring up the situation and whether the employer will be able to find out for himself or herself how the last job ended.
Some readers were fired unfairly. This situation is even more difficult to relate to an interviewer. After all, will he or she really believe that the boss, not the worker, made the mistake?
In next week's column I'll look at interview strategies to handle some of those issues. But first, a question: Why did this happen to you? As a career counselor, I'm interested in the reasons behind the firing, because they often leave clues that can help in making new plans. I've found this to be true whether the dismissal was justified or unjust.
Here's an example. Many years ago, an acquaintance was fired from her job loading packages on planes when she was found smoking marijuana in her car in the airport parking lot. I asked her directly, "Were you trying to get fired?" Nothing else made sense.
Eventually she concluded that she deliberately had provoked her manager into firing her. Why? She didn't like the job but couldn't bring herself to quit.
We then concentrated on what she didn't like about the job and what she wanted in the next job. We also talked about taking responsibility for her decisions and facing them head-on instead of dumping the dirty work on people around her.
If only every "unfair" firing was unraveled so easily. Unfortunately, lots of tales are populated by unstable, unpredictable or just plain unethical bosses and co-workers who seemed to conspire to toss an innocent worker out the door. Often the only conclusion I can draw is that my client was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Even so, I still ask, "What were you doing there?" What I'm looking for are clues - which the worker might have seen but ignored - that this job was deteriorating.
Sometimes this post-dismissal analysis reveals warning signs that the client saw and looked past even before taking the job.
This discussion isn't about blaming the victim. It's about ensuring that next time this happens, he or she will see the writing on the wall and quit or transfer.
With luck, you will not encounter such unsavory situations at work. Realistically?
Most of us already have. Look back at the bad situations you've experienced on the job - and especially any firings - and ask: Was there anything I could have done earlier to head things off? And what will I do next time to ensure things don't get so bad?
- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.
