How to Explain a Termination in a Job Interview

So, you’re looking for a new job. Congratulations! But maybe you’re nervous because you were fired from a previous job. You want to look good to prospective employers, but you definitely don’t want to get caught lying.

Regardless of the circumstances of your termination, you need to be honest and confident with recruiters and prospective employers. You also need to learn to turn the negative into a positive so that whoever is interviewing you disregards your firing.

Tips On How to Explain Being Fired in a Job Interview

1. Be honest

If you are in a job interview, and the interviewer asks why you left your last job, be honest. Whatever you say that isn’t true will probably be found out, making you look untrustworthy and irresponsible. Chances are, your interviewer is going to phone your former boss to confirm your story.

If you have said you resigned but were fired for misconduct, you will lose the job opportunity. Instead, own up to the reason you left the job. It’s not a question you can dodge, so be honest.

2. Stay with the facts

No matter how emotional you feel about being fired, you need to stick to the facts and avoid getting emotional when you explain why you got fired. Don’t apologize for what you did or you will look desperate. Instead, limit yourself to professionally telling your prospective employer the facts.

3. Avoid Blame

Avoid blaming your former boss as the only reason you were fired. An interviewer is unlikely to believe that it was all another person’s fault. Accept at least some of the responsibility, even if you simply say that you and the company culture or the specific job were a poor fit. But don’t dwell on anything you did wrong. Keep it brief and move onto more positive stuff.

4. Avoid complaining

Regardless of what happened at your previous job, it’s not a good idea to say negative things about your former boss or company during an interview. Try to stay calm, even if you’re still furious about being fired. You don’t want to look as if you hold a grudge forever.

5. Avoid details

Even if you feel that your past boss discriminated against you, don’t bring this up in an interview. Don’t mention any legal action you might be considering against your former employer. An interviewer might label you as a troublemaker who might cause legal difficulties for them in the future.

6. Demonstrate that you’ve learned

This is crucial. Now that you have admitted that you have made a mistake in the past, it is time to demonstrate what you have learned from your mistakes. You need to talk about what lessons you learned and how you have grown as a result of the past situation.

You also need to state how you would deal with a similar situation in the future. Be clear that you will never make the same mistake again.