How to explain being fired

Tough topic this week but one that most people at some point will have to deal with...unfortunately.  This topic came in as a request but we’ll keep the source confidential.  Being fired is one of the hardest things to explain to a potential employer and how you explain it will be critical to your future career search.  There is no silver bullet on this kind of thing but hopefully these few tips will help:

Be honest - Obviously, right?  I mean, lying about being fired is THE worst thing you can do in your career (well, one of the worst...) so you want to make sure you are being upfront and honest with any future employers about what happened.

Don’t be emotional - Being fired is an emotional thing, I get it.  But when explaining what happened to another company you want to check the emotions at the door.  Trust me, no one wants to hear your side of a story that they can’t verify.  They want the details, the facts and a chance to form their own opinion.  Getting overly emotional and freaking out will make you look defensive.....and unhirable.  

Learn from the experience - LOTS of people get fired, seriously, it happens.  But the people that recover take the experience, get introspective and learn from it.  Being able to look back at your experience and get better....now that’s a winning approach.  Take some time, be honest with yourself and get better.

Move on - This might be the most important tip.  You’ve GOT to move on and get yourself back together again.  Dwelling on the experience will get you nowhere.  Take time to digest the experience, learn from it...and move on.

That’s it this week, tough topic but one that I think if you handle it properly can lead to some great growth opportunities and really allow you to search deep inside and get better.

Good luck out there, more soon!