Fired.

Your former boss can't do anything but confirm that you worked there. Too many lawsuits over the years.

 

Just tell them it wasn't a good fit. You aren't really lying.

 

there are no real good ways to cover it up. The trick is to make your answer concise enough that you aren't dwelling on that part, but not too short that you seem to be evading the question. You want to 'hint' that you weren't totally to blame, but without actually calling out the former employer as having it in for you.

The formula:
if it were for performance, lead with that. Say outright I was fired for performance. Don't get tricky, don't answer the question with an explanation of what happen. if there were real circumstances behind it then by all means try to explain it, but don't get into the blame game.

and by all means start out the explanation: (if you are asked to give one) with something nice about the company. Saying something like: i enjoyed my time at (x) company, they were really a good company; (then transition into your explanation).

 

This. They might ask you why you were let go for which you'll need an answer, but your former employer can't give them any details.

 

Tell them that your former boss is a liar.

 

It's my understanding that they can confirm whether or not you are eligible for rehire, which basically is saying whether or not you were fired.

 

Tell them your boss was gay and was hitting on you. You told him one day, you are beautiful man... 'no homo' and was fired on the spot.

 

That's very true, but it doesn't mean that people sometimes don't say more than they're allowed to.

 

And if the employee finds out, they can sue their former employer.

 

Wow I didn't know you could still use your former job as a reference if you were fired.

 

My brother got sued (as did JC Penney), when a former employee listed him as a reference and my brother gave a negative review of him. The guy got the job anyway, but that didn't stop him from suing.

Most employers that have called me have only asked me to confirm the period the person worked with/for me.

 

When I was doing interviews I just said it didn't work out. In my case I was given a very positive review then fired a month later (I wasn't given a clear answer why). My current employer never really asked why I left that company I guess they assumed I was laid off.

 

As an employer, you definitely can say more than confirm time person worked. Now, should you is a much different question. Most employers don't allow their folks to say more because they don't want to be sued. Ultimately, if you are truthful with whatever you say, you can't be held liable, however, they can still sue you and cost you $ in defense of course. We generally only confirm employment dates/pay/position, but once in a while I will give a bit more. However, in some ways, when we call references and they only want to confirm that, its as much a red flag since if they had glowing things to say, they wouldn't hesitate. Of course this is for small size companies - if I call Exxon and the person only confirms the above, I know its just protocol and not part of how they view the person.

 

You're right that they can say anything as long as it is true, but you also better have proof to back the truth.

My brother didn't say anything untrue. In the end it only cost him his job, time and money. And like I said, the guy actually got the job. Unfortunately, you put yourself at risk if you are willing to give references about some, but not all. I believe its best to avoid the potential legal action.

 

It really comes down to company policy on what they divulge.

 

To the op,

My heart goes out to you as I have lived what you are going through. There are few dates that I will never forget and the day I got canned is one of them (the others are the date of my wedding, the date of my son's birth, and the date that my divorce went final). It is hard to admit this now but the day I got terminated played a major role in my marriage going down the tubes. In the beginning, my spouse (now my ex) was supportive but as the months dragged on withouth me having a job, the fighting and arguing continued to get out of control until it reached a point of no return. But I don't really want to talk about that - let's talk about your questions:

To my knowledge, the previous company can only confirm the dates you worked there. Whether they can say things like they would hire you back - I don't know. I do know that almost every place that lets someone go will not deny them unemployment unless they were termed for GROSS MISCONDUCT. So, if you haven't already filed for unemployment, I would strongly urge you to do so. This way you can tell employers that interview you that you were let go but that you are drawing unemployment. That makes them feel better about you and also makes them realize they are not getting some clown who didn't give a damn about their job.

I would be honest and straightforward but I would not volunteer more information than necessary. Your situation is eerily similar to mine - I had worked 10 plus years at a company, qualified for the job, but the job was at a level beyond my ability. I didn't perform to their expectations and thus they let me go or I got "performance managed" out of the company. So if they ask what happened at your last job - just say I wasn't a good fit. I often would say that my skills, training, and personality didn't mesh to their company culture but I am drawing unemployment (remember to make them feel good about you not being a gross misconduct case). Most interviewers who have any sense will figure out that you are saying in a nice way that you got canned for performance issues.

I wish you all the luck and hope you have a plan to survive until you can get that next job. For me, it meant a career change and having to burn my 401(k) plus losing my marriage. It also meant a prescription to Lexapro. But if you can get through this, you'll get through anything. That is something else you want to convey to your interviewers - this experience made you a stronger person. Email me through the board if you need any more pep talks or strategies about how to get through this. I feel I could start a second career in talking about this, lol.

 

What did you do? We're hiring recruiters and account managers. Really strong base pay.

Stay in the loop with your profession by the way. Attend seminars, read blogs, books, conferences, etc... show your interview you're still passionate about your industry.

 

Potential employers and past employers typically only give/ask for dates of employment. They are even now shying away from giving positive feedback in fear of lawsuits.

 

My last company didn't give out personal references. They did verify employment dates and job titles, and if you authorized it by signing a release, pay rate. Managers and employees were told to forward any calls for references or verifications of other employees to HR and to not answer any questions.