Interview advice requested

[Talon]

I have a question for all those who have left their last job under how shall I say, not the best terms. Translation: fired.

When you're interviewing for a new job, how do you answer the question of why did you leave your last job?

I was fired from my last job for not being a good enough salesman. Since then I've gone back to school, and I'm now looking to fight the rising interest bill on tuition. I'm sure I'll get asked why I left the old job.

I don't think I can just omit that job, as that would leave a 2-year blank space on my resume. My reflex is to be honest, don't speak ill of the last job, let them know I don't hold a grudge (which I actually don't, so I'm not lying). But honesty isn't always the best policy. The alternative is I could say I quit because I wanted to go back to school, and hope they don't call my old job.

Suggestions?

[Saydrah]

Admit fault, then offer what you've done to resolve that problem. If I had a sales job for two years and then was fired, my response to the question would be:

"I let my sales skills get stale after two years on the job. I just wasn't putting in the kind of effort management needed to see, and they let me go. I think I needed that experience, because it motivated me to go back to school and advance my education, and also because I now understand that I need to stay sharp at work rather than becoming complacent."

[Dreamstalker]

I say that I fulfilled my obligations sales-target-wise, but the store was having financial difficulties and the position I held at the time was cut due to that.

(the unofficial reason was personality and work ethic conflicts--I wanted to overhaul the online sales end so it wouldn't fail, due to management sabotage I was not able to do that successfully)

[Jester]

I am one of those proponents of honesty.

Except here.

Lie through your teeth!

No, seriously. Lie your ass off. Well, not really. Just don't say you were fired.

Reason for leaving last job: to go back to school, so that you could improve yourself and get a better job than that one. Not that there was anything wrong with the job, if they ask (don't speak ill of former jobs), just that it wasn't really the right fit for you. If the timeline fits, run with it.

I have only been fired once. Not counting paper routes, that is. I was the worst paper boy ever, and was fired from all three paperboy jobs I had.

But besides that, I have only been fired once. I used to put down that the reason I left was that business was slowing down, and I was looking to make more money. Not entirely untrue.

Nowadays, if that job comes up (unlikely, so far in the past) I can just put down that it went out of business, since it did. No way for them to check my history there, either! :D

But yeah. Lie. Just don't make a big deal out of it, and they probably won't check it. Or speak highly of how much you liked the job before it. But yeah. Seriously. Lie.

What? WHAT? Oh, I know I know, I tell people they really shouldn't lie, that being honest is best, and frankly, I believe that. But when it comes to getting a job, a white lie (or in this case a grey lie) isn't all that bad. Some lies are necessary, kids.

I just hope you aren't applying for another sales job, though! :lol:

[Talon]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I just hope you aren't applying for another sales job, though! :lol:

Um, well now that you mention it one of the places I applied was a local game store :)

It's probably not that pertinent since the last job was at a call center, and I'd sooner have my tonsils pulled out through my ears than go back to being a phone drone. But Jester you're probably right, best to err on the side of dishonesty. The only people outside the company who know I got fired are my family, and my best friend A. Even if she wasn't living in India at the moment, she's not talking.

I wonder if it will work in my favour that I survived 3 years of call center drudgery without resorting to smoke, drink, drugs, or homicide? Then again maybe I shouldn't brag about that.