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How do you explain to a new employer why you were fired from your last job?

Submitted by macpata on Fri, 03/23/2007 - 11:05am.

Some of us are fortunate enough to have never been fired before (I’m not one of the fortunate ones). When you get fired, you can take a small vacation until the unemployment money runs out, or you can move on and find a new job. Sooner or later some company will call you for an interview, and they’ll ask you why you left your last job. We’d like to know how you explained (or how you would explain) to a potential new employer why you were fired from you last job.

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editor | Mon, 07/23/2007 - 11:51am

Ari Gold would tell you "deny till you die." But I'm not him, so I would say to be honest about it. We all make mistakes, and depending on the magnitude of the mistake, it should be pretty easy to take the high road and honestly explain why you were fired. Most employers (again, depending on the reason you were fired) understand that people make mistakes that sometimes get them fired. Just be honest about what happened, explain what you have done to ensure that it will never happen again, and hope for the best.

If you were fired for something like mishandling funds or stealing, however, you may not get the benefit of the doubt.

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