How does one respond in an interview if they've been fired?

[Samiam]

Without going into nitty-gritty details, suppose one was fired from a job....assume it wasn't for something TRULY horrible, as nothing was stolen, no one was hurt, job performance was on par....fired for an obscure company policy that is being interpreted by a person in management who never really like you to begin with........and still under review if you will even get fired....but let's say it happens. So now you search for jobs. What if they ask why you left your last job? Saying "I was fired" just seems so cut-n-dry, and a sure way to be politely shown the door as they crumple your resume into the trash. Is there a more PC way of saying the same thing, something nicer, but isn't lying? The company itself will only share dates of employment and yes/no eligible for re-hire. Obviously, saying "I was fired" and then going into the twisted story of "why" isn't good in an interview either....saying your supervisor had it out for you, while maybe true, sounds kinda crazy if one doesn't know the full story. So a statement that implies firing but doesn't use the word, maybe? Suggestions?

[Barb_]

These things happen. The best thing to do is to secure an interview before the axe falls but let's just assume that isn't the way it works out. "My performance and skills have never been questioned but there had been a long term personality mismatch between my immediate supervisor and myself." Or "I didn't mesh with the culture at the company and I agreed it was best I look elsewhere to find a better fit."

[teachermom2834]

My dh went through this.  He was able to accurately relay his successes and positive performance reviews while saying he made a mistake that ran afoul of a company policy.  He said he learned his lesson and was ready to move on.  When asked for more details he would give them as it was not a horrible thing that had happened.  We was brief, but honest, and did not bad mouth his previous employer.  This approach worked.  Usually the interviewer seemed to end up on his side with a "wow...that was harsh" or similar response.  He was able to find a job quickly and has actually gone through the interviewing process again since and had to explain it all again. It didn't seem to be a big hurdle as uncomfortable as it was.  It is annoying to have to explain on all the online forms now used for applications.  Craft an honest but brief statement focused on moving forward and do not elaborate unless asked further questions.

 

One thing we learned through this is that this has happened to a lot of people.  Good chance the people you are interviewing with have been on the other end of it before too.