Haunted by a Bad Employment Experience?
What to do if you’ve had a negative separation with a previous employer
Maybe you were laid off as non-essential. Perhaps your contract wasn’t renewed. Maybe you got fired. Maybe you stormed out. Maybe you regret it. Maybe you don’t.
In honor of Halloween, we’re looking at the scary breaks with an employer, how to prepare for them, and how to minimize their impact as you move forward in your professional career.
Be prepared for future potential employers to ask why you left
Don’t dwell on it, but have a prepared answer for the situation when it comes up in the interview with your future potential employer. While it’s usually a bad idea to over-prepare for a single interview question, but this may be an exception. Try to make your answer succinct, taking no more than a minute to answer completely and move on. If there were positive accomplishments or learning experiences from that job, emphasize those rather than focusing on the negative.
Understand your previous employer’s disclosure policy
In this litigious age, many employers only verify employment dates. That can certainly work in your favor if you left your previous practice on not-so-great terms.
Be confident
You aren’t the first person to lose a job. Walt Disney, Oprah and Steve Jobs were all fired from positions. According to researchers from the book The CEO Next Door, of 2,600 terminated executives, 91% were able to find a job as good as or better than the one they left.
The active job market is making this an ideal time to get back in the employment cycle, even if your CV/resume has a blemish on it. Contact us to discuss how we can help you move ahead, even if you’ve had a setback.