Haunted by termination two years ago :(

[lorenzo895]

Terminated for performance at previous job. How can I still get interviews?

Two years ago I was terminated from an office job. I'm in my last term of nursing school and applying at various hospitals; undoubtedly I have to mark "yes" I was terminated from my last job and I think it is preventing me from getting considered. It seems almost every article addresses explaining termination in an interview and with the angle of explaining a "down-sizing" or something like that. In my case, I was Terminated because I failed to meet the requirements of a two-month performance improvement plan (this is what I put where I have to explain). I wonder if I am giving too much info? How can I spin this so that I can at least get considered for an interview? Is there no way to convey the changes I have made to improve since then (in the application phase)? I think I can present myself well in an interview, but the application keeps locking me out...

Thank you!

LS

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Since it was not a nursing job, it may not be very relevant to your current job search.

Very few of us make it entirely through a career without getting canned at least once - myself included. Honesty is always the best policy, because if you are involuntarily terminated, you'll be listed as "ineligible for rehire" when they check previous employment as part of your background check. But there is good news. Most organizations will not divulge any details bout previous employees - just your dates of employment & rehire status.

Here on AN, most of us recommend saying something like "it didn't turn out to be a good fit" if you're asked why you were terminated. NEVER badmouth a previous employer or boss in an interview... it's very unprofessional. If you're asked for additional details, you can provide a summary but there's no reason to go into details. You may want to say something like "I wasn't fully informed about the deadlines for a performance goal achievement so I failed to meet it." There's basically no way to verify or disprove your side of the story. It's always a good idea to follow up with information to show how you reflected on your mistake & what lessons you have learned.... e.g. "I now realize that is entirely my responsibility to obtain accurate information about all the performance goals and expectations - and I will seek assistance if I think I'm not progressing as I should". Taking ownership is a very positive attribute.

It's not the end of the world. You can do this.