How to find a job after being fired?

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2011

If I was in the position to hire people, and I had two candidates who were equally qualified on paper, and one reference check revealed a past employer who had wonderful things to say about the past employee and emphatically stated that they would rehire this person, and another who was very closed off and not forthcoming with praise and/or stated emphatically that this person would NOT be considered for rehire, I would naturally choose the candidate with the positive reference. That's why they check references to begin with-to get a feel for the past work history of the person applying for the job. It's not impossible to get a job after being fired, but you are at a distinct disadvantage in a tough job market.

allnurses Guide · Oct 2, 2011

Without knowing what the other "bad" incident was it is hard to say. If it was a HIPAA violation, something dishonest, some kind of work-related retaliation or something illegal, you are probably going to struggle to find work anywhere, not just in nursing.

No, you cannot hide your SSN. All income gets reported to the federal gov't and that is the means in which it is communicated and identified. Some illegal immigrants etc use fake SSNs....obviously this is illegal and cannot be advised. It also will hurt you massively in the future if by some chance social security does survive. Your future self would not thank you for lying about it now, and if it gets found out by a new employer or the IRS your problems will only compound. Not to mention you would not be able to claim any of your other experience either.

It sounds like you may need to return to the employer that fired you (a phone call or email may suffice), express regret and remorse and explain your concern about finding work. Tell them you have learned from the situation and humble yourself to ask if you can please use them as a reference. It is possible now that you are gone they may at least agree to not blackball you. It is one thing to not want someone there anymore. It is another to be willing to destroy their chance of supporting themselves. However, this will not work if there was some kind of ethical or legal thing that makes you a danger in your profession such that they would be unwilling to facilitate you continuing to work in patient care. But one would think for something like that you would be reported to the BON.

You did not say how long you worked there. If it was less than a couple of months I don't think leaving it off your resume would be a problem.

ilove · Oct 2, 2011

No, you guys miss interpreted what im saying. Like I wanted to get a reference check service but im not interested in providing to them my SSN # because theres like a lot of scams out there. That's why! and every job i apply for has a thousand applications. And this incident was not reported to the BON. However, this place is like not following rules. And i'm surprised to hear that their only able to reveal that much information; because theyre telling them EVERYTHING making it impossible to get a job. If you understood what it was that they accused me of (i didnt do it), then you would understand. But however, since it's too bad im not allowed to comment that on here. However it dealt with Patient Care.

ilove · Oct 2, 2011

Also, Im willing to provide a job app with my SSN

allnurses Guide · Oct 2, 2011

If they are providing info beyond that you may wish to speak with a lawyer.

ilove · Oct 2, 2011

I dont have money for a lawyer. Im unemployed. Should I approach the state of Connecticut? What should i put under reason for leaving? Applied for state job with no response with them on

ilove · Oct 2, 2011

or should I approach the state of ny? Because its like a big management company but my job is located in NY but the companies main offices are located in CT?

Altra, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2011

Can you explain what you mean by a "reference service", because after 25 years in the working world, in healthcare and in other industries, I have no idea what you mean.

Look, I'm going to be very blunt.

Stop trying to finagle ways to cover this up. Stop it, NOW. Reflect on what happened, own up to your own shortcomings that played a role, and resolve to do better.

Yes, there will be some employers that will pass over your application solely for this reason. That is their right -- and you might try to step outside of your own head and consider that if you were a hiring manager, you might well do the same.

However, people get fired every day. All but a miniscule fraction do find work again.

>

Several of these threads recently are grating on me. I've been fired once, and my actions played a role in that scenario, and one other time in my life I've been downsized through absolutely no fault of my own. It happens. It's not necessarily about you. As an adult, you have to get over it, pick yourself up by your bootstraps, and do what has to be done, honestly. Being dishonest, by omission or an outright lie ... is childish at best and criminal at worst.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2011

So there is a bit more to it than you feel like sharing...I have never heard of a service that gives references that is legit. I had a nursing instructor, who was also the director of our program, tell us that in our field nurses are fired every day. Some firings for real reasons and some for not so real reasons, some because it was just a bad fit. He said that most facilities that are hiring will listen to what you say and make a judgment based on that,how badly they need a nurse at the moment, and what experience you can bring to the table. There are only certain things that a former facility is legally allowed to tell someone doing reference checks. This is basically did you call out a lot, how long did you work there, and would you re-hire them. Now if this was an offense that was reported to your local BON this could be another issue entirely.

Many places have policies of only giving certain information about former employees, but the law only limits employers to factual information.

OP: can you get a friend to call your former employer and do a reference check on you? That way you can find out what they are saying. Also, resumes are career highlights not histories. Leaving off jobs is acceptable and you often can select references you want contacted. If you can explain what happened in a way that doesn't sound like you are avoiding any responsibility for the situation, one bad reference among a few good ones might not be a dealbreaker.

ilove · Oct 2, 2011

Hi, thanks I think I'll put them on my resume and job applications then. however, I don't know what to put on my Reason for Leaving field. Is it a good idea to put terminated do you think?

ilove · Oct 2, 2011

reference checking service is https://www.allisontaylor.com/reference_check_order.asp

Altra, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2011

$79 to have someone tell you what you already know?