How to answer Why were you fired
Let’s face it, being fired is never a good thing.
Fired means you’ve not only lost your job, but your credibility and trustworthiness may have also taken a critical hit.
As a result, this may prove a challenge when interviewing for another job. This is simply because when interviewers see job dismissal on a resume, they inevitably would want to know why?
Why employers ask about you being fired?
Interviewers ask why you were dismissed for several reasons:
What are the consequences?
Employers need competent people. They need people who can deliver results, adapt to market challenges and enrich their professional lives. A candidate who had been previously fired is not generally seen as one who can enrich a work environment.
Therefore, employers ask such details to identify if this candidate is truly someone they want in their company. Can you be an asset when working here or are there negative consequences to hiring you?
What exactly happened?
Did you have conflicts with management? Were you charged with unprofessional work behaviour? Or was your dismissal more serious in that it involved illicit activities such as stealing or property damage? If another company fires you, it is in the interviewer’s best interest to understand why.
Is this a persistent problem?
Have you been fired for stealing from multiple companies? Do you have a track record of continuous physical assaults against colleagues? Ultimately, employers must ensure these ongoing issues do not become part of their work culture.
How do you deal with setbacks?
Being fired is a career setback. The interviewer then wants to know:
- How did you deal with losing your job?
- How did you start over?
- Did you learn from past mistakes?
- Did the experience make you a better person?
Interviewers ask this question to identify how did you process and turn a negative experience into a positive outcome. Candidates who have this skill set are highly valued!
Now that you’ve seen why being fired is of interest to the interviewer, crafting your response is critical! It is critical to not let this setback permanently stain your career.
How to explain an employment gap in your Interview
How to explain being fired?
When responding with grace, it is essential to:
Stick to the truth
Always diffuse an uncomfortable situation with the truth. Yes, you were fired for this particular reason. Own up to it and accept responsibility for the choices you made. Reality is, everyone makes mistakes. If you can own your mistake and not conceal the truth, the shift from negative to positive begins.
Keep it short and sweet
Remember, this isn’t your proudest career moment. Stick to the essential details and discuss only those important facts the interview needs to know and will likely confirm with your previous boss.
Adopt a marketing strategy
Think of answering this question like building a marketing strategy. In this case, the product is you. To market yourself effectively, you’re going to demonstrate quite clearly to the interviewer how you can turn getting fired into a valuable learning experience.
What did you learn?
This is the foundation of your strategy – what did you learn? Very often, being dismissed from the job highlights character weaknesses that need addressing. When discussing these weaknesses, indicate clearly to the interviewer what this experience taught you in terms of:
- Where did you go wrong?
- What character traits you need to improve?
- What are some actions you took to ensure this incident never repeats itself?
The key in answering this question and not jeopardise your chances of employment is avoiding a “Well, I got fired so what can you do about it” attitude. Instead, answer strategically by taking full ownership.
Mention a particular skill
Where and how did you grow from this experience? Were you able to develop your time management, teamwork, communication, patience, collaborative skills and self-awareness? Demonstrate your progress and growth with relevant examples to persuade the interviewer to look beyond your job dismissal and see the present value in you.
Keep everything in good spirits
When responding with grace, ensure there are no traces of bitterness or resentment. Do not take the opportunity to badmouth any former employer or tarnish their company. You want to display growth, development and maturity in your interview going forward. Displaying this indicates to the interviewer your dismissal was a thing of the past. It is not your present, or your future!
How to answer why were you fired – example answers
Being dismissed from my job was actually a blessing in disguise. At the time, I did not realise this, but I initially took that job for financial reasons. After a while, I began to feel stagnated as it was not aligned with what I truly wanted to do in life. My boss felt also felt that. She and I both discussed an entirely different career path for me. Now I have the opportunity to apply for positions that better suit my qualifications and interests. I am grateful to my previous employer for their guidance, but being let go increased my self-awareness and allowed me to find work that I truly enjoy.
I was a newly graduated job seeker and at that time, I did not have a clear career path or goals. By nature, I am quite social and extroverted and wanted to work in an environment where I could be part of something. Being desperate for work, I took the wrong job where I worked pretty much isolated from everyone else. Additionally, I would say I was not a great fit within the culture of that organisation. It was not working out, so I was let go. However, I see this as an opportunity to find an environment that is team-oriented, where my best talents can shine.
My previous job wasn’t working out. Looking back, it was a bit too analytical for me, as I’ve discovered I am more of a creative type. My previous employer and I both came to the conclusion that it was time for me to move on to a position that would provide a better vehicle for me to showcase my talents.
