Have you ever been fired from a job?

[Fern]

PS Asking if you've ever been fired before is intrusive and prying. Similar to prospective employers, or even doctors' offices, who have you fill out a form which asks you to indicate whether you're married, single or divorced. None of their business! Just becus someone asks you for certain information, doesn't mean you have to supply it.

Unless you supply the name of one of those who fired you as a reference, which i doubt you would, then i think it would difficult for any employer to determine whether you've ever been fired. I mean, they're not going to call every one of the companies on your resume, just those for whom you've supplied as references.

[kashi]

Unless you supply the name of one of those who fired you as a reference, which i doubt you would

You'd think so, wouldn't you? At my last job, every single person that my boss fired asked her for a reference. I kid you not! and I'm not talking about months later - they asked for a reference while they were being fired.

[sweeps]

Are we talking fired or laid off? If I were laid off, I would try to secure a reference with my supervisor. If I were fired (i.e. terminated with cause), I wouldn't bother -- for obvious reasons.

[kashi]

I'm talking fired.

[Jason]

Quit/resigned 4 jobs
fired from two - once at Wal-Mart and once at a fast food joint

Since graduating college I've been working for the same agency for 7 + years

[lrjohnson]

I was once given the "option to be laid off." It was about 15 years ago, and I was a practicing alcoholic at the time. I was a good performer but only when I showed up. It was very kind of them to allow me to get unemployment benefits instead of on-paper firing me. I am wincing thinking of it.

Article: Job Interview Answer: Why Were You Fired?
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interv...rviewfired.htm

[shelbylovesmelby]

I agree what do you put when you were fired from your last job? I did apply for a few last winter when dh's job was slow & I was honest and said I was terminated. But I was never sure what to say....

I've only held 2 jobs, both for over 5yrs. The last one because it was a bank I'm always afraid someone would think it was for something criminal.

What happened is in 02 I was running a small bank office in a factory. The bank decided to close that office at the end of august 02, Mind you I was 8 mo's PREGNANT also. They gave me a choice of locations to be relocated & I picked the one w/ the president's (how dumb of me to pick that one) office. And with my office closing I was demoted not officially though, but I was just a teller again. I was @ my new office for a month then I delivered #1. I was told if I didn't come back by 6 weeks they couldn't guarantee my job, wich is bs because if I would of needed a c/s it's a standard 8 weeks off. So then I come back & I got to meet MY REPLACEMENT!!!!! So I tried to stick things out. But everything I did I was questioned on. I was treated like I knew nothing wich got me pretty PO'd wich then got me written up for ATTITUDE PROBLEM! WTF?!?! (pardon my mouth) I had even said I did not agree to be demoted, treated like I was incompetent, or having to walk on egg shells around anyone higher than a teller. I was a teller supervisor I had done everything from basic tellering, atms, collections, payrolls, direct deposit processing, consumer loans ect. <-- got no credit for it either! Then to go to this new office & be treated like they did was rude. They also took most of my jobs away to another office so basically I was a joe schmoe teller again. Wich was fine but then they couldn't make up their minds what I was "compitent" enough to be able to handle because a new teller had made a mistake & I got blamed when it was the OFFICE MGR who informed the teller incorrectly. Turns out the office mgr was back stabbing & bad mouthing me to the boss to boot. Wich I had been warned by other previous employees to watch out for. And I was even warned by a customer that he had heard the pres was trying to get rid of the employees they assumed from a merger, wich I was one of the last ones. Then after 11 mo's I had to go into the hospital for emergency gallbladder surgery, wich they were po'd about, I came back a week later & was let go because of my "attitude problem".
I'm not saying I didn't have one but my "attitude" just consisted of me keeping to myself basically, keeping busy (rather than reading magazines, gabbing on the phone, & plucking chin hairs as other tellers did during down time), and not doing more than was asked because as a "teller" we weren't allowed to do the things I was previously able / considered compitent to do. The whole situation was just petty & childish.

Others have said to say I lost my job because of downsizing. WWYD? Everything was fine til they closed my office.

[shelbylovesmelby]

Originally Posted by Fern

PS Asking if you've ever been fired before is intrusive and prying. Similar to prospective employers, or even doctors' offices, who have you fill out a form which asks you to indicate whether you're married, single or divorced. None of their business! Just becus someone asks you for certain information, doesn't mean you have to supply it.

Unless you supply the name of one of those who fired you as a reference, which i doubt you would, then i think it would difficult for any employer to determine whether you've ever been fired. I mean, they're not going to call every one of the companies on your resume, just those for whom you've supplied as references.

I've only had 2 jobs, I can't just omit it from my application/ resume. *sigh*