How to Explain an Old Layoff in a Job Interview

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

The reasons can be various - the company's decision to renovate, downsize or restructure, an unpleasant non-performance at work, misconduct, a growing gap between the skills and needs required by the industry - whatever it is, it's hard to explain. in a job interview. You want to be honest, but you don't want to miss out on a possible hiring. So how do you manage the situation? With confidence and peace of mind, here's how. You can start by reading the article below!

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Presenting the Issue

Step 1. Stick to telling the truth

You will be better able to protect yourself if you are honest in admitting the real reasons. Not only will you show more confidence in yourself by telling the truth, but you can be sure that anyone who controls the company will understand your version. By inventing stupid and unlikely stories, such as "They just need a reason to throw me out, so they labeled my work as misconduct," you will give the impression to the listener during the interview that you are sinful of integrity and responsibility.

Regardless of whether you get the job or not, your honesty will be appreciated and may reward you in the future. You will likely be able to build a relationship with a future employer. Anyone worthy of burden will judge your courage as an act of honesty

Step 2. Realize that if you lie, you will most likely get caught

It is quite easy today to find information about a person in the corporate world. All it takes is a flea in someone's ear and a series of gossip starts. Even if you get the job after lying, background checks will put your personal reputation, credibility, and integrity at risk.

• In addition, apart from the official methods for checking the work and conduct of hired employees, employers have other particular and unofficial ways to verify a person's background in the workplace. You have to be realistic about this or it will all backfire.
• Sometimes the potential employer, even knowing the reason, can still raise the issue. You never know!

Step 3. Be concise

There is absolutely no need to explain the reasons that led to your dismissal. Excessive exposure is not necessary at all! Be very brief on this topic.

• The interviewee may seem very interested or sympathetic to what you are saying, but what they are really interested in is evaluating you and how much you can give to the new job, not what happened in the previous one.
• Try not to feel the burden of indulging in every detail - you are not interviewing for it. Focus on affirmative statements (what you did, what you can do) and not what you didn't do or couldn't do.

Step 4. Don't evade the question

If you refuse to answer a question, you could give the impression that you are really lacking in some performance or that you feel bad about something. Don't try to avoid replies about your dismissal. Simply and concisely indicate what happened and move on to the next topic.

• If you have faults, don't hesitate to admit them. Don't delve into details about how you felt, how you were misunderstood or how you got it wrong - it will just make you look like an immature person who doesn't want to take responsibility.

  Do not say "In that company everyone, from time to time, violated company policies, but they were never discovered. I was just unlucky." By blaming others for their mistakes, you will only prove that you are self-righteous and irresponsible

• Prove you've learned from your mistakes! What is more important is that you have understood the gravity of your mistakes, having worked to improve yourself. Say it like this! It is essential to be aware that you have made a serious mistake.

  If you violated company policy, be honest by saying, "That was my first job. I violated company policy by thinking it was only a slight change of direction. I didn't realize that a policy is a policy and that violating it. it is a serious matter. However, this incident helped me to become more responsible and respectful of the rules. I understood the seriousness of what I did and, as a result, today I have a greater respect for the company, the role and the responsibility which derives from the latter ". If you are sincere in your explanation, the interviewee will be much less likely to put your back against the wall for past mistakes

Step 5. Don't show anger at your previous employer

By aggressively pretending to be right, when everyone else was wrong, you will not prove that you are a good teammate or a person who is respectful of others' ideas and actions. Remember that the interview is a selection process - not a place to express all the protests and injustices you have had to endure in the world of work.

• The future employer is not at all interested in knowing the whole story. What's more, he doesn't care which side of the reason is - even if it were on yours, it won't help you. All he wants is to evaluate you, judge you and your skills, your personality, your qualities, and understand if you will be a good employee for the company. Remember it.

  By saying, "They treated me unfairly, making me a scapegoat," you will only show that you can't be empathetic with other people's perspectives

• It is also not a good idea to try to claim that you were somehow overqualified for the position you held and that your departure was considered a great loss to the old company.

  • Don't say, "I was their best employee and I'm a great asset to any company. I can't wait to see the damage they will have now that I'm gone." You will be seen as an immature and angry person.
  • Likewise, it would be a bad idea to also say: "I am happy to have left that company. There was no possibility of change and growth. They are still stuck in the use of old systems and technologies, while I am more ahead of them as I adapt to the newest and most recent technical methods ". You will only look superb and self-centered.

  

  Step 6. Don't get nervous

  The more you dissect the matter, the more questions they will ask you about the dismissal. They may also become embarrassing and difficult to manage. In order not to compromise your elegance and your dignity, avoid annoying details, so you will remain calm, relaxed and focused.

  • Questions can also touch a bare nerve. As a result, you risk getting excited and offended and humiliated, losing control. Thus, it could ruin the opportunity and the prospect of getting the job.
  • This behavior could also ruin opportunities or prospects for other jobs, because rumors spread like wildfire and take even less time in the corporate world. One more reason to address the issue concisely and go further.

  Part 2 of 2: Use the Dismissal for Your Advantage

  

  Step 1. Stay and show yourself positive

  Do not denigrate or discredit the former employer, colleagues or anyone you think had some role in the decision of your dismissal. Even if you hate someone wholeheartedly for what you went through, don't put it out in front of everyone. It is enough to be opportune and positive about the issue, which among other things belongs to the past.

  • If you've been the victim of someone's conspiracy or strategic plan, just mention it. Be specific and detailed. Don't go on arguing and explaining. Say you couldn't handle these people or the atmosphere that was created, so it was better to leave! Keep showing yourself positive.

  • You will not give a good message if you complain by leveraging accusations and reprimands. The next employer is most likely looking for someone who stands up to challenges, not someone who points the finger at others when times get tough.

    For example, don't say, "I have no fault. My manager did it deliberately to settle scores with me. We never got along." Again, you will look childish and irresponsible

  

  Step 2. Consider the past situation as an opportunity to present your strengths

  Not everyone has a chance to take revenge and show that they can make something useful out of a negative experience. Most people would be self-conscious about this problem, blushing and muttering something vaguely truthful. Not you! You have to take this as an opportunity to show just how much you have grown "thanks" to the past.

  Demonstrate what you have done to overcome obstacles or how you have strengthened your weaknesses, what lesson you have learned and how you could put it to use in your new job. Be energetic, positive, enthusiastic, self-motivated, tolerant and confident. After all, who could deny it?

  

  Step 3. If you failed to meet expectations, be honest

  Try saying, "I admit it was my mistake. I just overestimated myself and my skills, so I couldn't say 'no' to anyone. I couldn't deliver the job I promised, and I was wrong in prioritizing. However, this is the past now, and this incident forced me to organize myself and reassess my skills and abilities. Now I am able to better evaluate my strengths and limitations. " Failures are part of the learning process, and anyone can have been careless at times. It is better to be too ambitious than lacking in ambition. Your eagerness to grow will be evident

  

  Step 4. Be confident in your skills, qualifications, skills and experience

  Show your confidence in yourself, not your previous work history. Show your coolest side by accepting criticism and presenting yourself as capable of handling mistakes wisely. You have accepted a challenge and you have to overcome it. It will be amazing!

  Don't be overly critical of yourself. You will show that you have little security and that you are desperate for a job. Stop talking about the lesson you learned in a penetrating and positive way, but not scolding yourself for showing false modesty. You should sell yourself and not sell out

  

  Step 5. Talk about the accomplishments or achievements after the firing

  Talk about the value and growth you brought to the company, work and projects, and how well you managed the assigned tasks and responsibilities. It is also very important to talk about the efforts made to reduce the gap between the demands placed on the job and your skills, because in this way you will show that you have really tried to make your contribution. Not everyone does!

  • Explain the skills and competences you have acquired. They can be different and sometimes irrelevant to the position discussed during the interview, even if interesting! However, you will give the opportunity to peek at the various knowledge and skills you have gained - and the impression of being a fascinating person. In this way you will not restrict the range of possibilities, on the contrary you will make it clear that you are a flexible person.
  • For example, let the interviewer know that: "The gap between my skills and their expectations was widening. My skills and preparation were improving following the adoption of new trends, but this did not match theirs. expectations. However, I understand that everything I have gained - skills, knowledge and skills - would be better evaluated in your company. " By recognizing your shortcomings, demonstrating a desire to improve and appealing to the needs of the new company, you will appear to be a self-aware person and a hard worker.

  

  Step 6. If possible, promote the previous company

  By emphasizing your importance all the while, you let it be known that you still value the old company, the employer and the colleagues. There is no bad blood between you, because there were simply no big problems.

  Talk about how much you appreciate what you learned from your previous job. By doing so, you will demonstrate that you are a person who does not bear a grudge, able to build starting from the strengths of a work group. There is much more to this interview than discussing your past obsessions

  

  Step 7. If there was really no particular mistake on your part and no hard feelings between you and your former employer, don't hesitate to explain (briefly)

  For example, if the layoff was due to a change in leadership, try saying "It wasn't a performance issue at all. A new manager joined the group and decided to replace us with an old trusted team they previously had. worked ". So saying, the dismissal will enjoy a better and certainly more sincere light.

  

  Step 8. Prove that you are someone you can trust and rely on

  They had to fire you, sure, but you still have good memories. If you speak positively, there is no way the new employer will think badly about your dismissal.

  Advice

  • The more positive and confident you are, the less suspicious you will have about your previous job.
  • Layoffs happen all the time. You are not the first nor the last to face this situation. It is not a big deal.