You’ve been terminated: Don’t go negative. 

You were terminated from your job, and your prospective employer is asking you why. Of course, you can’t say my last boss was a “bleep bleep” on a job interview even if that was the case or that the environment was toxic. No matter how bad the situation was, you want to try to avoid bad mouthing your prior employer. After all, your prospective employer might be thinking that they could be next.

People leave their jobs for all sorts of reasons, and you will need to come up with a constructive reason for leaving statement.  Your prospective employer is more likely to focus on whether you can do a good job for them than why you left your organization. They granted you and an interview because they liked your resume and saw potential in you. They are appreciative of the fact that something was less than perfect about your current environment, and that created the opportunity for them to possibly hire a talented person.

Although it may be hard, try to look at your departure from an unsatisfactory work situation as an opportunity for a fresh start.

Stay-tuned for more tips.

Published by Sheryl Odentz on LinkedIn on March 31, 2021. Sheryl Odentz is the founder of Progress in Work LLC, an award-winning career management firm that provides lawyers and other professionals within the legal industry the following services: business development training/coaching, executive/leadership coaching and outplacement/career transition counseling. For more information, contact Sheryl at 212-532-6670 or sodentz@progressinwork.com.