Lost Job, how to word it to a new employer

MWAUGH1983

Hi,

I lost my job earlier this week.

Just wondering if anyone could advise on how to word reasons for leaving to a new employer in an interview.

Cheers
Martin

Diamandis

You need to be completely honest.

Whydid you lose your job?

MWAUGH1983

Was performance related.

[Deleted User]

Sorry to read this.

"I wasn't a fit so here I am trying again". Maybe bring up the suggestion of a trial (where feasible) to display you'd like the next job to be a match as close as possible. "I need to move on and am more interested in working here because xxx and zzzz"

Pick up a job unrelated to this last position?

You may not get asked, though if you are like me
if you've a lot of jobs you may get quizzed on more then the last job though the last interviewer I had sort of come to their own conclusion some of my history was about wages and keeping money coming in so started apologising so it was a little un-nerving. But it turned out a good interview that I came across well in it was said, so it's always over come able.

Good luck, hope something suitable comes up for you. In the end I've found calm in temporary outbound telesales on my lonesome and have never been busier!

Detroit

Depends entirely on the circumstances.

If your last job was in a completely different field to the new one, you explain that unfortunately it didn't suit your skill set in the way you're sure this one does. Then use this as a segue to move onto the positive attributes you have that fit the new job description. 'I realised I am much more suited to a customer facing/technical/team based/autonomous/whatever you value role'

If it's unavoidable, admit to any 'weaknesses' that led to the problem, but make sure to say what you've learned, and what you've done to address them. Some employers see value in people who've learned from their mistakes.

If it's the same field, you should explain the reasons for the failure, and offer any mitigating circumstances. E.g. ' i was dismissed as I couldn't make the 100 per week target, however, I see the target here is 30, which I feel is more realistic, as I could achieve 45 in my previous job'.

Do not criticise your previous employer or complain you were treated unfairly.

Stick to objective statements. 'It was difficult to meet the targets after they reduced the team from ten to just myself. I did x, y and z, but unfortunately, this wasn't successful'.

Failure in itself is not always a deal breaker if it's obvious a person did all they reasonably could to succeed. Sometimes things aren't achievable, and if this was the case for you, and you explain, your prospective employer may agree.

If it's the same field and expectations are similar, however, you will struggle. Although arguably, if you can't achieve performance considered reasonable in your field, it's probably better to change direction and approach it as suggested in paragraph 2.

It would be disingenuous to pretend a dismissal doesn't put you at a disadvantage, but people can and do move forward from it. Not many people never work again after losing a job. You may have to face a few rejections before securing something. Usual advice if you continually hit brick walls is to take any job, however undesirable or consider volunteering for alternative reference options.