Fired? A Guide to Getting a New Job

A friend of mine got fired from her post as Creative Director in a well-known ad agency because someone sneaked up on her and told the Big Boss that she was looking out for another job. The trouble was she had gone through a placement agency that couldn’t keep secrets. The Big Boss, who the poor dear had learned to look up to, told her, “Our relationship is no longer tenable.” She noticed he had tears in his eyes. She did too.

She couldn’t speak a word when she got back to her desk in a state of utter shock for fear of breaking down. She quietly got her stuff together and left without any goodbyes. She had worked in the agency for one year before the new offer had come in. She hadn’t gone looking for it. She was glad that the fact that she almost had the new job softened the blow. But the contract was yet to be signed. She was surely at her to-be employer’s mercy and full of resentment towards whoever it was had sneaked on her.

How could someone in such a high position get fired? Was the Big Boss just looking for some excuse to fire her? What had she done wrong at work? What would she tell her husband? And what if her new employer found out she’d been fired? Would he drop her like a hot brick?

It took her four months to get hired by the new agency and in that while she suffered all kinds of self-doubts and insecurities. But she did tell them the truth about why she had been fired and this was greeted with much understanding. Even an apology from the new Big Boss on behalf of the advertising fraternity.

By being productive, I mean seven days a week. Don’t procrastinate on weekends – perfect for meeting up with friends who can give you good advice and expanding your network of contacts. And last, but not the least, ruthlessly examining your shortcomings.

Remember through the tears and that choked feeling in your throat that now you’ll have time to reflect upon your mistakes (depending on the reason you got fired – in this case, going through an unreliable placement agency!) and learn how not to make them again. But before you begin to search for the next job, you must come to terms with your anger and bitterness. Don’t deny them.

If you do, you might give vent to your rage at inappropriate moments. For example, you might just think you’re breezing through your next interview, yet burst into tears if the interviewer, sensing your discomfort asks if anything is wrong.

And don’t stay at home and sulk either. The best way to comfort yourself is push the bitterness to the back of your mind and do something productive.

Never ever express your negativity about your ex-employer in front of your next one. Steer clear from bad mouthing the Big Boss, blaming the company’s poor financial health or even the transport that got you there. It could be anything. Says one Personnel Manager:

“It really turns me off when I hear a person getting negative and blaming the whole world. How am I supposed to react ? I either sympathise which will make them feel more like victims or I reject them and I don’t like being put in that position.”

What’s more, criticising your Big Boss or company only proves your disloyalty, poor judgement, lack of professionalism and bitchiness. Your interviewer could even think that you have a problem with authority wherever you may be. He or she is not interested in your ex boss anyway, he’s interested in you and what you can offer.

Another lady I know was fired from a large advertising agency and lied to her next employer about why she had left the job. But in a week’s time she was fired again. Why? Because a former colleague had joined the agency she was newly working with and told them all about it. She was fired because she had not told them the truth about being fired.

Remember that news on the professional network travels fast. While company managers and human resource experts feel that lying about being fired is taking a foolhardy risk, they also say that keeping quiet about it is the safest thing to do – unless you’re asked why you left our previous company. And if the question comes up after you’re hired, tell them you didn’t mention it because it didn’t seem relevant, and tell them the truth in a positive rather than in a negative way. But prepare yourself anyway for this sort of eventuality.

Write down what you’d say and practise it and get a friend to listen and tell you whether it sounds honest and natural.

Even if you’re totally broke, don’t let your desperation show through in an interview. Any signs of it can be totally inappropriate and crippling for your career. If he catches on, your interviewer is bound to feel that you’ll take just any job that’ll come along or that you are incapable of evaluating your own jobs capabilities objectively.

But why get to the point if desperation anyway? Let your man or your parents support you meanwhile even if you hate it, get yourself a part time job. Or move in with a friend if you can’t pay your rent. Just make sure that you’ve taken care of your basic needs.

Do something every day. Make phone calls every day to companies you have targeted. Polish your shoes. Clean out the cupboards. Give away those clothes you don’t wear any more –that’ll make you feel richer! Pamper yourself. Get yourself a facial, or do one at home. Rediscover yourself. Use the break from work in a positive way. Turning your loss into a winning situation is in your hands.