It’s happened to all of us and sometimes leaving a job can happen in a really negative way- for instance you might have been fired or felt so frustrated you quit on the spot. It’s not always easy to talk about, and if things get messy you might feel you want to just leave it all behind. But what happens next? If you’re looking for a new role, how can you handle any tricky questions or potential consequences that come from leaving the old one.
Here is some advice to help and remember you’re not alone. It might surprise you that 31% of peeps have left a job without any back-up plan, research from Seek has found, that 14% of people say they have been fired from a job (but I’m sure the % is probably higher than that).
Its not uncommon to have quit in a hurry-almost 1 in 5 people say they have spontaneously quit before, because they felt too angry or frustrated. Interestingly, 62% of these people believe it resulted in a better outcome for them.
Should you include the job on your resume?
Around 3 in 5 people who’ve been fired or quit in frustration say they wouldn’t include that job in their resume nor would they mention it in a job interview.
This might seem like the best route with a job that ended in a difficult situation. But if you were in the role for some time, you should really weigh up whether you are willing to “lose” the skills and experience you gained in that role by being unable to talk about them.
Its best to include the job on your resume.
For the purposes of this newsletter that is the consensus it depends on “how big the gap”. Unexplained gaps on resumes are never looked upon favourably and you do not need to include your specific reason for leaving on your resume. But if it has happened a few times throughout your career then we have a pattern. If you were “in and out” in less than 6 months it might be best to leave it out, 12 months and then you left I would keep in your CV. I would always encourage you to be upfront and honest about previous work experience that possibly ended badly.
Should you talk about it to potential new employers?
If you’re in an interview, openness and honesty are still important-but don’t let what went wrong with your last role take over the whole conversation. Employers will typically ask “why you left your last role” your answer doesn’t have to focus on explaining the circumstances you left in. Instead make a statement about the role you’re going for example,
“In my most recent role I’ve developed useful skills in customer service, communication and relationship building. However, I’m now looking to move into a more technical role with less customer interaction. This role really excites me as I feel that it can better utilise my natural strengths in research, planning and analysis”.
You might be asked specifically about the circumstances that led to you leaving. Be careful not to be too negative toward your previous employer take the emotion out of the response and simply state your reasons for leaving. No bad mouthing a previous employer this never goes down well, try and make it about you for example,
“I thrive when working in a team that’s collaborative and harmonious, and I’m happier in a role where the team shares information and supports each other. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that my previous employer could fulfill this need, and as a result I felt it was time to move on and look for a work environment that would suit me better.”
Or
“I work best in a task focused environment where employees are driven to meet goals, have high standards and where people are held accountable. I didn’t feel that my previous environment was like this and it didn’t get the best out of me. I understand some of the core values of your organisation are “Customer Excellence” and “Accountability”. These values really resonate with me and make me excited about joining your organisation”.
If you were in the role you left for a substantial period, it’s a positive sign for employers regardless of what led to your swift departure. It indicates that your performance overall would likely have been satisfactory, and something must have happened or changed to make you resign or lose your job.
How you can highlight the positives
The key to turning a potential red flag into a positive in your interview is to focus on how you have grown from the experience professionally. It could also be an opportunity to show that you see how the situation could have been avoided or improved-whether that’s through additional training or perhaps a better process for resolving conflict.
It shows you have reflected on the experience, learned from it and taken specific actions to prevent it from arising again.
Be honest, but brief
Whether it’s in your application or an interview, its important not to put too much focus on a job that you had a bad experience leaving. Focus on other, more positive roles you’ve had, and what you’re aiming for in the new role. If an employer does ask for more questions about why you left, simply and honestly explain the circumstances that were less than ideal, without going into lots of detail or over-explaining or justifying the situation.
This approach can be useful even in situations where you made a mistake or could have handled things better. Being able to recognise an issue and come up with possible solutions is a soft skill that employers value, so showing that you’ve learned from the experience can be worthwhile. By practising this approach and how you’ll answer potential questions, you can build up your confidence and be better on track to landing your next role.