July 26, 2016

Jérôme Cukier, Quora contributor

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

How do I explain being fired to a potential employer? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Jérôme Cukier, software engineer, on Quora:

Your answer should:

1. Be true.
2. Help you advance in the interview process (or at least not stop you).

It’s very important to keep both of these things in mind. You should answer in a truthful way because it’s the right thing to do, but also because if your potential employer catches you lying before you even work for them it’s very unlikely you’d get the job. Yet, the goal of your answer is not to put you down, it’s the opposite. You want to leave a positive impression.

Another thing to keep in mind, even if less important than the two above, is to be concise. You really don’t want to spend your interview time talking about this. There is still a lot of latitude and what you should say depends on the circumstances and the employer. Perhaps nobody will ask you why you left your previous employer (just kidding, everyone will ask!). Read more…