Interviewing? Here's how to talk about being let go.

I recently talked about career pivots in uncertain times and now it's time to talk about the realities of being fired or laid off from a job. In the two months since I’ve started writing this newsletter, millions of people around the world have lost their jobs because of the impact of COVID-19. So, one of the most pressing matters for many of us responding to it will be the job search. And, we’ll need to explain what happened in our last position, or the positions before that. 

Of course, there's a distinct difference between getting fired for something like poor performance and getting laid off because your company has gone out of business, but there's still the question of how to effectively communicate what happened in both cases.

I wanted to know what the professionals had to say about it, so I reached out to recruiters and HR professionals to get their advice for jobseekers who want to give themselves the best chance at a new role regardless of what may have transpired in the past.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting job losses across the world, I do get the sense from the responses that companies and interviewers have compassion and understanding about the moment we’re in.

There were some consistent standout themes in their responses; honesty, sharing efforts to learn and grow, don't play the blame game, and keep relationships with former managers and colleagues.

? Honesty

Being honest about the circumstances and situation around your removal was, by far, the most common suggested advice in the responses regardless of if you've been part of a layoff or fired.

Catherina Boh, Director of Recruitment at TGS Search Group in Hong Kong says, "If you were asked during the interview, its best to be honest about it and you can tell the interviewer, you were laid off or made redundant or you parted ways."

In circumstances where it isn't a layoff type of a situation but focused on performance, Malaysia-based Career Coach Tyler Chin says, "You'll only be let go on a few accounts, most commonly due to under-performance, disorderly conduct or dishonesty. The WRONG answer, in my opinion, is to lie. People lie as a reflex when they're put in a position where stakes are high, like when they need a job during the Covid-19 crisis."

No matter the pressure to impress and provide the best image of yourself during an interview, if you lie about why you were fired, you'll probably get caught and be sniffed out.

"You should never lie (employers conduct background checks). This breaks any possibility of establishing a trust relationship, which is the foundation of good work dynamics, particularly in a virtual settings," says Marcela Palau, a career development expert based in the Philippines.

That's the thing: if you ace the interview but are not entirely honest about the reason for a layoff or former firing, it will catch up with you. You've got to go through reference and background checks in most circumstances. I can say that from personal experience of background checks when applying for a position at HSBC, they dig really deep into your history and you've got to explain everything. Never assume you won't be called out for embellishing on a role you've long forgotten about.

Hong Kong-based Senior recruitment consultant Charles Lo suggests to even volunteer the answer at the beginning before the interviewer asks about why you were let go. That way, you have the ability to direct the narrative and come across as upfront and proactive.

?? What have you learned?

Let's assume for a moment you were let go from a previous job because of performance issues. For whatever reason, you didn't meet expectations for the role. Your former employer had good enough reasons to make you redundant whether you agreed with them or not. Beyond communicating around the fact that it happened, nearly every recruiter or career coach stressed the importance of communicating what you learned from the experience and how you've handled improvement since.

So while the experience might be negative, it can be told in a positive (and truthful) way. HR and Business Partner Head of Samsung Electronics in the Philippines Raymond Victorino explains, "if the reason is performance related, the job seeker can be honest in sharing what went wrong, what he could have done better, what learning did he get, and how he is now applying those learning moving forward."

Jacob, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Columbia Asia Healthcare in Malaysia says the main focus needs to be in moving on and being able to bring skill sets that add value. "... the focus should always be on what you can bring to the table. Going forward the focus will be on a new beginning and most organizations will understand the dimensions associated with difficult times and employability."

Karl Franzmann, Global Head of People at NextChange Group in Hong Kong suggests "keep(ing) the answer truthful and factual, positive, explain how you are fixing the lessons you learnt, and most importantly keep the answer short."

What specifically can you share about what you've learned? Eddie Law, a legal recruiter and certified career coach in Malaysia (Great name for a legal recruiter by the way) says to communicate that "you may have learned more about what job is more suitable to you, what kind of working environment or working culture is more aligned with your values, what areas of improvement you need to work on and that you have been working on it."

Be prepared to show it as well. Global Executive Search Partner Raj Kumar Paramanathan stresses that "...moving forward he/she should also show proactive initiatives to learn new skills, efforts in applying for new jobs, as any idling will also show lack of interest to work. We like candidates who keep themselves busy..."

? Don't play the blame game

It's so very easy to be upset or angry about being let go regardless of the situation. Many times we might not feel the situation is fair, and it might not be fair. Many factors can go into a firing and when I've hired people I've always assumed there's two sides to the story. What doesn't ever sit well is when a candidate starts laying all of the blame on a former employer, goes into a bitter tirade or generally can't control the obvious ire they have.

This also shows up as a big red flag with just about every recruiter or interviewer you'll talk to. Know that they understand it is difficult to explain what might be an unfair situation to you, but saying bad things about a former employer could signal that you haven't learned anything and you're likely to carry that over into a new position.

Hong Kong-based Manager, Consumer & Retail at AdMark Asia group, Bart Yin says to "Never speak ill of your previous company during the whole interview process, talk about your leaving reason with facts, with no personal emotion."

Even if you've been let go for coronavirus impact reasons, it would "be a red flag if you blame your previous employer for choosing you to be laid-off and instead you should be thankful to them for giving you the chance to know yourself and your ability," says Head of Human Resources & Administration of Global Psytech Yus Asreen Ayub.

That's a hard thing to do, but judging from recruiters, HR professionals and based on my experience interviewing as well as hiring, it is a must. You've got to bite your tongue.

? Your former manager matters

This one is tough, and it takes a bit of foresight and ego maintenance to do it. But when you get fired or laid off, lay the groundwork with your former manager or company for what your relationship is going to look like going forward. I fully realize many people don't want anything to do with the person who's fired them, but it can be really important. These are the people who will probably be contacted when background checks come along and contrasted with your references.

If you accept their decision, tell them you understand and negotiate what gets communicated about you, you'll greatly improve your chances at reducing red flags when they're eventually contacted. Even better if you can maintain at least a bit of a relationship after the fact so they're aware of your career progression and improvement after you've left.

This isn't always possible, but do consider it where there is the opportunity to do so.

In the end, heeding the above advice is beneficial whether you've been let go for business reasons like Covid-19 impact or something else. Yeen Fern Wong, a recruitment specialist with Luxoft in Malaysia says that "Keeping in touch with your manager and maintaining a good relationship is very important because most companies now often conduct reference and background checks. Hence, having the support from the direct manager can help to overcome lots of obstacles and (makes it) easier to secure a role."

? Former colleagues also matter

Something I've always placed a high importance on is the ability to show great references from colleagues at a former company they've been let go from. There are times when personality conflicts, priorities or any number of reasons could contribute to why a job hasn't worked out, so having a few proof points of the value you brought when you were there can do a lot to help your case when interviewing for a new role.

?? The bottom line

Lots of people are looking for jobs out there right now and you want to put yourself in the best position to get the role you're after. Losing control of a career because of circumstances out of our control can be wrenching and confusing, and we've all (admit it) made mistakes in the past. I'll never in a thousand years believe that somebody has made zero mistakes in their working life, and I believe the majority of interviewers will believe somebody who is honest and upfront about their past challenges rather than those that present themselves as the glittering gold standard of employee perfection.

Have confidence in yourself and your skills, be honest, keep busy, and maintain those relationships. You'll get that job.

As always, thanks for reading Making sense of coronavirus and stay safe and stay home.

?? Are you a recruiter or HR professional and have more advice? Let jobseekers know what they should keep in mind when communicating about being fired in the comments.

?? Are you a jobseeker? What are some of the questions you'd ask hiring managers and recruiters about a situation you'd need help with?

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