When describing the reason for dismissal in the job interview, applicants often construct unnecessarily the most complicated explanations for usually very simple facts.
An applicant once explained his reason for resignation to me in a long-winded way. He was not in trouble because he had given notice himself. A resignation that has been received is more difficult to communicate. But this is also possible, as we will see in a moment. His explanation did not convince me and I asked him to tell me what had really made him resign. He had not got on with the supervisor, he explained meekly. I was a bit disappointed about this rather banal reason for dismissal, as I had imagined more dramatic circumstances due to his behaviour.
You determine what others think about you
Unsatisfactory cooperation with superiors happens. But it makes a difference how you communicate this. If you see it as a personal failure, your counterpart will think you are not capable of conflict. But if you confidently describe that you are looking for a new job because you do not want to wear yourself out in a bad working climate with no prospect of improvement, interviewers will perceive you as deter-mined and proactive.
The following example shows that a positive attitude can also be used to communicate difficult dismissal situations: Many years ago – I was a personnel consultant – a young banker came to the consultation. Right at the beginning of the conversation he told me that he had been dismissed from Bank X without notice. It was clear to me that I would not be able to place him with a bank. I therefore concentrated on giving him tips on how to deal with the situation. The reason for the dismissal was that he had used the password of a work colleague to visit forbidden websites. The story took place in the early days of the Internet.
Healthy self-criticism creates trust
That was no trivial offence. I was all the more surprised by his behaviour when I asked him critical questions. He answered without defending himself or belittling his behaviour. He showed genuine remorse and took full responsibility. I came to the conclusion that I would have given him a written warning. A dismissal seemed too harsh. I asked him what he thought about the dismissal. Only then did he also say that he did not think the dismissal was in order and that a warning would have been an appropriate measure. I then offered to help him find a job, but wanted to ask his superior for a reference.
The superior was annoyed about the employee’s behaviour, but otherwise gave him an impeccable reference. He was even more annoyed with the HR department, which had wanted to make an example with the dismissal. He too would have preferred a warning as a disciplinary measure.
I did not get around to placing the young man. Within two weeks, he had found himself a new job at a renowned bank.