I just got fired from my non-A&E job on the grounds that I am "not a good fit" to the company. My supervisor made it clear that I "did not do anything wrong, you just aren't a good fit"
My dilemma is this - - that is the only LOCAL experience I have. My 7 years of experience is basically overseas. I need to find a new job ASAP both in A&E and other fields (retail, customer service, etc). I did not update my A&E resume to reflect this job (as it is not relevant, I think), but I did include it to my other resumes (admin, customer service, retail). I plan to be very honest about what happened to me should this come up during an interview. But I'm not quite sure how to explain or phrase this dismissal or termination in job applications or should I just take it out completely and start from my ZERO local experience resumes again since the employment lasted for 2 months anyway?
Also, can someone just tell me how "not being a good fit" in a company will severely affect my re-employment??? What do HR's and managers think when they hear this reason? Is my career doomed for the rest of my life???
You gotta love those right to work states. You better find a good explanation if you plan to find another job. Based on your limited description I cannot begin to tell you what that explanation is.
Caryatid, can you call/email your old supervisor and ask them to be more specific, or ask how they would describe you to a potential employer who called them for a reference on you?
For some reason I'm reminded of the restaurant in Office Space where Jennifer Aniston's character worked - she wasn't a good fit there because they wanted their employees to be wacky and she wasn't. What was the character of your non A&E job - was it some kind of funky/serious/pretentious place and you weren't funky/serious/pretentious enough? My last non A&E job was hostessing in a restaurant and frankly it was OK but I was kind of too nice and polite to the customers - the owner thought I took the customer's complaints too seriously, all they were interested in was quick table turnover!
I guess that's the best I can come up with for what, in a non A&E job, "not a good fit" could mean. If you can explain that you weren't a good fit because the place you worked had a specific personality that you're happy to not be a part of any longer, that might help. If it was some kind of Abercrombie & Fitch bullshit in which you were fired for not being young, thin, and super-model-looking enough, then look into wrongful termination!
Good idea Donna. I have had friends call former employers pretending to be a company checking my references. If you do that instead of asking yourself you will know what they are going to say about you to a potential employer.
Ooooh, I didn't even consider calling under false pretenses! I couldn't do it because I suck at lying, but it does seem like a way to get some true information!
All the above are very valid advices, also if you didn't do nothing "wrong", what I mean, something super serious, I wouldn't worry about it a bit. He didn't give you a reason, so it's a no reason termination. This is something that happens all the time to people everywhere, especially US.
Who knows, maybe your supervisor found someone willing to work for 33.5 cents less than you.
I think it's illegal for previous employers to slash on people during references check.
Purpurina while everything you said is true people can be petty and stupid. I got a bad reference inside a company one time that resulted in me getting a lower position. This was after my manager went out of their way to see that I got a bonus that year :( I never figured out who did it or why.
Donna the reason you have a friend call is so the caller ID, if they have one, doesn't say "Donna Sink". The ex employer has no way of knowing that "Tommy Faucett" is your friend and not a real HR person. If they are lying or otherwise doing something illegal you can goto a lawyer. Jobs are hard to come by right now and I would leave nothing to chance.
List your "shit job" that you got fired from on all your resumes, because it shows you were at least recently employed. Trust me, being fired from a shit job and being out of work a couple of weeks looks better on a resume than long periods of time spent "unemployed". If you get a new "shit job", list it on your AEC resume to show you are currently employed, as alot of employers (even architects) won't even review a resume without a current job on it.
list it on your resume. don't list them as a reference. if asked about why the job ended, say, "you and the firm were not a good fit." if pressed for an additional explanation, explain what your differences were with the firm. only mention the termination if explicitly asked, but in general say as little as possible about the situation without the conversation becoming uncomfortable.
definitely do not go back to the firm and rehash what happened. that sounds painfully tedious for everyone. it's like ending a relationship. after it's done, it's done. don't dwell on it.
"just move on in peace" is some of the best advice i've heard on archinect.
1) I spent 7 years working in either architecture, interior design or construction - - industries which value identifying potential problems and addressing those before they happen, rather than moving on "organically" and solving problems "as they happen". This was mainly a customer service job where in you respond to things as they happen.
2) They were very "casual" in many ways, and I was bit on the formal and polite side. They never singled this out as problem, but I could sense how different I was handling our customers from them. I can very well say, it's partly cultural -- I was raised with standards as to how you speak to your boss vs how you speak to your friend vs how you would speak to your grandmother vs how you would speak to your sister vs how you would speak to your customer - - if that makes sense? I can't say I was "wrong", but perhaps I need to "do what the romans do"?
Not thinking of the bills I have to pay, I am a bit relieved I was let go as well, because I was starting to be unhappy at work -- personally, I was uncomfortable working with the people in my department - - complainers, back-stabbers, people who will question your work only to find out upon throwing back the questions at them that they they "don't know" what to do as well. My supervisor constantly complained about everyone behind their backs, which I felt was telling of her character. Also, I want to take this as the an opportunity to go and focus on finding a job in the A&E industry, if not one that will lead me more directly to my ultimate goal (which is to be licensed as an interior designer or architect locally)
In your A&E job search your tendency to respect the formality of business situations can only be a benefit. I'd agree that listing your recent job is good, as Apurimac says, because it shows you've continued to seek work opportunities.
The way you explained "not a good fit" in your post sounds perfect - go ahead and explain it that way to potential employers only if it comes up, like won said.
Jan 6, 11 3:52 pm ·
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Fired but now MOVING ON!
I just got fired from my non-A&E job on the grounds that I am "not a good fit" to the company. My supervisor made it clear that I "did not do anything wrong, you just aren't a good fit"
My dilemma is this - - that is the only LOCAL experience I have. My 7 years of experience is basically overseas. I need to find a new job ASAP both in A&E and other fields (retail, customer service, etc). I did not update my A&E resume to reflect this job (as it is not relevant, I think), but I did include it to my other resumes (admin, customer service, retail). I plan to be very honest about what happened to me should this come up during an interview. But I'm not quite sure how to explain or phrase this dismissal or termination in job applications or should I just take it out completely and start from my ZERO local experience resumes again since the employment lasted for 2 months anyway?
Also, can someone just tell me how "not being a good fit" in a company will severely affect my re-employment??? What do HR's and managers think when they hear this reason? Is my career doomed for the rest of my life???
You gotta love those right to work states. You better find a good explanation if you plan to find another job. Based on your limited description I cannot begin to tell you what that explanation is.
Caryatid, can you call/email your old supervisor and ask them to be more specific, or ask how they would describe you to a potential employer who called them for a reference on you?
For some reason I'm reminded of the restaurant in Office Space where Jennifer Aniston's character worked - she wasn't a good fit there because they wanted their employees to be wacky and she wasn't. What was the character of your non A&E job - was it some kind of funky/serious/pretentious place and you weren't funky/serious/pretentious enough? My last non A&E job was hostessing in a restaurant and frankly it was OK but I was kind of too nice and polite to the customers - the owner thought I took the customer's complaints too seriously, all they were interested in was quick table turnover!
I guess that's the best I can come up with for what, in a non A&E job, "not a good fit" could mean. If you can explain that you weren't a good fit because the place you worked had a specific personality that you're happy to not be a part of any longer, that might help. If it was some kind of Abercrombie & Fitch bullshit in which you were fired for not being young, thin, and super-model-looking enough, then look into wrongful termination!
Good idea Donna. I have had friends call former employers pretending to be a company checking my references. If you do that instead of asking yourself you will know what they are going to say about you to a potential employer.
Ooooh, I didn't even consider calling under false pretenses! I couldn't do it because I suck at lying, but it does seem like a way to get some true information!
All the above are very valid advices, also if you didn't do nothing "wrong", what I mean, something super serious, I wouldn't worry about it a bit. He didn't give you a reason, so it's a no reason termination. This is something that happens all the time to people everywhere, especially US.
Who knows, maybe your supervisor found someone willing to work for 33.5 cents less than you.
I think it's illegal for previous employers to slash on people during references check.
Just move on in peace.
Purpurina while everything you said is true people can be petty and stupid. I got a bad reference inside a company one time that resulted in me getting a lower position. This was after my manager went out of their way to see that I got a bonus that year :( I never figured out who did it or why.
Donna the reason you have a friend call is so the caller ID, if they have one, doesn't say "Donna Sink". The ex employer has no way of knowing that "Tommy Faucett" is your friend and not a real HR person. If they are lying or otherwise doing something illegal you can goto a lawyer. Jobs are hard to come by right now and I would leave nothing to chance.
As a quick response to the OP:
List your "shit job" that you got fired from on all your resumes, because it shows you were at least recently employed. Trust me, being fired from a shit job and being out of work a couple of weeks looks better on a resume than long periods of time spent "unemployed". If you get a new "shit job", list it on your AEC resume to show you are currently employed, as alot of employers (even architects) won't even review a resume without a current job on it.
list it on your resume. don't list them as a reference. if asked about why the job ended, say, "you and the firm were not a good fit." if pressed for an additional explanation, explain what your differences were with the firm. only mention the termination if explicitly asked, but in general say as little as possible about the situation without the conversation becoming uncomfortable.
definitely do not go back to the firm and rehash what happened. that sounds painfully tedious for everyone. it's like ending a relationship. after it's done, it's done. don't dwell on it.
"just move on in peace" is some of the best advice i've heard on archinect.
I would say "not a good fit" in many ways.
1) I spent 7 years working in either architecture, interior design or construction - - industries which value identifying potential problems and addressing those before they happen, rather than moving on "organically" and solving problems "as they happen". This was mainly a customer service job where in you respond to things as they happen.
2) They were very "casual" in many ways, and I was bit on the formal and polite side. They never singled this out as problem, but I could sense how different I was handling our customers from them. I can very well say, it's partly cultural -- I was raised with standards as to how you speak to your boss vs how you speak to your friend vs how you would speak to your grandmother vs how you would speak to your sister vs how you would speak to your customer - - if that makes sense? I can't say I was "wrong", but perhaps I need to "do what the romans do"?
Not thinking of the bills I have to pay, I am a bit relieved I was let go as well, because I was starting to be unhappy at work -- personally, I was uncomfortable working with the people in my department - - complainers, back-stabbers, people who will question your work only to find out upon throwing back the questions at them that they they "don't know" what to do as well. My supervisor constantly complained about everyone behind their backs, which I felt was telling of her character. Also, I want to take this as the an opportunity to go and focus on finding a job in the A&E industry, if not one that will lead me more directly to my ultimate goal (which is to be licensed as an interior designer or architect locally)
Maybe I'm just in the denial stage.
In your A&E job search your tendency to respect the formality of business situations can only be a benefit. I'd agree that listing your recent job is good, as Apurimac says, because it shows you've continued to seek work opportunities.
The way you explained "not a good fit" in your post sounds perfect - go ahead and explain it that way to potential employers only if it comes up, like won said.
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