Getting Fired - How To Move On

I think that it has happened to all of us at one point or another. No matter how great you are in your career, the odds are pretty good that you will have been fired at some point in your history. When it happens, it's not a good feeling. There isn't much else that can make you feel panicked, worthless and desperate all at the same time. Getting fired, especially from a job you've held for a long time, can derail your career track, put your financial goals in jeopardy and make you feel worthless.

Getting fired isn't the end of the world, and it's important to use it as a learning experience. When you are being fired, listen to what your boss has to say about your job performance. Even though the reason for being fired might be tied to a specific incident, ask for honest feedback about your work. The key is to listen without becoming defensive. If you try to debate the critique, your boss might not want to give you the truth you asked for, in fear of causing a scene. Once you leave the office, carefully evaluate the feedback, looking for areas you can improve upon.

Typically, you'll hear some truths that will be hard to take. Don't take it personally, instead, consider each one on its own merits. This type of soul searching is hard, but it can give you a great place to start making changes. Don't dwell on the information too long, though. After a while, it will start chipping away at your confidence.

Once you know why you were let go and have a clear idea of the mistakes you made, you can come up with a plan for how to improve yourself and your work performance. Perhaps your boss thought that you had great management skills, but needed to be more goal oriented. Or, there could have been a huge gap between the job description and the tasks you were required to do. Whatever the case, hold on to the things that can make you a better employee.

From there, you will have a great answer when an interviewer asks you why you left your previous job. Since you have to be honest and mention that you were fired, its good to be able to tell them what you've learned from the experience and how it will make you a better employee. If the new employer doesn't want to hire you because you were fired from your last job, your answer probably won't make any difference. However, for those who are willing to take a chance, showing that you are capable of growth goes a long way to convincing them that you are worth the gamble.


Have you ever been fired? What did you do to get over it?

"Image from dreamstime.com"