Judy writes:
I’m in workforce development, and am working with someone who was fired from a bank for cashing a fraudulent cashier’s check; she claims that it was not her fault. I’m tending to believe her based on the whole story. How can she handle this in an interview when asked why she was fired from the bank?
The Career Doctor responds:
Everybody makes mistakes. And assuming it was an innocent mistake, I think she should be able to find her way back to employment… although a job in banking may be a little harder to get than others.
The key for her, of course, is to first never raise the subject herself. And that goes for anyone who has been fired — for any reason. Let the prospective employer assume you left on your own accord.
That said, some prospective employers are bound to ask the question. The way she answers the question, however, is critical. First, she needs to admit that she was fired for a mistake she made. That’s it; make the admission, but do not dwell on it — and certainly do not blame others for your mistake. The rest of her response MUST focus on the lessons she has learned from the incident — this is the information hiring managers want to hear. She needs to talk about the importance of following procedures, checking for authenticity, etc. — whatever it is she did not do the first time. That’s it.
And that’s the way it is with all “negative” questions, such as when an interviewer asks, “tell me about a time you couldn’t meet a deadline.” If you have never missed one, you can say so. But if you have, the point of the question is to find out if you have now learned how not to miss one in the future — and that’s how you should answer the question.
For lots more information about job interviewing, check out all the resources in this section of Quintessential Careers: Guide to Job Interviewing Resources.
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