Interview Tips After Being Fired

• Being fired doesn't mean your next interview has to be difficult. Andrea Bricco/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

  It's important to move on after the awful experience of being fired. Dwelling on the termination will just cause problems in the future. Many people are apprehensive about addressing the reason they were fired in their next interview. It's important to approach the interview with a plan to explain the termination. Researching tips and forming a good strategy can eliminate your nervous feelings and help you get hired.

Your Resume

• There is no need to address the firing in your resume or cover letter. They should be used to show your skills and experience that will look good to a new employer. Your cover letter and resume should only cover positive accomplishments that can get your foot in the door. If being fired is an issue, the interviewer will address it in a later step.

When to Bring It Up

• It might be tempting to address being fired early to handle it on your own terms and clearly explain the circumstances. This is actually a mistake. Being too eager to discuss your termination could convince the interviewer that you have worked hard to create a lie and want to make sure it's used. Wait for the interviewer to ask you about it. There's a chance she might not even ask.

Tell the Truth

• Avoid lying about being fired during interviews. It could catch up to you in the future and cause termination from a new job. Honesty doesn't mean you have to drive the nails in your own coffin. If you can do it reasonably, spin the situation to be as positive as possible for you. The company probably employs workers that have been fired from other jobs. There's even a chance the interviewer has experienced being fired and will see things through your perspective. Explaining the lessons you've learned can even make you more attractive than the competition. If your termination has convinced you to improve your communication and ability to work well with others, it can show you understand the importance of those skills more than other candidates the company is interviewing.

Keep It Positive

• Keep from expressing negative feelings. Even if your former boss treated you unfairly, there is no need to mention it to the interviewer. According to Best-Job-Interview.com, defending yourself will usually cost you the job. Saying bad things about a former boss can cause the interviewer to wonder if you'll have trouble getting along with a new boss. The best plan is to keep the conversation about your termination brief. That allows you to spend more time explaining the skills you have that will benefit the new employer and the reasons they should hire you.