How to land a new job after being fired — Remote-First Coaching (2024)

I consulted hiring managers, human resources professionals, and employment attorneys for their advice. These are their recommendations:

1. If you haven’t already left the company, it might be advantageous to ask the employer if you could resign, but first explore with HR or an employment attorney if this decision would affect your eligibility for unemployment benefits.

2. If there is anything about your termination that you think would be cause for a lawsuit, sign nothing until you consult with an employment attorney. For this part of decision-making, don’t rely on the employer’s HR department to guide you because, for situations like this, they represent the employer’s interests, not yours.

3. When you approach new employers, don’t outright lie about your employment history, but there is no reason to be the first to mention your experience of being fired, either. Don’t mention it on your resume or cover letter. If employers don’t ask about it, don’t bring it up as a topic of conversation.

4. Many career experts recommend you avoid using the word “fired" because in U.S. workplace culture, it has a negative connotation. Some better ways to describe what happened are:
   ”I was let go.”
   ”My position was eliminated.”
   ”There was mutual agreement that I seek a new job.”
   ”I was laid off.”
   ”I parted ways with the company.”
   ”I am no longer with the company.”
   ”My employment was terminated.”
   ”I was part of a workforce reduction.”
   Use your best judgment about which one to use and make sure you can defend your response if anyone asks you about it.

5. When describing a termination, be matter-of-fact and non-defensive. An evasive or overly emotional responsemay cause the employer to think the situation was much worse than it actually was. The goal for your response is to briefly describe what happened in neutral terms, and then redirect everyone’s attention to why you are the best candidate for the job. Practice in advance the skill of describing your termination in an unemotional, even uninteresting way. If the story doesn’t seem juicy, the employer is less likely to stay focused on this.

   See Also

   When You Get Terminated From a Job Does it Go on Your Record?

6. Get positive references from employees or former employees of the company that fired you. Try to get two or three references, including a supervisor or senior level employee who will say great things about you.

7. If your employer fired you for making a mistake, explain what steps you’ve taken since then to ensure you don’t make the same mistake again. Be ready to explain how you grew from the experience. For example, “My employer let me go because I lost a major account. Since then, I’ve completed additional training in client success and account management, and I’m confident now that my retention numbers will be excellent.”

8. If your employer fired you because you were a poor fit for the organization, avoid saying anything negative about your former employer, but be able to describe why you believe the new employer would be a better alignment. For example, “My employer let me go because I wasn’t a fit for an environment when the ratio of physicians to patients was 1:4000. I am excited to join your organization where the ratio is much different and I can prioritize excellent patient care.”

9. If it has been some time since you were employed, be prepared to explain what you have been doing. The best answers focus on education/skills gained, volunteer work, consulting, freelancing, etc. Employers like to hire people who are proactive and productive even when they are between jobs.

10. If you feel pessimistic or discouraged, line up emotional support from friends, family, a job search support group, a career coach, and/or a therapist. Also, look for success stories of people who were fired whose careers are thriving now. Here are some inspiringexamples.

Thank you to these career experts for providing information for this article.

Jan Bednar, CEO of ShipMonk
Kurt Uhlir, Entrepreneur and inventor
Lori B. Rassas, Employment attorney, consultant, and author
Marielle Smith, VP of People at GoodHire
Matt Campana,HR Manager at Shift Recycling
Natalie Ozgunay, President, SmartHire Inc.
Stephen C. Rood, Chief Information Officer, Strategic Technology, Inc.
Susan Hosage, MS, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Sr. Consultant, Educator, and Executive Coach
Steve Wang, Associate at Goldman Sachs, Serial Entrepreneur