Can I Leave a Job I Was Fired From Off My Resume?

Being laid off isn’t the most pleasant thing that could happen, what is more, it could be a pretty depressing feeling.

After being discharged, you may be anxious to begin your job search with the same resume that ensured your last position.

This is absolutely normal.

Take your time to think how this challenged you and what you have learned.

However..

Fired on resume? No need to tell the Recruiter that. Yet!

Take the focus off your termination and emphasize your knowledge and achievements in an exceptional resume that convinces the Hiring Managers they need to meet you.

Only after that, in your interview, you can tell them about you being laid off.

The fact that you were fired isn’t the deal-breaker — it’s how you manage it.

If you want to know how to handle being fired, stay with us.

And if you want to write an outstanding resume – check out our Resume Examples.

Should I omit a job I was fired from on my resume?

Yes. Don’t write in your resume that you were fired.

Surprised?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

One of the most regularly asked questions the experts face is: “How to deal with being fired from a job or resigning a job on their resume?”. It comes to be a common problem, so we’ve decided to create a simple guide to help job applicants understand how to deal with writing their old jobs on their CV.

This problem happens a lot.

And being fired from a job isn’t necessarily characteristic of being a bad worker or being an underperformer. The term “being let go” has an overly negative stigma from a resume expert’s perspective.

There could be multiple reasons a “good” employee ends up getting fired. From bad management, office politics, and lack of leadership to employee redundancy.

Don’t focus on being fired, don’t even mention it in your resume.

Your resume is your marketing document, so it is the perfect place to tell about your responsibilities and achievements. What is more, if you were laid off early on in your career, there is no point in dabbling on this.

When working in a company less than 6 months or on a short contract, you can always omit it, or write it in the section “Projects”. Especially if the position is one of your firsts and you have gained many experience since then.

However, when going to an interview, the Hiring Manager will probably ask you to submit a reason for leaving your previous job.

There is nothing shameful in being laid off.

Sometimes the Hiring Managers think it’s better to have been discharged, than to have resigned. Strange, right?

Tell the Recruiter the truth. Especially if you got fired on your last position. As we all know a lie has no legs, so the truth will definitely prevail.

Explain why you have been dismissed and share what you have learned. What were your faults and what did not depend on you.

Don’t hide your bad experience, it makes you grow as a person and if you learn from it, you will make a very good impression on the Hiring Manager.

Here’s a better way to say “I was fired” on your job application:

However, if you actually decide to write on your resume that you have been fired, you can use less negative conjugated words. You can always write that the position was terminated, the job ended or you were simply laid off. There are a couple of other phrases that you could use in your benefit, such as:

• Mutual beneficial separation
• Employer downsized
• Company restructuring
• Cost cutting
• Left on good terms
• Our paths diverged/separated
• Our long-term goals differed

However, they are better for your cover letter, don’t concentrate on them in your resume.

Don’t leave “ongoing” in an attempt to hide that you have been fired on your last position. You could get entangled in your own lies. And you don’t want that, right?

Wait for the interview to explain what really happened. If the company was downsizing or relocating, it results in many layoffs. Due to Covid-19 many companies right now have problems and laid off a lot of their employees.

In this case it’s really not your fault. The Hiring Manager will understand you.

You could have some bad feelings towards your past employer. It doesn’t matter if you have been fired because of something you did or said, or because of your employer. In any case you shouldn’t belittle him.

If you discredit your previous boss, it would make a very bad impression on your potential future employer.

Because, if something happens, how would they know that you would not talk badly about their company as well. You need to have respect, even if you ended on bad terms with the last company.

Better share how this situation helped you and what you learn from it. After losing your job, you can see and understand all of the bad and good parts of you being in the company and all of the mistakes that you have made and can do better in the future.

No matter if you can see the good in the bad situation or not, better don’t emphasize too much on the topic. In an interview, there are so many better things to say. Talk about your strengths, your achievements and your goals. Explain how you are a good fit for the company.

However, if the Recruiter insists on you telling more about why you were fired, tell them.

Don’t feel bad about being laid off and accept the challenge of finding an even better job.

Fired on resume: Takeaways

Remember!

If you and your last employer didn’t end up on good terms or there was a need for you to be laid off, it’s okay.

It could happen to anybody and you shouldn’t feel like a bad worker or an incompetent one.

Learn from the situation, avoid making the same mistakes and embrace the fact that your job was terminated.

Now, you could not only be happy that you have a whole new adventure in front of you, but you also know when and how to tell the Recruiters what really happened at your last position.

Get yourself together, and start writing this resume. When you are ready, you are one step closer to your dream position.

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Have you ever been fired? What happened and what did you learn? Do you think we covered everything in the article? Tell us in the comments!