Dear Cindy – When You "Didn't Fit the Job"

I read your article about omitting jobs from résumés. I was impressed with your answer and I agree with you.

The problem arises when the employer asks why I was terminated so quickly. My response is the same as my last supervisor told me: I don't fit the job. If the employer asks how I didn't fit the job, then I have no choice but to tell exactly how and where my performance failed. In general, I won't mention anything that wasn't specifically questioned.

It is difficult at best to state the reasons for the short employment in a positive way, and I don't want the interviewer to think that I am candy-coating the issue. Do you have any advice?

Sincerely,

Dear JM:

Answering an interviewer's question about why you left with "I didn't fit the job" is not necessarily a bad thing. There are very reasonable "technical" reasons why this might be, such as:

• The job description was inaccurate and once you'd started, you found that the job required skills you didn't have;

• Or the reverse – perhaps you became concerned that you might lose your skills, e.g., because the unit on which you worked had a lower patient acuity than you originally believed;

• Or it could be logistical reasons, e.g., there were problems with scheduling that made it impossible for you to do the job.

Since contract work is not unusual in many healthcare professions, short-term positions aren't necessarily problematic. Different employers will also have different views of what is short-term – and what is problematic short-term. After all, someone could have had a number of short-term positions, each with a different length and different reason for leaving, e.g., travel job, personality conflict, unit merger, relocation, and funding cuts.

One thing that employers are looking for is a pattern. For example, being let go from one job due to a personality conflict is understandable, but if you've been let go from several jobs due to personality conflicts, it's a negative pattern and red flags will go up.

Don't be discouraged. Just because your performance failed in one area doesn't mean you're incompetent in your field. So in stating that you were let go because you didn't fit the job, state why, even if it's a skill you lacked. If what you lacked isn't part of the job you're applying for, it's a non-issue. If it is, you'll just need to explain what you've done to address the problem. The key in such cases is to be honest about your failings and to show a willingness to improve – particularly through actions, rather than words.

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Dear Cindy – When You "Didn't Fit the Job"

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Cynthia M Piccolo (Career Questions)

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