I was fired in my last week of radiation treatment for attendance issues. When interviewers ask why I left my last position, what could I say?
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Joanne D. on September 17, 2014
I was fired in my last week of radiation treatment for attendance issues. When interviewers ask why I left my last position, what could I say?
6 Comments
Julie Jansen
Sep 18, 2014
Career Coach Comment:
Joanne,
I am sorry this happened to you. What was the reason that your former employer gave you for terminating your employment? Are you comfortable saying that there was a reorganization or that your position was eliminated? Whatever your response is, it needs to feel comfortable and hopefully as close to the truth as possible.
I can understand that you don't want to say you were "fired" because the inference could be that it had to do with your performance. However it is all right to state that you were let go and the reason why.
Please also know that it is highly likely that you are spending more time worrying about this then the person interviewing you is and it's best to deal with it briefly if it comes up and then move on to the great ways you will make a difference in your job should they hire you.
Good luck!
Julie
Jayashree P.
Mar 19, 2016
By reading this content , it really gives a inspiration to the affected people , it also encourages to give a new idea , thanks for posting.
Tammy C.
Mar 26, 2016
I had a similar thing happen. My oncologist had not given me the OK to return work. My employer advised me that they could no longer hold my position and they were going to post my position a few weeks later they sent me a letter stating that they had filled my position and I was no longer an employee with that company. I have been receiving money to live on through my long term disability insurance that I had through my employer, but now I'm not sure what will happen now that I'm not employed.
Sarah Goodell
Mar 28, 2016
Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:
Hi Tammy,
I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you looking for a new job? We have a number of resources to assist with your job search, which can be found under the Looking for Work section of our site: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work
Please let us know if you have specific questions about this or if there's anything else that we can help with.
Best,
Sarah, Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers
Lesma W.
Sep 18, 2016
I am having issues on my job and therefore want to be proactive regarding my legal rights .Any suggestions. Thanks
Sarah Goodell
Sep 19, 2016
Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:
Hi Lesma,
Thanks for reaching out and sorry to hear that you're having a hard time on your job. It's very smart to have an understanding of your legal rights, we have a number of resources to help you with this, which I have listed below.
- Legal & Financial information: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/legal-and-financial
- Top Three Legal Questions About Employment: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/legal-and-financial/top-three-legal-questions
- Your Legal Rights in the Workplace: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/legal-and-financial/cancer-and-the-ada-fmla
- National Cancer Legal Services Network: http://www.nclsn.org/
- More legal resources: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/resources/categories/legal
I hope that this is helpful!
Best,
Sarah, Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers
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