Free Career and Job Search Advice

furball · Newbie Joined: 26 Oct 2009 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hello,

I am a Canadian & I recently resigned my previous job which I had had for two & half years due to personal harassments that I received from my male supervisor. He acted as if he was a master and treated me like a slave or some sort of a lower being who did not deserve any respect. He continuously yelled at me, made false accusations on me, made other colleagues and supervisors turn against me by making up stories about me etc.

I spent more than two years trying to rectify this problem by going through a mediation process, talking to the company's HR, labour relation board & filing a grievance against him regarding harassment. However, it did not work at all. My health was failing because this problem and with my doctor's recommendation, I voluntarily resigned the position. The EI investigated my case and granted me with EI benefits.

Now I am looking for a new job & the online application site of a job opportunity that I recently found asked for the following information:
1) reason for leaving the previous workplace
2) supervisor's name in the previous workplace
3) Whether they can contact him or not/ phone number & address

I am not quite sure how I can answer the above questions. Well, I heard from other people saying not to mention anything negative about the previous employment/employer and to be honest. I do not know in my situation how I can give honest answers without saying anything negative.
I do not want the prospect employer to contact my previous employer as I am 100% sure that he will not make any good comments about me as I filed a grievance against him and he always made false accusations against me without providing any evidence to back up his claims. However, I do not want to say "No" to the #3 question because I heard some people saying if I say "No", the chances are the prospect employer will reject my application.

Do you have any ideas?

Thanks

Furball

uttam_giet

This question looks very simple but it’s not that easy to answer it. What ever may be the reason always be truthful. Never bad-mouth your previous company, superiors and co-workers because it will definitely sound negative on your part. If you do so, the interviewer may think you may talk bad about his company the next time you’re looking for another job.

Also never speak a lie if you were fired. A background check will easily reveal everything. Try to deflect the reason from you personally. If your firing was the result of a takeover, merger, division wide layoff, etc. tell them you were fired not for your mistakes or non performance but for the above reasons. If you were fired for not adhering to a company policy, tell the interviewer that you were asked to leave for violating a company policy which you felt was not communicated to you properly. Saying the truth will never let you down but will create a good impression on the interviewer.

There are many wrong answers to this question such as:

- I hate my job, my company and my boss.

- I’m sick of working there.

- I need more money.

- My co-workers never supported me and were jealous for my work.

- I was working with a small company and now looking forward to work with a bigger one.

- My company makes me work for more additional hours and was paying on a low scale.

At the end of the day, it’s highly recommended to give a good answer that leaves a positive impression while displaying good traits. Some good answers are as follows:

1) I was looking for a position like this which is an excellent match for my skills and experience and I am not able to fully utilize them in my present job as there is very limited scope of growth. I am interested in a new challenge and an opportunity to use my technical skills and experience in a different capacity than I have in the past.

2) The company where I was working is a very large company and hence it’s difficult to do and learn different tasks. We had routine work that never changed. So I am looking for a work in an environment where I can utilize more of my skills.

3) I am looking forward to work in a company where there are more opportunities. My previous organization was very small and didn’t have opportunities for growth. I’m looking for a bigger challenge and to grow my career. After learning the work environment here, I felt this is exactly the type of place I want to work.

4) I was looking for a position like this which is an excellent match for my skills and experience and I am not able to fully utilize them in my present job as there is very limited scope for growth.

5) Recently my family relocated to this area to provide better education to my brothers and small sisters. So I am looking forward to work for a company closer to my new home. My previous job was far too away to commute.

6) I really enjoyed what I was doing but I felt I was following a routine. I looked around for more opportunities to grow, but because the company is small, I was very limited. I want to work in an environment that will help me to realize my full potential and a place I can contribute everything I’m capable of doing. My current position doesn’t provide these things for me; therefore I want to work here. I know this company has a lot of opportunities for growth and encourages employees to take on challenging projects to learn more. That’s what I’m looking for.

Three Rules for explaining a lay off are:

- Don't blame or sound angry with the company.

- Don't blame yourself.

- Try to end the answer to this question on a positive note by saying that you are looking forward to a new position with new responsibilities.

1) Due to a mass reorganisation of the company, my entire department was eliminated. Now I'm looking forward to exploring new options for employment.

2) My company reduced its labour force to accomodate a major shift in business. My function in the company was moved to a site 2000 kilometers away where i chose not to relocate. I'm eager to pursue other positions in the local area.

The only information an employer can legally reveal about an ex- employee are:

- Date of Joining.
- Title of the employee at the time of leaving the company.
- Last date with the company.

For more answers and details, visit :

http://uttambpt.blogspot.com

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