I'd like to ask for some job hunting help.

I was canned, fired, axed, terminated, got my ass kicked out of my last job in March. I did nothing criminal or dishonest, I simply made a mistake. I was asked if I'd made a particular mistake, I admitted that I did, and 20 minutes later I was walking to my car with my personal items in a couple of grocery bags.

My question is simple. How do I deal with that in interviews?

To this point, I've been very honest about this. I have had 3 interviews that I thought were VERY good. Mind you, I have supervised in my career. I've interviewed, hired and fired people. I believe that I know what a good interview sounds like and, as I said earlier, I know that I had at least 3 very good interviews. After a second interview that I felt certain would result in the third interview, I got home and found an e-mail blowing me off that was sent less than 10 minutes after I'd left the building. Both my wife and I were shocked.

I'm 53 and am looking for a place to STAY.

So what should I do?

Should I lie about how I left my last job? Should I dye my hair and shave a few years off of my age? Should I go shovel shit for a living and forget about anything professional?

As with many thousands of people in America suffering through a bush economy, I have a family to support and my wife's salary won"t get us where we want to go. Also, and forgive me if this seems sexist, I'm not the kind of man who wants to live off of his wife.

Feedback would be GREATLY appreciated!

PEACE!

they would probably find out anyway (it could be before you were hired, or even after you've been at a place for a while).

I actually was terminated at my last job. Had only been there four months, and wasn't given a reason...only that it wasn't a good fit.

Were you there for a long time?

Things are tough up here in Maine (as everywhere).

I've had to do an unintended career change.

PEACE!

interviewers' response to that?

Many people never get an interview

Dye your hair might not be a bad idea if it really would make you look younger, plus it actually feels good to look younger.

You have hired and fired people so you have heard a lot of stories - use that knowledge in deciding how to act

some ideas
the other job - who brings it up?
don't lie as you have seen with our politicians it bits you
BUT

how about the story being told a little different?
Could you thought it was time to leave because of changes going on in the company?
Is the mistake a bad thing or can it spun as you decided to try something and it failed so you would make a different choice?

I have found over the years that sometimes going on the offensive is better than defensive - I have people who sometimes complain and decided it is time to go over my head - usually I have stood on my head for them and it is not enough - I have be learning to make it about them not trying, not getting it, being a little off, maybe out of it, etc. They are to some extent or they would be communicating with me instead of over my head. Sometimes, I know they are wing nuts by their actions and I feel attacked. I have this happen each new group and have three groups a year. There is always one in the group. They are really frustrated with themself.

so ask yourself, where does your mistake fit into this and how can you turn this into a lesson where you have learned to do something different or interact with a person different or whatever.

The old fables about perspective employers finding out how you left your last job is just that - a fable. Ask your prior employer what information they will give about your employment. Maybe have a recruiter call them or have a friend pose as an potential employer to call and ask about you. It's probably basic info like salary, dates of employment, and job title.

I can almost guarantee you they won't say you were terminated, much less the circumstances. They have zero incentive to help your next employer, who's possibly a competitor, anyway. There is simply no reason for old employers to risk lawsuits by branding old employees, so they don't. HR departments, particularly in larger companies, have very stringent policies about this.

Sometimes it feels like the whole world must be aware of your circumstances, when in reality very few people are.

Just a guess, and you don't have to answer, but I wonder if your circumstance was internet pornography? Just a hunch. It happens a lot.