Does anyone work at Perkins restaurant?

Well, the interview went horrible. It's like no one can overlook the fact that I was fired from my last job, even after I explain to them that he had no reason to do so. This guy has ruined my life. My grandmother told me that if I end up winning my unemployment battle, that the next step I can take is to sue him for deformation of character. I'm so sick & tired of all of this though! I've been trying to get a job for the past 5 months now & no one will hire me because of him!

I'm sorry STB

I'm afraid of this happening to me, I got fired for having the flu.... I've been considering just becoming "self-employed" or something, because I hate corporations.

@ January, it's not fair! I didn't do anything wrong, but no one will believe me because I'm the one who got fired, he had to have some motive right?! No, he's an a$$hole & he had no right whatsoever to fire me. I've never had so much trouble getting a job & now that I have this one my record, I may never get a job again. & yes, I second the "self employed" motion. If & when I win my unemployment benifits, I'm going to enroll myself in an online school to be a certified wedding planner. I'll be my own boss. Screw the corporate word!

Did you have another manager from your last job that may be willing to give you a reference? That way, when they ask, you can explain that you believe the termination was a personal thing, rather than professional and one of the other managers with the company has offered to answer any questions you may have about it.

Part of the problem may be how you're explaining yourself. I was fired from a job at a restaurant and to this day I still get angry about it!

@ Shana, the only problem with that is that he has everyone wrapped around his finger. She'll say or do anything he says to keep her job & that's why I no longer list her. They're all so screwed up! His family is well known here, because his father used to own every Taco Bell in Jackson & his sister owns a Honey Baked Ham. Becuase he is so well known, they easily believe him over me. It really sucks. Other than that though, I have excellent references, professional & personal. As far as explaining it, I've had over 5 months to word it correctly & I thought I had it down, but everytime I explain it, they all give me the exact same look.

@ Mrs., I'm not positive, but I think we have to list it & if we don't we can get in trouble.

@ Mrs., thanks for the advice. I'm seriously considering suing him. I'll just have to wait & see what happens with my unemployment case first.

The thing is, employers do NOT like you bad-mouthing your previous employer. They'll even ask you if you ever disagreed with your previous boss and such to set you up and test you. A better way to word it may be that your previous job was not a good fit for you or for your employer, and that you are excited to be applying for -this- job that is the type of opportunity you are looking for. You know, mention it, but focus on why why you're a good fit for the current position.

I wouldn't air any dirty laundry about your last boss, no matter what he did, in an interview.

@STB - I was considering doing that too, or delving into Photography. it's a hard decision for me. What school have you looked into?

This is a risky idea, but here's an idea to consider. Maybe your best bet in future interviews would be to acknowledge that your employment was terminated (don't say fired, it sounds like it was done instantly and in anger) and five months later you still don't have a clear idea why. Suggest they call your previous employer and ask him. Odds are, if it was as pointless as you make it seem to be, that manager will bad-mouth you in such a way as to make it obvious to any prospective employer that the firing was a personal thing and that your previous employer lacks credibility in this matter.

Can you tell me what the actual reason was that you were fired? The reason they told you and the reason you think is true? I might be able to give some better advice with the whole story.

A lot of people have Been fired. I would tell the interviewer you believe this job will be a great fit as you always wanted to work in the restaurant industry, you truly want to make it your career, and you are very excited about getting a start in the industry. Do not bad mouth your former employer. If pushed for details, I might state that there was a difference of opinion between you and your former employer.

You cannot hide your employment history. You can word an unflattering position in a positive way. I'm not sure what your previous position was- but try a few things- tell them you were terminated, and are unsure as the reasoning. You were never chastised for mistakes, or counseled to improve performance. You were never disciplined for any wrongdoing and do not understand why you were terminated.

Be professional, and courteous. Tell them you obviously made some mistakes, but were never informed of what they were, and therefore never able to correct them. Use it as an opportunity. Tell them that you aren't perfect, and sometimes things happen. You certainly hope that they will be more forthcoming of any issues, because the only way you can fix a problem is to know what it is.

But accept that you must have done something wrong, because you are sure an employer wouldn't be so petty as to fire you for no reason.

@ Little, I didn't bad mouth him, I just tried to explain that I did nothing wrong & was fired for no reason, but that's a little hard to explain.

@ Mrs., They didn't call him, they just asked me during my interview & I tried to explain what happened. There is a spot on most US applications that ask if there is any previous employee that you do not want them to call & that's where I put my last job. I wouldn't want anyone to call him, because I know he would trash talk me. He has absolutely no reason to, but that doesn't matter. I know what type of person he is. I don't lie on applications though, if there is a question on there, I answer it truthfully.

@ January, let me be the first to tell you that photography is becoming a very popular occupation & therefore a ton of competition. Which is why, I switched to wedding planning. The school I'm looking into is Lovegevity's Wedding Planning Institute: http://www.weddingplanninginstitute.com/

@Yeah, I LOVE photography and would love to get into it, but there is a lot of competition. I already learned photo editing, I would just need the gear. I think I could always do it on the side or something though. Lots of people do it starting out, the photographer we picked was an engineer until recently.

Oops, @STB - Yeah**

@ Shana, I'm already ahead of you. I've not once put "fired" on an application, terminated sounds better, but it still sucks, lol! & yes, my termination was personal, but this guy is slick & I don't really know if I would want them to call him & ask, it probably wouldn't work to my advantage.

Here is what happened. I came into work on a Sunday to work a double shift, as agreed the previous week. When I woke up that morning, I felt horrible, but still went to work. My manager told me that if I found someone to come finish my shift, I could leave. About 6 hours into my shift, I was able to find someone to relieve me. When I got home, I took Niquil & layed down to go to sleep. Right as I sat on my bed, my manager called me & asked me if I could take medicine & return to work, because the person that agreed to come in & finish my shift was going to go over her 40 hours & was sent home. The manager had to open the next morning & unless I came back to work to finish my shift, she would have to do so. I explained to her that I had taken Nyquil & that I did not need to drive. She said ok, & that was the end of it. Tuesday morning, I got a phone call around 11am. I was supposed to come into work later that day at 6, but the phone call was the owner. He said, "How are you feeling?" I said, "much better" He said, "Well, we are no longer in need of your services here, so when you come to pick up your check, please return you shirt, key, & name tag." End of conversation. I came in later that day, around 4, picked up my check, returned the items, & got my seperation notice (which I had to wait for, because he hadn't written it yet) & left. The seperation notice blabbered on about me not bringing a doctor's note, which was never asked for. I know what your thinking, & no, there is not an employee handbook or anything to suggest that. I was never asked for a doctors note. However, even if he was expecting a doctors note, he didn't even give me a chance to bring one, since if something like that is required, you bring it in when you are next scheduled for work, which I was the day I was terminated. He didn't ask for it on the phone, he didn't ask for it when I picked up my check, he never asked for it, before or after I was terminated. He also babbled on in my seperation notice about me not appearing to be sick to him, which shocks me since he isn't a doctor & therefore can't just look at me & tell if I'm sick or not, which doctors can't even do. I smoked then & the entire time this was going on, I didn't smoke one cigarette, how can a smoker go that long without a cigarette unless their sick?! Sorry for rambling on, any more questions?

They pulled the same sh!t with me!! at sam's club! I physically PUKED at work, and i worked in the bakery. @sshole employers. It was labor day so I couldn't see a doctor.

@ Fun, I realize that a lot of people have been fired, but with the economy as it is right now, they have lots of people that haven't been fired to hire. & I understand what you're saying, like I said, I didn't bad mouth him, I tried to explain what happen the best I could.

@ Meghan, that is great advice, but I don't think I'm ready to do that yet. I'm too POed at him to lie to myself or someone else. I honestly don't know if I'll ever be able to do that. Hopefully I'll win my unemployment case & that will help me show that his reason was unjust.

@ January, that happend to me before as well, but I was just put on probation. I had to leave my register at Kroger several times to run to the bathroom & puke. Keep in mind there were no other cashiers at this time.

Ouch. That sucks. I had a similar situation happen to me when I was fired, though I won't go into details. Suffice to say, I was fired after doing them a favor and coming in! Isn't that always how it goes?

Maybe just say, "the process for handling sick days was not properly explained and though I believed I had followed the procedures to the best of my ability, the owner disagreed." And just leave it at that.

Also, is it just me, or did WW add way more characters to posts? That was long!