Do I say I was fired?

I’m in a bit of a difficult situation right now regarding how I answer the question “why did you leave your last employer”.

I’m a somewhat recent grad have about half a year of S&T experience under my belt, but was let go due to strictly non-performance reasons and was not part of layoffs. I’ve been getting interviews and reaching final rounds but have yet to convert any of them to an offer. This whole time I’ve been answering the question with some form of “I left seeking better opportunities pre-covid” and I was wondering if that’s the right course of action.

First, should I even be answering this question this way or should I be honest about why? Second, would HR be able to find out about the contradiction if they perform a background check? Thanks!

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If it was non performance reasons and not layoffs that begs the question of what happened? Yes, employers may be able to figure out, depending on what information your previous employer gives them (and sometimes they will ask if you have references, etc). Standard background checks won’t show this, but your previous employer can tell them you were fired and can provide a reason, it just comes down to what your previous employer will say (some will just confirm dates and titles). If you have a good relationship with your firm you could ask them what they will say. Keep in mind that employers sharing information are also held to the standard of being accurate, as incorrect information can lead to a lawsuit.

 
Funniest

That's absolutely insane lol. HR really needs to go fuck themselves

 

Was it officially treated as a resignation? I know it was really a firing, but usually they choose to have you “resign” on paper for technical legal reasons.

If you resigned officially, they will not tell other employers that you were actually fired.

Even if you didn’t resign on paper, many companies will still not say you were fired. On background checks, most uptight firms (and your old firm sounds uptight) will simply give dates of employment and nothing else.

As long as you have someone from your old firm who will be a reference for you, you should be fine. Tell that person you’re using a quit story and get them on board.

 

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