Articles From the Team

Getting fired doesn’t mean the end of your career

It’s an indisputable fact of life that everything comes to an end, including jobs.

Sporting and political careers are always in the spotlight (both having a particular tendency to end spectacularly). This isn’t the case for most of us – and an unceremonious end to employment can be difficult to get over.

If you’re not afforded the luxury of the national media pushing you to quit your job, how do you know when it’s time to go?

Some people have very clear career objectives so they know when they’ve achieved their goals. At this point, it’s a good time to leave.

For others, it may be a change in work type undertaken by their firm/team – moving away from work they feel comfortable with or are interested in doing. It could be a change in management or general atmosphere at their place of employment.

For some it’s due to personal circumstances: they need to relocate, they need to earn more money or they need to work to a different pattern.

Sadly, some people lose confidence in their employer (or vice versa). This situation is particularly difficult because it can affect the confidence of a person quite negatively and therefore, their ability to get another job.

“I didn’t leave on good terms” or “I got let go”; what next?

I’ve placed candidates who have fallen out with their employer, been fired from their role or have left in another form of acrimonious circumstance. In all of these cases, the lawyer has done very well at other law firms.

It’s interesting because leaving under acrimonious circumstances is a great catalyst for self-reflection. Rarely, one party is solely at fault. Therefore, both employer and employee can take things away from the situation.

For the employee – this often means they’re able to nail down what they’re good at, what they want to do and what sort of environment they want to work in. Sometimes people have to confront their behaviour and understand they’ve demonstrated unwanted behaviours in the workplace. Ultimately though, this self-reflection results positively in that the next employment is more successful.

Some employers are naturally cautious of candidates who have left their employment in a difficult circumstance. However, many are open-minded to having conversations to fully understand the circumstances. Where candidates are open, realistic and willing to concede where they could’ve done better – employers are usually reassured. Further, if your previous employer has a bad reputation for culture or turnover; chances are they’ll know about this!

So, if you’re facing difficult circumstances at work and you need help in finding a new position, don’t lose confidence and speak to a good legal recruitment advisor.

For more information please contact BCL Legal or email us at info@bcllegal.com.