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Do you feel like you have a target on your back? Has it been hard for you to remain in a position without being fired?
If you’ve been fired or laid off, you might ask yourself, Why me? This is an important question to ask because self-analysis helps you understand what role you played in getting axed.
People get fired for all kinds of reasons and many times, it has nothing to do with one’s competence. Instead, it’s linked to their attitude, work ethic and personality.
Before you argue the point that you had nothing to do with your firing, I would like to share some knowledge I’ve learned throughout my management career. Over the years, I have discovered that there are three personality types more likely to get fired than others.
Are you one of these people?
The Naysayer
This the person who loves saying no to everything. Companies want employees who are flexible and open to new possibilities. They don’t want employees who whine about every little change and bring down other employees and suck out all the positive energy in a room with their toxic behavior. A survey from the Society for Human Resource Management supports this attitude by upper management, stating that 22% of employees were fired for wasting time at the office or disrupting other employees. A negative attitude in the workplace hurts company culture, and leaders often struggle with letting naysayers go because they’re often high performing and leaders rely on every employee to fulfill their role. Yet, at the end of the day, they must decide between performance and the workplace satisfaction.
The Victim
This is the person who constantly sees themselves as a victim. They blame others for their lack of success and get defensive when constructive criticism is given. They feed off others pity and seek attention but are rarely interested in solving issues. They would rather talk incessantly about a problem rather than take action to fix it.
Everyone has bad days at work, and sometimes we feel like our ideas aren’t taken seriously. The difference between a person who has a bad day or two and someone with a victim mentality is that the latter consistently acts poorly and rejects direction or constructive critiques.
Have you been this person in the workplace?
The Challenger
The last personality type that gets fired more often than others is the challenger. This is the person who likes to question everything and sees the possibility for improvement and refinement in all situations but to a fault.
The challenger often has great ideas, but they’re hard to manage because they refuse to work with the team. They think they can do every task themselves and challenge anyone, including those of authority, to tell them differently. It takes a special leader to manage this type of employee and companies don’t have time to figure out how to best manage these employees. For this reason, challengers usually get fired before others.
How to Get Hired after Being Fired
Being fired makes looking for a new job difficult. Not only do you have the firing hanging over your head like a dark cloud but losing your job in such a way affects your confidence. The good news is that it’s possible to find a new job that you’ll succeed at and enjoy doing.
Here are a few things to do to get hired after being fired:
- Consider what role you played in your firing. Are you one of the three personalities types mentioned above? If so, what can you do to change your attitude at work to exceed at your next job?
- Discuss the exit terms with the company. Mark Anthony Dyson, the founder of TheVoiceOfJobSeekers.com, says, “It’s best if people can save positive performance reviews and work alongside employers about exit terms before leaving.”
- If you’re asked why you were fired from your last job, be honest and tell the interviewer a scaled-down reason. However, if they don’t ask, why mention it?
Companies understand the firings and lay-offs happen all the time. Getting hired after being fired isn’t impossible. What’s challenging for some people is staying hired because of their workplace personality.
The best way to keep your job is to learn how to work with others, be open to new ideas and bring your best ideas and attitude to the office every day.
