1. Come to Terms With Your Emotions Before You Set Foot in the Interview
This must be your first step, before you start pursuing new opportunities or booking interviews.
If you can’t walk into that meeting with a cool head and the ability to speak calmly about your qualifications and your past job experience, spend whatever time it takes on the front end to process what happened and find your peace.
No one hires a hothead. Well, except maybe clubs in search of super-intimidating bouncers or media outlets that pride themselves on being annoyingly polarizing. All other employers will be expecting a level-headed professional to walk through their doors. Be that person.
2. Without Hesitating, Explain Succinctly What Happened
Less is almost always more in this instance. If you rattle on and on about what happened and why and over-explain the whole deal, you look sketchy; like you’re trying to cover something up.
Genuine, honest, and succinct dialogue, à la, “Unfortunately, I was let go,” is going to get you much farther. Remember, you’re talking to a human. All of us humans goof up sometimes; some of us have even been fired from jobs ourselves. Remember that as you speak.
3. Discuss What You Learned, Then Get Back on Topic
Our most significant growth as humans often comes following a major face plant. So, once you’ve outlined what happened, you absolutely must share with the interviewer what you learned from the experience.
Share how you’ve grown and how you approach your job and life now as a result—and then get back to the business of showcasing your strengths as a candidate for that position. If you can position the learning experience as an advantage for this next job, even better.
4. Never, Ever Bad Mouth Your Boss or Company
No matter how tempted you may be, and no matter how strongly you feel that you were wronged, don’t go there. You’ll just look like sour grapes, and no one wants to work with sour grapes.
5. Recap What You Have to Offer, Making Your Interest Clear
To help ensure that the meeting ends on a positive note, take time to recap the top things you feel you can deliver to that organization, to that interviewer, before you leave the meeting. Make it very clear that you can walk through those doors and deliver what the team needs—and that you are very interested in doing so.