It happens.  It stinks.  Now it’s time to find a new gig, so you get in touch with a Talent Zoo recruiter to see how we can help.  No problem.  We’ve been down this road before.  First, let me clarify… we’re not talking about you being “laid off” because your agency lost an account or budgets were cut.  We’re talking about your booty getting canned.

There are innumerable reasons as to how or why it happened.  Maybe you didn’t show up for work for an entire week without calling.  Maybe you loathe your boss with every fiber of your being.  Maybe you were mourning the loss of your hermit crab and the Account Director just didn’t understand.  Perhaps you went on a 6 day drinking binge and showed up to work reeking of liquor.  Stranger things have happened.  This is the advertising industry, after all.

We Talent Zoo recruiters are pretty good evaluators of character.  We can usually tell if your being fired was just a momentary (or week-long) lapse in judgment and you still deserve a recruiter’s helping hand and a new job.  You probably have a great resume with some big name shops and accounts.  You swear that you left on good terms and that every one of your former supervisors and co-workers will vouch for the fact that you kick advertising ass.  Okay great, we’ll put our name on the line and give you a shot.  In goes your resume to that fantastic New York agency.

So maybe I was wrong about you.  The hiring manager really seemed to like your resume and experience.  He wants to meet you.  I tell you to prepare yourself for the firing squad interview.  That’s the one where they will ask you 17 questions to figure out why you “abruptly” left your last job after 2 months.  I’m not advocating lying.  I’m telling you to think long and hard about how you can spin the situation to make it known that you’re not unstable and you’ll still make an excellent Account Supervisor.  Got it?

So you go in for the interview.  You call me afterward, as promised.  “Everything went great Jamie.  I really think that we hit it off.  I love the agency’s vision and it’s the perfect fit for me.”  Phew, I was secretly hoping you wouldn’t blow it.

My phone rings 5 minutes later… it’s the hiring manager.  “Jamie, we’re going to have to pass on this heinous candidate.  Please give me a heads up next time if you know that the candidate threw a punch at his last boss and had to be escorted out of the building by security.”  Whaaaaat?  Is that what you consider leaving on “good terms?”  Here’s a good rule to live by…  DO NOT tell the hiring manager the gruesome details of why you lost your last job.  I don’t care how comfortable you feel talking to them.   You must always remember that they are making a hiring decision based on what you say in that interview.  Stick to discussing the basics… your experience and what you can bring to the company.  If you hit it off, talk about football or the weather.  Sharing any juicy details involving alcohol, physical violence, psychiatric problems, time management issues, etc WILL NEVER GET YOU A JOB.  But who knows, it might get you into a good support group.

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