looking for jobs with a history of job termination

[beatboxer_d]

hi everyone, i'm totally new here on the forum and would like to say hi =]

I just recently finished my EMT program, passed the NREMT, and am currently waiting to be state certified here in CA. I'm looking for EMT jobs currently around my area for BLS to start gaining experience in the field, and right now I work at a restaurant to pay the bills, etc. I also graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology in 2009. Now the problem: I was terminated from my first job right out of college from a clinical research job in 2009 due to punctuality issues and have since learned from my mistakes to say the very least. I have a great attendance track record at work since I started more than a year ago, and I was always on time during my EMT program, and my EMT instructors I hope can vouch for my attendance/punctuality.

Just about every job application (i.e. AMR) has asked if I was ever discharged from a job, and though I'd like to just say NO and hope they don't find out, I'm sure they would, so I'm probably saying YES, and trying to explain myself and how I've changed for the better. Do you think this really hurts my chances in finding work, especially in a pretty tough job market in my area (norcal)? I hate how something like this has to come back and haunt me, despite my best efforts to rebuild my punctuality track record. I'm trying to make myself very marketable in hopes that all that I do can overshadow this mishap back in 2009, possibly going into volunteering at a hospital, etc.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[NYCEMS9115]

You can only learn from your mistake. However, you shouldn't lie on the application. You have to put down that you've been terminated before. Some places just ask for resumes. So, just hand in your resume and attached; letters of recommendation(s). Good luck. All the best.

[Just Plain Ruff]

hi everyone, i'm totally new here on the forum and would like to say hi =]

I just recently finished my EMT program, passed the NREMT, and am currently waiting to be state certified here in CA. I'm looking for EMT jobs currently around my area for BLS to start gaining experience in the field, and right now I work at a restaurant to pay the bills, etc. I also graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology in 2009. Now the problem: I was terminated from my first job right out of college from a clinical research job in 2009 due to punctuality issues and have since learned from my mistakes to say the very least. I have a great attendance track record at work since I started more than a year ago, and I was always on time during my EMT program, and my EMT instructors I hope can vouch for my attendance/punctuality.

Just about every job application (i.e. AMR) has asked if I was ever discharged from a job, and though I'd like to just say NO and hope they don't find out, I'm sure they would, so I'm probably saying YES, and trying to explain myself and how I've changed for the better. Do you think this really hurts my chances in finding work, especially in a pretty tough job market in my area (norcal)? I hate how something like this has to come back and haunt me, despite my best efforts to rebuild my punctuality track record. I'm trying to make myself very marketable in hopes that all that I do can overshadow this mishap back in 2009, possibly going into volunteering at a hospital, etc.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Here's the deal

Do not lie on your application or your resume. That's one of the top 3 things that people get fired for.

When they ask whether you were terminated, just say yes. When they ask you, be frank with them and explain that yes you were fired, you had attendance problems and you have learned. Tell them that if they were to call your clinical manager and the school that they would verify that your attendance was excellent.

Tell them that you learned from the experience and you feel this makes you better suited to the job because you learned a hard life lesson right out of college.

But seriously, most companies will just ask for resume's and go from there.

Personally, when I hire someone to work for me at my LLC, I do ask about past jobs and if they say they were fired, then I ask why. Bad reason then they don't get the job but if they can show me they've learned from it then I'll give em a shot.

Unfortunately, right now my LLC is struggling and I have no employees but myself and I get paid diddly.

Just be honest and open with the interviewer. Do not offer any additional info if they don't ask. Sort of like court, answer the question but don't elaborate. It's the interviewers job to pull more info if they want it.

But frankly, I was terminated from several jobs right out of college because I was young and immature and it never hurt me.

If you get to the interview stage you have already made past the gate keepers and they are looking at you for the job. Companies cannot afford to grant interviews to everyone anymore. It just costs too much money to do that.

[spenac]

History of termination will not hurt you. What will hurt you is there are a 1000 ( might be slight embellishment ) emt's for every job in California so odds are against you. On every EMS forum there are tons of basics from California saying they can not find a job.

[HERBIE1]

I'll echo this- do NOT lie on your application or during an interview. Thanks to technology these days, it is too easy to find out about a person's past. Social media sites, personal blogs- all provide a wealth of info to an employer. In other words, it's easier than ever to find out if a person is telling the truth about themselves. Your lie WILL eventually catch up to you- maybe now, maybe later. After an explanation of the circumstances of your termination, I see no reason why it would keep you from getting hired.

I have 2 schools of thought on this:

First-

Don't volunteer the information unless asked on an application or during an interview. Answer it honestly, directly, and emphasize how you have changed- with letters of recommendation as evidence of that change, if possible.

Second- Be upfront and address the issue. Admit you had problems with punctuality when you were younger, but you have matured since then. Admit you are concerned about how it makes you concerned about chances for future jobs. Make it a selling point, but be sure you have some sort of "proof" you are no longer a liability to an employer. Letters from instructors, former bosses, friends, etc. Not everyone can sell this approach- you need confidence and be able to show/prove your maturity and responsibility.

[Dustdevil]

This is really not a significant problem for you, Bro. Your honesty and academic history, along with a positive interviewing experience, will make up for any doubts. Of course, that is assuming that you interview well. Look 'em straight in the eye when you answer questions, if they should ask. But I really doubt they will. This is your first EMS job, and to them, that may as well be your first job ever.

But, as Spenac said, SoCal is pumping out basics at a rate at least four times what the job market will bear. If your school didn't tell you that, then I would definitely look elsewhere for paramedic school; someplace with more integrity. And yes, you will want to start paramedic school as soon as absolutely possible, regardless of what anyone else tells you.

Good luck!

[beatboxer_d]

thanks for all the replies guys, I appreciate it. I definitely wasn't going to lie, but I wanted to see what my chances were. And I agree, it was a slip-up right out of college and since then I've learned and am confident about proving my competence and abilities. Hoping to score some interviews in the near future. Thanks again! =D