@360JobInterview.Com blog

You got fired, didn’t get along with the boss or had it out at the office with a co-worker. Whatever the case, not a lot of good words are said on your behalf and you are looking for a new job. Officially in a “career timeout” you need to be creative on doing damage control for your naughty work behavior.

Ideas that could help:

• 1. Get your Ducks in a row:

  Gather your accomplishments together nicely and have them ready to share. See if you can find any former co-workers or previous managers that can back up your accomplishments should a perspective employer ask.

• 2. If you have nothing Nice to say, say Nothing at all:

  DO NOT bash your former work place, never ever. It only makes it look worse if you bad talk your former work place, boss or co-workers. Even if it was the worst place on earth to work at, keep it positive. You will lose any and all credibility if you come across as a negative nelly. No one likes a sore loser and this is exactly how you will come across.

• 3. Temp:

  Try temping for an employment agency. They have an abundance of skill testing that they do. Even if you work for them on a few short term assignments utilize this by doing your best, showing up on time and being that team player. It’s a great way to build back career credibility that you might have lost at your last employer. Larger employers sometimes like to hire on workers temp-direct so that they can try someone out before making a hiring commitment. It doesn’t always work out perfect, but it’s one way to get your foot in the door and build good references.

• 4. Have good references ready to Rock and Roll:

  Whether you were fired, quit on your own or still working while looking, have good references ready to go. You might need to be creative on this one if your boss couldn’t or can’t stand you. Maybe you were escorted out by security, but did any of your customers love you? You will need to be extra resourceful on this one. How about other former colleagues that have left the company? Did they work well with you? Whatever the case, find them or go directly to idea #4, #5 and #6 ASAP.

• 5. Give and You Shall Receive:

  If you are unsure how former colleagues felt about your work performance one tactic to test this is by offering a LinkedIn endorsement first. NEVER ask for an endorsement upfront also give one first. It may come across as rude and only fuel the negative professional perception of you if it exists. Often times, receiving a glowing endorsement will prompt the recipient to reciprocate. LinkedIn is another great way to find former co-workers that you might have lost touch with Searching this site will also prompt you to remember a few people worked well with but had forgotten completely about.

• 6. Visual aides to Strut your stuff:

  You are having trouble finding solid professional references to back you up so why not try a good portfolio presentation or visual CV? By illustrating what you have and can do, a hiring manager will get an instant snap shot of your working capabilities. Hopefully this may over shadow your reference dilemma by showing your talents this way.

• 7. Build Good Career Karma:

  When all else fails to yield you good career vibes, try volunteering for a charity organization, city outreach or something within your own religious community. Doing good deeds by putting yourself out there for a good cause is an excellent way to at least provide a perspective hiring manager something positive about you. If you get heavily involved this might even prompt someone to talk “nice” about you and your working efforts to help others and provide a solid reference alternative. I believe in good career karma and helping out in some way is a great way to start.

Let’s face it, we all mess up. It’s not the end of the world, but you might need some serious damage control when competing for an open job slot. Keep in mind you will need to come across better than any of the other perspective hires and having outstanding references can really help set you apart from the competition. Without it, you need to think creative.

What do you have to get off the career naughty chair?