Fired: How to Handle it on Your Resume

After being fired it can be difficult to know how to put together a resume that still reflects all of your job experience, and shows a positive work history.

On a job application you will not be asked if you quit or were fired.
Instead a prospective employer will generally ask for you to explain your "Reason for leaving."
This is also true of a resume, which you can tweak to draw attention to the type of information that you want the employer to see, and to downplay the information that isn't beneficial to helping you get a job.

A resume is your personal creation. There are many acceptable formats for a resume, which don't require you to include certain details. It is acceptable in some formats to list start and stop dates of your employment, pay received, job duties, and other important information, without including "reason for leaving."
It will be important that your resume is unified, so if you decide not to include the "reasons for leaving" portion of the resume for one job, do the same for all of the jobs you have worked.

You may also choose to include the "reason for leaving" section of the resume. Be careful to avoid the use of words such as "terminated" or "fired" "let go" etc... Instead approach this section by listing information that is truthful, as your "reason for leaving." Examples of how to approach this would to use such phrases as "lack of work" "health issues" or "family difficulties".

Consider the reasons you were fired.
Were you in a personal crisis, and having trouble keeping up with your work load, getting to work on time, or focusing on job duties?
If this is the case you may choose to write either "Health issues." or "Family difficulties."

Were you fired because you had trouble getting back and forth to work, due to transportation issues?
This can be listed on your application or resume as "Lack of transportation."
or "Too far to travel." or "Pay not reflective of travel costs."

Usually being fired is a symptom of other problems we are facing in life.
What was keeping you from doing, or being, your best when the firing occurred?
It is illegal to lie on a job application.
If you get the job, and later the boss discovers you lied on your application, this would be grounds for immediate termination.
Writing such statements as mentioned above will generally cause the prospective employer to ask you about the issues mentioned.
This is the appropriate time to admit that you were having difficulties, and to clearly let the employer know that you have since corrected the problems, or come up with a better way to handle them.

Most employers will be looking at how you have handled difficulties, and will want to see that you have since addressed any problems that you had at previous places of employment. They will respect your honesty, and appreciate the efforts you have made to rectify previous employment issues.