Been fired or made redundant?

Honesty is the only way forward.  

Don’t for a minute think by leaving your redundancy or dismissal off your resume that it didn’t happen. There are numerous ways that this will be uncovered at some point. For example; reference checking, social media or connections from the market.

The first step is acceptance. The second step is ownership. From here you can move forward with your career.

You were made redundant

In this situation, there really isn't a reason why you wouldn’t disclose the redundancy. In most cases, redundancy is due to organisational changes that impact the position that you were in.  Redundancy is not a reflection of you personally. Recent statistics claim that the average person is likely to be made redundant up to 5 times throughout their career.

At the interview stage, be prepared to answer more specific questions around the redundancy. For example: What was the business case or reason for the redundancy? How did the company plan to manage your workload/function?  

You were fired

In this situation, progressing your career will happen by being honest in your resume and in an interview scenario. It’s highly likely that any situation will be uncovered by prospective employers, if you have not disclosed the role in your resume you are likely to look dishonest and/or untrustworthy  When questioned about the situation, explain the incident in a professional manner, why you were fired, what you learned from the experience, what you have since done to improve your performance, and how you foresee your position to ensure the same situation won’t happen again.

In being 100% truthful, genuine, and honest about the experience and intentions, you can hope that the interviewer and employer may look past it. Unfortunately, there may be cases where you won’t progress further through the process for certain roles. Take time to consider your circumstances, and if the role you have applied for is suitable.  All situations are different.

So you’ve been told ‘honestly is the best policy’ before… Unfortunately (or fortunately, whichever way you take it) there are no surprises here. Accept it, own it, be truthful, genuine and honest. Good luck!