DD18 got fired

[ElChapo]

So DD didn’t do very well at her GCSE’s. Got a couple at grade 4 one being maths but essentially didn’t get English despite taking it twice. After applying for around 200 jobs she got a position in what is effectively a call centre. Not cold calling but answering calls for a breakdown company. It was quite a distance from
where we live and the travel really got her down and started being late. Just before she’d complete 6 months there they called her in and fired her on the spot so is now jobless. My question is does she have to be completely honest with a prospective new employer that she got fired and if so is there a way to word it that doesn’t come across so badly?

I would recommend learning to drive so she has access to more jobs in future. Then if she says travel too difficult on CV she can say she is learning to drive so better in future.

As an ex HR Officer, that is a huge amount of lates to have. I am surprised they let it carry on for a month tbh. 10 minutes is a lot - and I would imagine it not only impacted on the call centre figures, but it would have p**d off her colleagues too.

Being late on the odd occasion is part of life - but 10 minutes on most days is unacceptable. If she missed a bus and had to get a later bus, then she should have got up a bit earlier to catch the earlier bus. If there were road works etc this should have been factored into the journey time and amended accordingly. If the travelling just got her down and she couldn't be bothered, then that is a different kettle of fish altogether.

I wouldn't be tempted to try and tweak the reason she left - your DD needs to take responsibility for what happened. Moving forward she needs to prove that she is a reliable worker who can turn up on time.

Her old employer may well do the standard employed from / to dates reference - but if they are asked about her timekeeping etc then they will have to be honest.

You DD can't change what has happened, but she can certainly learn a very important lesson from it and change her ways moving forward.

If she is only 18, I don't think she needs to put on her CV. She can put this down a life experience and life lesson. She will likely get another job in the future. Employers generally only provide factual references.

And I am assuming your DD was employed on a PAYE basis?

If so, she will have a P45 on leaving - so any idea to just 'forget' about this little job may be a bit difficult to do..........

I'd probably say the commute was impossible.

<sigh>

references can 100% be bad provided they are true.

No need for the employees to be as factual though, right?

And “failed probation for being late every day for a month” would be factual (and likely see the job offer withdrawn).

I don’t think I’d put it on a CV. I didn’t people are looking for 18 year olds to have loads of experience.

However, if she was unable to get the GCSEs that she needs, then she needs to make up for it in other ways and that is in enthusiasm, hard work and punctuality. If she hasn’t got hose alongside not having her grades, she’ll struggle to get employment.

10 minutes late every day. Did she not think “hmmm, maybe I should leave 15m earlier?”

i despair.

still being off putting, superior poster, in your opinion.

why do you despair of a stranger's dd?
why do you even care,
it is not all the 18 year olds in the country fgs

Good point

can she apply for an apprenticeship instead?

she might have better luck rather than just jumping to the job market with poor/no experience and low grades.

she should have a look on the national gov't website and look in an area she's interested in.

I’ve given 2 references in the last few months, one asked about dates, salary, role performed and reason for leaving (private sector). The other from the charity sector asked about performance, suitability. Both asked whether I’d re-employ.

Tbh references these days are usually very impersonal. Even for my profession which is healthcare! They usually just state that so and so worked here for XXX amount of time. The only time there would be more info given is if there were issues, in which this case there were. If it was me I'd leave it off my CV and lie and say I was travelling. Also though she will have to improve her work ethic as I do not know any job that would put up with constant lateness!

DD is young. A future employer won't be surprised by a short first job, or that she was fired from it. HOWEVER, she will have to convince them that she understands what she did wrong, has taken responsibility for her actions, has learned from her mistakes, has taken steps to put things right, and won't do it again. Her timekeeping was appalling, she was unreliable, a poor team player, had a poor attitude, etc. Thats what she should be focused on. Not sure either of you understand that.

As a former employment advisor, totally agree with this post. Firstly, an employer won’t have expected an 18 year old to have had a first job already but they may query why the gap between year of last qualifications taken up to the present. Personally, I would include the job on there purely because that is a positive in your daughter’s life that at least she tried. Also you don’t need to have a reason on the CV itself as to why the job ended - only the job title, company name and time served with bullets of job role below. It’s possible that a job application form may have a different format so I would simply put reason for job end as ‘contract ended’ - as this is technically true. In the interview, if they want her to elaborate she should tell the truth and what she’s been working on to prevent such a thing happening again in the future. You don’t need to worry about employer references as even if they do include such low level detail for a very short stint, it will still align with CV, form or interview. Also, employers do appreciate this level of honesty and much so from younger people than older since they’re still learning.

Secondly. I’ve quoted Stravaig because I think they’re very correct in what they say you should perhaps also be focusing on with your daughter. In my advisor role I saw a lot of jaded teenagers turn into long term unemployed because they never addressed the core issues preventing them from having a successful career - be that entry level or higher.

@ElChapo

If you were to ask her which job she thought would be perfect for her, what would she say?

I'm wondering whether a different kind of job would be more suitable for her in the long run.

Really? So "bad references not allowed" is an urban myth?

Thank you. That’s really useful

Yes, it is. Imagine if it wasn’t.

Thank you (apart from the last sentence). The rest of your post is very helpful. She does realise it’s not ideal and that she needs to buck her ideas up, at least she does now anyway. Prior to this she was doing really well there. They were singing her praises. Getting good feedback from
customers etc but the travel really started wearing her down. I’m not making excuses. I don’t think she handled it correctly but what’s done is done and we need to navigate past this.

I'm 37 and I was a right prat in the job I had at 19. Mumsnet would have ripped me to shreds.
It's her first job, she will hopefully have learnt a lesson.

I'd be encouraging her to look again at education and get whatever she can under belt. It's a tough time to be young and job hunting without qualifications.

I've been fired. I don't get asked very often now but if I am, I normally say something like:

"It wasn't the right fit for me at the time. However I learned a lot about myself in the process and how I would address the situation to stop it happening again. This includes... I think these things mean that it won't happen again."

Tell your daughter to take responsibility for it, be honest and don't blame everyone else (even if it was their fault!). Talk about how she has grown and learned from it.

I think most employers know that people make mistakes and as long as your daughter can still show her strengths it isn't an automatic deal breaker.

Immediately after being sacked, I started temping. Temp agencies will be less fussy and will allow her to have another employer on her CV after this one.