Rebuildling trust in a work relationship

[genevieve]

Let's get real here. This economy sucks and this is one of the worst times in modern history to be looking for work.

The flip side to this is that so many people are out of work it's the easiest time to explain employment instability. Again, not through lies, but I think potential employers are less likely to get their knickers in a twist over details unless the applicant draws attention to it.

[mrr50]

If the company is willing to answer the question "would you rehire the person", then you risk the sompany confirming that you probably didn't leave voluntarily and your job wasn't eliminated. Being caught in a lie during an interview will almost certainly kill any chance of an offer.

How about something like "I worked at the company for a long time with a variety of managers, but my last manager and I had some miscommunications and a misunderstanding about some of my job responsiilities."

The fact you worked for a variety of people for so long will help alleviate any concern about your general ability and makes it sound like it was just a fit problem with one particular person. You're not bad mouthing the manager or trying to blame him (which never comes off well), and if pushed further (although they may let it drop at that) you can say there was a miscommunication about whether he wanted you to have access to his email like you had with your other managers, and this resulted in a misunderstanding about access to his confidential data.

While this may raise some questions, those should be offset by your long work history. Good luck.

Best advice

[Ziggy]

I concur. This way you're admitting to the problems you've head whilst presenting yourself in a good light.

[Anita18]

I concur. This way you're admitting to the problems you've head whilst presenting yourself in a good light.

I definitely think Garden Kitty's advice is the best. And besides, it WAS a misunderstanding and I think everyone can relate to that. Versus saying that your coworkers didn't like you.

[arena_gal]

deleted: should read entire topic before posting.

[Capella]

Saw this article on reference checks and thought I'd pass it along.