- If you've been fired for performance, you can do a few things before applying to new work.
- You can talk to someone you trust about what your performance is really like.
- Be ready to talk about your skills and why you're looking for work during an interview.
One of the toughest things you can hear at work is your boss saying you suck at your job.
Being told you're a low-performer, as thousands of former workers from Meta, Microsoft, and the federal government know firsthand, is rarely easy. That's especially the case if you believe the poor job assessment is unfounded.
In the vernacular of Elon Musk, it can mean workers find themselves at a fork in the road — and often jobless.
Being out of work after suffering a rhetorical body blow calls for self-evaluation, getting feedback from a mentor, and being careful about how you talk about your former job and employer, career experts told Business Insider.
Workers pushed out in a high-profile culling of ostensibly poor performers could struggle even more to find work, Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, told BI.
"Employers know that that's the reason why they got laid off," he said.
That might necessitate that job seekers take special care. Here are four things to keep in mind.
Reflect on what happened and then take steps to improve
Before applying to jobs again, workplace observers suggested taking a step back and reflecting on what your former employer said.
Amanda Augustine, the career expert at TopResume, said it's important to think, "Was I really bad at this, or was I not doing a great job of communicating my work and my performance?" Whatever you learn, work on that in your next role.
If you were told you were underperforming in a particular skill, you could get a certification or complete some training to improve, Harshal Varpe, a career expert at Indeed, said.
Job seekers should also consider who can vouch for them.
"Your references are almost your living testimonial of what your performance has been," Varpe said.
Augustine suggested two potential job references: someone in human resources from your previous company or a former colleague who can attest to your skills. If you put down a former boss, a prospective employer "might get some insight" into your performance, she said.
Get an honest assessment from someone who knows you
Getting canned for falling short of an employer's expectations hurts. And, of course, there can be numerous reasons you drew the underperformer tag. Perhaps your skills weren't well suited for the role, or maybe your employer didn't give you what you needed to succeed, Vicki Salemi, a career expert with Monster, told BI. In some cases, that might be training or a set of clear expectations.
Finding a mentor or someone else you trust who knows your work can be a big help, she said, because you can ask the person for an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.
"You might actually truly be a poor performer," Salemi said. If you get a sense that's the case, it's reasonable to ask how you might improve, she said.
If you believe your poor performance rating isn't justified or that you faced other obstacles, like an unreasonable workload, Salemi suggests gathering qualitative measures of your success and clearly defined accomplishments.
She said having specific examples in your back pocket will help "demonstrate that you are a strong performer."
Be careful with your digital footprint
Some workers Meta terminated after labeling them as low performers pushed back with LinkedIn posts asserting that they'd earned solid reviews.
That's a departure from a more discreet approach some fired workers might have taken in the past.
If you're planning to post about your termination, Augustine said to consider what you include because it reflects your professional — and personal — brand to prospective employers and others, such as people you're hoping to set up informational interviews with.
Instead of talking about your performance or calling out your past employer, Augustine said to talk about the kind of areas where you're seeking opportunities, what skills you are hoping to use, and, of course, that you are hoping for job leads.
"You want to be cognizant of what reputation you're promoting for yourself, how you're positioning yourself, and your experience to the world," she said.
Focus on your skills
Augustine said prospective employers usually ask candidates why they left a job or are seeking a new one. She advised answering with, "I'm now targeting roles that really leverage my X, Y, and Z skills, which are really strong," rather than discussing performance or badmouthing a former employer.
Salemi said that job seekers should have ready a simple statement that explains why they left their last role. It's similar, she said, to how you might be prepared to talk about employment gaps on your résumé. Salemi said that after briefly explaining why you left, it's time to shift toward the role you're seeking.
"You want to pivot to your top skills and strengths," she said.
Before landing a role, you can get insight into performance expectations during the job interview. Augustine said you can ask, "If I were to take on this job, what would you expect me to accomplish in the first three months or the first six months?"
She said this can help inform your relationship with your potential manager. Once you get the job, she said to align with your boss about your goals and how you should be communicating progress toward them.
Do you have a story to share about your job search? Contact these reporters at [email protected] or [email protected].
