u/Hopeful-Mouse2264

So I obviously don’t plan to say I was fired but I don’t know what to say that sounds convincing. I posted yesterday and was told that the explanation I’ve been giving is a bad one and now I feel sick to my stomach.

For context I was fired from my job as a legal secretary for performance issues. I’ve been a secretary for eight years now and I am planning on looking for a new job as a legal secretary. The performance issues were because the job was extremely demanding and I was always pulled in different directions by the four attorneys I supported.
Eventually this just led to making a lot of little mistakes because I was always rushing around to finish things.
I am not bad at this job, it was just an extremely demanding Big Law/ corporate environment. I was there for almost two years.

I’ve been telling interviewers the following chat gpt answer:

“I was at company for nearly two years, and I learned a tremendous amount there, especially how to manage a high-volume litigation and appellate desk supporting multiple shareholders. While it was an incredibly rewarding experience, I ultimately realized I was looking for a role with a healthier long-term work-life balance. The position frequently required early mornings, late evenings, and weekend work, and while I absolutely understand that those demands are sometimes necessary in litigation, I’m looking for an environment that is a bit more balanced overall on a long-term basis. I’m very much a team player and always willing to step in and put in additional time when needed to support attorneys, deadlines, and clients. I’m now looking for a role where I can continue contributing at a high level in a collaborative and structured environment.”

The answer is not a complete lie as I was routinely asked to work outside of my regular hours. The Saturday before I was fired I was asked to come in for like 3 hours. I was always asked to log in after 5 pm and by the end of it I had to come in an hour early to work just to get everything done. Obviously working around the clock affected my performance.

So far I’ve been passed along to the next round of interviews. Tomorrow I have my final interview with the attorneys and now I feel sick with worry thinking that my explanation is a red flag.

Please help me figure out a way to answer this question without throwing myself under the bus.

So I obviously don’t plan to say I was fired but I don’t know what to say that sounds convincing. I posted yesterday and was told that the explanation I’ve been giving is a bad one and now I feel sick to my stomach.

For context I was fired from my job as a legal secretary for performance issues. I’ve been a secretary for eight years now and I am planning on looking for a new job as a legal secretary. The performance issues were because the job was extremely demanding and I was always pulled in different directions by the four attorneys I supported.
Eventually this just led to making a lot of little mistakes because I was always rushing around to finish things.
I am not bad at this job, it was just an extremely demanding Big Law/ corporate environment. I was there for almost two years.

I’ve been telling interviewers the following chat gpt answer:

“I was at company for nearly two years, and I learned a tremendous amount there, especially how to manage a high-volume litigation and appellate desk supporting multiple shareholders. While it was an incredibly rewarding experience, I ultimately realized I was looking for a role with a healthier long-term work-life balance. The position frequently required early mornings, late evenings, and weekend work, and while I absolutely understand that those demands are sometimes necessary in litigation, I’m looking for an environment that is a bit more balanced overall on a long-term basis. I’m very much a team player and always willing to step in and put in additional time when needed to support attorneys, deadlines, and clients. I’m now looking for a role where I can continue contributing at a high level in a collaborative and structured environment.”

The answer is not a complete lie as I was routinely asked to work outside of my regular hours. The Saturday before I was fired I was asked to come in for like 3 hours. I was always asked to log in after 5 pm and by the end of it I had to come in an hour early to work just to get everything done. Obviously working around the clock affected my performance.

So far I’ve been passed along to the next round of interviews. Tomorrow I have my final interview with the attorneys and now I feel sick with worry thinking that my explanation is a red flag.

Please help me figure out a way to answer this question without throwing myself under the bus.

I was fired from my job three weeks ago for performance issues. I was there for a year and 9 months.

I received severance paper work that said the company will respond to post-employment references by confirming only dates of employment and position held.

Does this mean that they won’t answer whether I’m rehireable or not?

I’ve been telling potential employees that I left due to work life balance issues as I was working around the clock.

I’m terrified that I’ll get caught lying and a future employer will find out I was fired and rescind any job offer.

How confident should I be that the company will only state my position and dates of employment?

I was fired from my job three weeks ago for performance issues. I was there for a year and 9 months.

I received severance paper work that said the company will respond to post-employment references by confirming only dates of employment and position held.

Does this mean that they won’t answer whether I’m rehireable or not?

I’ve been telling potential employees that I left due to work life balance issues as I was working around the clock.

I’m terrified that I’ll get caught lying and a future employer will find out I was fired and rescind any job offer.

How confident should I be that the company will only state my position and dates of employment?