Second Chances

I heard some shocking news that someone I previously worked with was fired, and for a good reason. This person made a very bad judgment call and got caught. Is there hope after being fired for cause?

I am so thankful for second chances. I suppose if I was perfect and never made a mistake I could be more judgmental and unforgiving, but because I do make mistakes I want to be forgiving of others. You never know when the shoe might be on the other foot.

Someone posted on an interactive forum about a similar situation. They had been fired with cause. They had never done anything like it before, but they did it this time, got caught and they were fired because of it. They wanted to know if there was anything they could do to get back in the workforce after using such poor judgment and now having a criminal record.

I had been thinking about this very thing since hearing about my former co-worker. Are there second chances for those who have been fired for good reason?

Sometimes the business community can be very small. Everybody knows everyone else’s business. When something big like this happens, people talk about it. I think anyone who finds themselves in this situation and they go on an interview, needs to be honest and upfront. The people interviewing you probably know about it anyway or will find out. I think if you are honest and sincere it can show to the potential employer that you have learned from your mistakes and are looking for a fresh start.

It is risky business for an employer to hire someone with a past indiscretion. They are taking a chance, but sometimes the chance is worth it. People who have been given a second chance often make a very loyal employee.

In the situation I am thinking of the person was hired again and by a company who would have known about the problem. They took a chance, but I believe the risk will pay off for them as this person was a very good employee otherwise.

The person who finds themselves in this position has already gone through the shame of being found out. Sometimes their "sins" have been broadcast to the community and they have had to face their friends and former co-workers. They also have to try and integrate into their new place of employment with everyone knowing and they have to hold their head up high and try to do their job the best they can under this shadow. They have earned this initial speculation because of what they have done, but they can shine and find hope even after failure.

Brian from the Job Bored wrote a interesting article about this very thing called The Ex-Felon Job Search Catch 22. I thought he made some good suggestions.

Here is an another related article from The Thin Pink Line called Laid off vs. Fired