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Tricky topics

Being fired, or leaving on bad terms

“If I tell the truth they won't hire me.”

What they really want to know

Honesty, that you've learned from it, and that it won't happen again.

How to say it

  1. Be honest and brief. Use neutral words like “it wasn't the right fit” or “I was let go”.
  2. Take your share of responsibility, without running yourself down.
  3. Say what you learned and what you do differently now, with proof if you can.

For example

“I was let go from my last job after a few months. I'd taken on more shifts than I could manage and I was late too often. It taught me to be realistic about my hours. Since then I've volunteered every Saturday for six months and haven't missed a single shift.”

Use your own words and your own story. This is only a shape to follow.

Try to avoid

  • Criticising your old boss or company
  • Lying: references often reveal it
  • Going into every detail

Practise it

Sam will ask: “Why did you leave your last job?”

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Sam

I'll be your interviewer. Here are three quick tips so practice feels like the real thing.

  1. Give me my most human voice

    With it, I sound like a real person instead of a robot. It's a one-time download of about 90MB, then it works offline too.

    Safe and private. It's free and open-source, it downloads from Hugging Face (a well-known home for free AI voices), and it runs only on your device. Nothing you say is sent anywhere by it, and you can switch back to the standard voice any time in Me.

  2. Answer out loud

    Use Chrome, Edge or Safari and tap Allow when asked for the microphone. Rather not speak? Typing works just as well.

  3. Find a quiet spot

    Headphones help in Live Interview, so I don't hear myself. And don't worry about mistakes: try again and watch your score go up.

Your progress stays in this browser. Come back in the same browser to keep your streak and scores. Private or incognito windows forget everything when you close them.

Want me to sound more human?

My most human voice sounds like a real person instead of a robot. It's a one-time download of about 90MB, then it works offline too.

Safe and private. It's free and open-source, it downloads from Hugging Face (a well-known home for free AI voices), and it runs only on your device. Nothing you say is sent anywhere by it, and you can switch back to the standard voice any time in Me.

Keep your progress safe

Nice work so far! Your progress is saved in this browser, not in an account, so a few things can wipe it:

A backup is one small file. Load it in Me on any device to carry on where you left off.