You're Fired! But it's not Donald Trump on the Apprentice.

Donald Trump is famous world-wide for those words, "You're Fired!" But if you have ever been terminated from a job, you know the heartache you feel when you hear those or similar words.

I would guess that almost anyone who is successful in their career has been fired at least once in their life. How you react is important. The reasons for someone being fired may be justified or not. Reasons can be for illegal actions or for immoral activities. In many instances, if you are an "at-will" employee, you can be terminated for no reason whatsoever. If you feel you have been illegally dismissed because of your age, skincolor, race, national origin, religious beliefs, handicap, gender or sexual orientation, you may be able to contact someone who specializes in employment law to help you determine what you should do next.

So you got the notice, you will definitely have some emotions. Being fired is about the same stress level as the breakup of a marriage or the death of a loved one.
Anger is typically the most frequent emotion. Don't keep it bottled up. Find a trusted friend who will listen while you vent. Avoid a pay-back attitude. If you are interviewing for new positions, if you share negative comments about a previous boss or company, you could be limiting your chances with that new company.

Here are a couple of things that you should try to do:

• Identify the reason you were fired.
• Reassure potential employers that the problem has been resolved.  

You and your previous employer have two perspectives about your termination.

• Employer - Inability to perform job functions effectively due to excessive absenteeism.
• Employee - My car kept breaking down. It was unreliable.

Whatever happened, if you can rectify a situation to keep it from happening again, you should. If you were not given a reason why you are being fired, you may want to contact a previous employer to find out so that you can avoid making any of the same mistakes.

What do you tell a potential employer about getting fired?

• Don't ever misrepresent your employment history on a job application. It is a legal document and if an employer finds out it is falsified, that in itself, could be grounds for termination.
• Avoid using the word "fired". Other phrases could include "let go involuntarily" Involuntarily dismissed"
• During an interview prepare a one sentence summary of the problem that led to the dismissal and then offer an explanation of how you have resolved the situation.
• Never express anger or make negative comments about your past employers. Instead focus on the transferable skills and improved attitude. 
• When you are asked "Tell me about yourself" you can initiate the discussion with the interviewer using your prepared statement and not have to wait for when the interviewer brings up the dreaded question.

We can be our own worst enemy. Check with a friend whose opinion you trust to see if your attitude is good, your outlook on your job search, and your statements regarding your previous employer. Make sure everything is going to appear positive to a new employer before you go on that first interview.