How to deal with dismissal when mental health was a factor? [duplicate]

Question

Firstly, my question has been extensively rewritten following a) a flag and b) comments that I needed to clean it up.

I was dismissed from a job recently during my probation period. The official reason is because I failed to meet the requirements of punctuality. I was late 6 times over a 7 month period.

The more complex reason was that, for the first time, I was having mental health problems related to a disability that I have. I sought treatment during and since my employment ended and I’m much healthier now.

I have been searching for work in the same industry that I have been based in and have extensive experience in. These are mainly handled through recruitment agencies.

I have enjoyed success in attracting recruitment agencies to me. I have had multiple phone calls solely because my CV is online to view but also I am contacted within 24 hours of sending an application to them when applying for a specific job.

So, I must be doing something right.

Where it goes wrong is that upon contacting me, their second question is always “How come you left x?”

My answer is that “X decided not to make me permanent following my probation period. I had some minor issues with punctuality relating to a health problem which I sought treatment for and is now resolved.”

After I give this answer, the recruitment agent's tone changes and so far, I have not seen a single face-to-face interview result from an agency.

The reason for my question initially was that I had just heard I had been unsuccessful for a job which was the exact same as the one I had been dismissed from but with a competitor. My interview had gone extremely well but again their 2nd question was as above. I addressed the question and, at the time, I did think they did like the answer but they did have follow up questions.

It may be presumptive but I seriously believe that my recent dismissal has damaged my employability which is why I have asked for advice.

Additionally, I have asked the benefits officer dealing with my unemployment claim for advice. He told me that as employers cannot give me a bad reference then I should not tell them the real reason. Surely this is beyond wrong, legally and morally?

I have managed to secure another face to face interview for next week and if it goes well, the start date is immediate. So, it is vitally important to me but needless to say, this will come up as it hasn’t yet.

So how do I deal with this?

Answer 1

Honestly is always the best policy. That being said, honestly does not mean giving them your complete medical history. Start with being open as to the official reason, then provide a non-detailed explanation and finally close with how you've learned from it and that will make you even better now.

In your shoes I would say something like, "They chose not to convert me to permanent after my probation period. The reason was because I had what was deemed an unacceptable level of tardiness. This was totally true, I was dealing with some serious personal issues at the time, which I've since resolved. Instead of being up front with my employer I tried to handle it all myself. I realize now I should have been more open with what was happening."

Answer 2

People tend to remember the first thing you say more than something you bury in the middle of a statement. You're leading with "I was late too much". Instead, turn it around:

I had some medical issues that interfered with my ability to do the job and they dismissed me during the probation period. Those issues are now resolved and I'm eager to get back to work.

In addition to changing the order I dropped the specific reason (punctuality). It doesn't matter since it's fixed now, so why give them a specific thing to react to? If they ask a followup question about how your performance was affected then answer truthfully, but in my experience, interviewers don't generally pry into past medical issues so long as they know they're in the past.

Answer 3

Be honest with less details.

"I was late 6 times in 7 months. I didn't think it was a big deal, as I worked longer each time and all my tasks were finished in time. I know now how important it is to not only get the work done, but to be also on time."