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Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications

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renegade1
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Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   13 Nov 2012, 13:28
Hey everyone,

I write this post with great sadness. My firm let me go right before R2 apps. Along with other issues, my senior manager found that I am applying to school. He was outraged. I had no idea this was coming with the amount of "good jobs" and "great work" feedback I heard regarding my performance over the last few months. Needless to say, I felt totally blindsided.

My firm is generous in letting me stay through the end of the year to try to find a new job. They are also letting me claim voluntary termination to recruiters and schools. But I am highly concerned about my applications. I won't have to disclose any employment gaps given the submission deadlines. However, I will have to disclose that in interviews if they ask me to bring an updated resume.

I have a 740 GMAT, 4 years of boutique consulting experience at 1 company only, strong extracurriculars, and am planning to work with an admissions consultant. Money is going to be tight. My recommendations will not be affected by this (different managers who are all pulling for me, not the most senior manager)

Has anyone dealt with something like this? I want to be honest and ethical. I'm scared for the future if I don't make it into business school given thin employment prospects coming from a very niche consulting background. What do I do?

Thank you.
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cheetarah1980
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   13 Nov 2012, 13:52
renegade1 wrote:
Hey everyone,

I write this post with great sadness. My firm let me go right before R2 apps. Along with other issues, my senior manager found that I am applying to school. He was outraged. I had no idea this was coming with the amount of "good jobs" and "great work" feedback I heard regarding my performance over the last few months. Needless to say, I felt totally blindsided.

My firm is generous in letting me stay through the end of the year to try to find a new job. They are also letting me claim voluntary termination to recruiters and schools. But I am highly concerned about my applications. I won't have to disclose any employment gaps given the submission deadlines. However, I will have to disclose that in interviews if they ask me to bring an updated resume.

I have a 740 GMAT, 4 years of boutique consulting experience at 1 company only, strong extracurriculars, and am planning to work with an admissions consultant. Money is going to be tight. My recommendations will not be affected by this (different managers who are all pulling for me, not the most senior manager)

Has anyone dealt with something like this? I want to be honest and ethical. I'm scared for the future if I don't make it into business school given thin employment prospects coming from a very niche consulting background. What do I do?

Thank you.

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your job. While it's definitely disheartening I do not think it will adversely affect your applications unless you are waitlisted. I interviewed at three schools last year and none of them asked for an updated resume at the time of the interview. There's actually no reason for a school to do so since there is only about a 4-6 week window between the application submission and the interview. Schools do not expect that anything significant would have changed in that short a time frame.

Additionally, I know several people who left their jobs in December/January and were admitted to top schools. Your situation isn't ideal, but it's also not a deal breaker. If asked during an interview about what you're currently doing at your job (which I doubt will happen) then just be truthful and say you recently left to pursue X,Y, or Z. I wouldn't volunteer the information unless asked.
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Tzeentch99
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   13 Nov 2012, 13:57
Don't worry so much. I've had several B-school interviews and they don't ask for a resume or anything. You could just use the one you submitted with your application. If you can't find a job immediately though, def stay involved in something weather its a voluntee nonprofit or something. Or even better go do some world travelling. You need ot show that you are still active and have a good story about how you are taking the time to do xy and z.
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knik
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   13 Nov 2012, 14:23
I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Your profile looks great, so keep your chin up and things will work out! Are you still waiting to hear back from any R1 schools?
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Ward2012
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   13 Nov 2012, 19:46
I don't think you have to worry about your candidacy. But I'm actually more concerned about why you got laid off. Are you saying that the main reason you got fired is because your boss found out you were applying to school? that's a really crappy thing to do, and while it's not discrimination according to any sort of act like the Civil Rights Act, I feel there's something morally wrong if that is the reason why you got laid off.

The best vengeance will be for you to get your MBA, go to a rival company, and then beat your old company in a deal fair and square.
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L
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   14 Nov 2012, 03:54
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Yeah dude. I totally agree with Ward. Like everyone else pointed out, for your Bschool application this will have no negative affect at all, so no worries there. But it's very strange that a company with which you had been for four GOOD years would fire you just like that. I mean, they should on the contrary be happy for you (I mean personally) that you want to move on, and be willing and happy to help. It's also not as if you are leaving after a few months. You did along time there, and whether you decide to move on or not should at least be respected, even if it's not towards their benefit....
Weird...

It makes me wonder though (and I have no basis for this at all, but just knowing people and stuff) perhaps they have an ulterior motive for firing you and are just using the B-school thing as an excuse? I mean if I saw one of my guys or gals wanted to leave, I wouldn't fire them if I thought they were great workers, but try to entice them to stay...

Strange...
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renegade1
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   14 Nov 2012, 09:40
Hi everyone. Thank you so much for the support. Reading your posts has really lifted my spirits and I've been in a slump for a while now.

Cheetarah - thank you for sharing your experiences and those of your friends. I've been following your blog and mbaover30 for some time now. Reading about your experiences in LEAD, Halloween, and general school life has pushed Booth to the top of my list.

Tzeen - thanks for your advice. I am heavily involved in a non-profit I helped start that's been keeping me going through this layoff. Can't do any world traveling tho unless I want to give up unemployment benefits.

Knik - thank you but I didn't get into H or W for R1

Ward and Jon - thank you for your words of advice. There has always been tension between me and my senior manager. While I have a great relationship with my direct managers, I was disappointed they did not back me up when they were considering layoffs. My own mentor/guardian at the firm also left only a few months ago so I didn't truly have anyone pulling for me. I would also say there is some racism but there is nothing I can substantiate. PM me if you want to talk about that more, but I don't want to put it on this board.

Thanks again everyone.

Posted from my mobile device
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knik
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   14 Nov 2012, 15:03
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You may also want to consider adding CBS to your target schools since with rolling admissions they'd probably render your decision before any of your R2 schools. I know it wouldn't affect your matriculation timeline but at least in my experience knowing you could potentially hear back in a couple months (as opposed to March 2013) can work wonders on the 'ol blood pressure. Besides that, just focus your anxiety into crafting some killer applications. Best of luck - when you do get in somewhere you'll have an interesting story to tell!
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gmat3000
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   14 Nov 2012, 15:50
You will be ok for round 2 applications. If you get an offer am sure they will be ok with it. As by then you can go travelling for a few months before starting the MBA anyway. So the employment gap shouldn't hurt as long as you get a place on your round 2 application.
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ManhattanReview
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink] New post   14 Nov 2012, 19:49
I am very sorry that this situation had to unfold during the already stressful business school application period. However, you can breath a bit easier knowing that your termination will not impact your chances of getting into a top program at all. If one thing that the 2008-current global recession has taught business school admissions is that good candidates come with all types of employment statuses and situations. I have seen unemployed candidates get into Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia and other peer group schools. Also, with the workforce and workplace so turbulent now, people are continually losing their jobs so periods of unemployment are much more common than you think.

Instead of worrying about this situation, focus your energies on getting a new position and getting into a graduate school of your choice.

Good luck

Kimberly Plaga
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Re: Got fired from my job before Round 2 applications [#permalink]
14 Nov 2012, 19:49

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