Case 'been fired' addendum Forum

[Lonagan]

I am seeking advice on my addendum for Case Western's question about whether you have been fired / terminated from a job.

Question 28 Addendum
Fake Name LSAC# --------

This addendum to my application for admission is in response to question 26 which asks "Have you ever been terminated, suspended, disciplined, or permitted to resign in lieu of termination from any job?"

In April 2007 I was fired from my job as an associate at Target Copy in Gainesville, Florida. The circumstances surrounding this event are as follows:

I worked the night shift at Target Copy, a general printing and copying company. As is characteristic of the night shift in jobs such as this, the work load was highly variable, leading to many nights with very little or nothing to do. Many associates at this company were, like me, students at either the University of Florida or Santa Fe Community College and would use these slow nights to read or do other work for their classes. One day in April, I received a call at home from the owner of the company. He informed me that another employee at the company had reported that I was reading on the clock, and asked me if this was true. I answered that it was true. He then informed me that I was terminated and would not discuss the matter further.

I do not believe this incident is a true reflection of either my character or work ethic. My direct supervisor permitted reading on slow nights. It was an entirely commonplace activity throughout the company, and I am not aware of anyone else being terminated for this reason. Further, I was a conscientious and hardworking employee, often staying several hours past the end of my shift to complete critical projects, training new employees, and dealing with particularly complex tasks. While I respect Target Copy's prerogative to act as it pleases with regard to at-will employment agreements, I stand by the quality of my work product and maintain that I was unjustly terminated. I did not pursue any remedy for this termination on account of the above-noted at-will nature of the employment, and the fact that a low-paying service industry job is only worth so much trouble.

I am concerned about the length of the statement and whether or not the tone comes off as flippant. The statement I would like to have written is "I worked a shitty job for a shitty company in undergrad, and one day, like a bitch, the owner called and fired me at home. He told me I was fired, I told him to go fuck himself and wished him all the best in making copies for the rest of his life. I regret nothing." I think I have instead used adult words, but I am open to criticism. For whatever it's worth, I think writing about this in a law school app is even dumber than the schools that make me write about a speeding ticket from ten years ago. Thanks all for any feedback.

[nixxers]

The statement I would like to have written is "I worked a shitty job for a shitty company in undergrad, and one day, like a bitch, the owner called and fired me at home. He told me I was fired, I told him to go fuck himself and wished him all the best in making copies for the rest of his life. I regret nothing." I think I have instead used adult words, but I am open to criticism.

It sounds good to me. The last sentence is a little bitchy though, so if you're worried about sounding flippant, get rid of it.

[avacado111]

that owner was a bitch.

[Pearalegal]

This might be stupid, but thats not your real name and LSAC number, right? It didn't look obviously fake to me.

[Lonagan]

Wow, that was incredibly stupid of me, thank you for pointing that out. Names changed to protect the innocent, etc.

[Pearalegal]

Wow, that was incredibly stupid of me, thank you for pointing that out. Names changed to protect the innocent, etc.

--ImageRemoved--

[Lonagan]

The statement I would like to have written is "I worked a shitty job for a shitty company in undergrad, and one day, like a bitch, the owner called and fired me at home. He told me I was fired, I told him to go fuck himself and wished him all the best in making copies for the rest of his life. I regret nothing." I think I have instead used adult words, but I am open to criticism.

It sounds good to me. The last sentence is a little bitchy though, so if you're worried about sounding flippant, get rid of it.

Yeah, true. I'll probably just cut that out.

[Lonagan]

Those crazy cats and their crazy antics.

[JCougar]

Yeah, definitely get rid of the last sentence. I would get rid of the "unjustly terminated" business, too. The owner can fire you for whatever reason he wants if it's performance-related. That sounds whiney. You already explained the situation of your termination, and whether that termination was unjust should be for the reader to decide. Stay away from the value judgments and stick to a description of the situation.

[Kobe_Teeth]

take out last sentence but other than that its evident that you got screwed at an inconsequential job...

[Lonagan]

Yeah, last sentence is out. I think you are probably correct JCougar, I should just let it stand at 'work product.' All in all it sounds like people think the bulk of the statement is about on point though?

[lsatbdog]

I am seeking advice on my addendum for Case Western's question about whether you have been fired / terminated from a job.

Question 28 Addendum
Fake Name LSAC# --------

This addendum to my application for admission is in response to question 26 which asks "Have you ever been terminated, suspended, disciplined, or permitted to resign in lieu of termination from any job?"

In April 2007 I was fired from my job as an associate at Target Copy in Gainesville, Florida. The circumstances surrounding this event are as follows:

I worked the night shift at Target Copy, a general printing and copying company.[strike]As is characteristic of the night shift in jobs such as this,[/strike]The work load was highly variable, ranging from very busy nights to ones with no work to be done at all. Many associates at this company were, like me, students at either the University of Florida or Santa Fe Community College and would use [strike]these[/strike]slow nights to read or do [strike]other[/strike] work for their classes. My direct supervisor permitted reading on slow nights. One day in April, I received a call[strike]at home[/strike] from the owner of the company. He stated that another employee [strike]at the company[/strike] had reported that I was reading on the clock, and asked me if this was true. I answered that it was [strike]true.[/strike] (accurate?) or just end there. You have true twice in a row. He then informed me that I [strike]was terminated[/strike] (this works, but something like "my services were no longer necessary" may sound better) and would not discuss the matter further.

I do not believe this incident is a true reflection of either my character or work ethic. (Moved this part) Reading during downtime was [strike]an entirely[/strike]commonplace [strike]activity[/strike]throughout the company, and I am not aware of anyone else being terminated for this reason. Further, I was a conscientious and hardworking employee, often staying several hours past the end of my shift to complete critical projects, training new employees, and dealing with particularly complex tasks. While I respect Target Copy's prerogative to act as it pleases with regard to at-will employment agreements, I stand by the quality of my work [strike]product and maintain that I was unjustly terminated[/strike]. [strike]I did not pursue any remedy for this termination on account of the above-noted at-will nature of the employment, and the fact that a low-paying service industry job is only worth so much trouble.[/[/strike]quote]

I am concerned about the length of the statement and whether or not the tone comes off as flippant. The statement I would like to have written is "I worked a shitty job for a shitty company in undergrad, and one day, like a bitch, the owner called and fired me at home. He told me I was fired, I told him to go fuck himself and wished him all the best in making copies for the rest of his life. I regret nothing." I think I have instead used adult words, but I am open to criticism. For whatever it's worth, I think writing about this in a law school app is even dumber than the schools that make me write about a speeding ticket from ten years ago. Thanks all for any feedback.

[/quote]

Overall I think it works, I tried to "trim the fat a little". I also don't think you need the last sentence at all, it comes off a bit strong/confrontational. I don't think the situation is too big a deal since my understanding is these questions are for character and fitness stuff down the road, and its not like your the first person to be fired from a college job for reading or doing work on the clock, and you won't be the last. I think you could cut the whole last paragraph if you want, into just something like "although I am not aware of any other employee being fired for such activity, which was relatively common, I accept the decision. However, I do not think it is a true reflection on my work ethic, character/whatever".

Edit: I tried to fix the tiny font, but I don't know what is wrong with it. I'd just say to try and shorten it a bit, and not overplay other people also doing the same thing. Just mention that it was common, your supervisor allowed it, but you were terminated for it, and you accept it but dont believe it reflects on you.

[Pearalegal]

I think you could cut the whole last paragraph if you want, into just something like "although I am not aware of any other employee being fired for such activity, which was relatively common, I accept the decision. However, I do not think it is a true reflection on my work ethic, character/whatever".

Yeah...don't say too much about how everyone else read on the job too. Its the whole bridge thing from our childhoods again.

[Miracle]

For what school is this?

[Pearalegal]

For what school is this?

Are you kidding? Read the title and the first line of the OP.

[Miracle]

For what school is this?

Are you kidding? Read the title and the first line of the OP.

Case Western?

Relax! I didn't see it. No need to panic.

[Lonagan]

@Lsatbdog, edits look good, that tightens it a lot. Thanks a bunch.

@Pear, yeah, "but everyone else was doing it..." is maybe not the best slant to take.

You guys are awesome

[You Gotta Have Faith]

This is somewhat unrelated, but why the heck does Case Western even care? That's like asking if you've ever gotten a speeding ticket (I know, I know). The vast majority of responses aren't going to be people with whom there is genuinely a serious issue.

[You Gotta Have Faith]

i'm not Polonius, but this is too long.

"I was fired from Target for reading on the job. [Insert one sentence to mitigate]"

There is a lot of truth to this. Maybe you're over thinking this addendum. I'm pretty sure people like you aren't the reason this question is in the app. They're looking for the true "trouble" types. Don't play it up as a big deal.

[84Sunbird2000]

Yes, I was wondering about this, too, but for a different reason. I was laid off but not fired, and did receive a severance package. Does this mean that I still need to attach an addendum?

[NayBoer]

Yes, I was wondering about this, too, but for a different reason. I was laid off but not fired, and did receive a severance package. Does this mean that I still need to attach an addendum?

My sense would be no, since that's not punitive and not related to your character or job performance. If you were laid off or furloughed because of economic or technological reasons then it doesn't really matter, unlike being fired for incompetence, theft or insubordination. But you could always ask the school if you're worried.

[j.wellington]

This isn't expert advice, but I think it's way too long. It would suffice to say that you were fired from a night-shift job at Target after your supervisor discovered that you had been reading during slower moments. If you really want to, you can mention succinctly that the manager discovered this through another coworker. You can also mention that you were denied the opportunity to discuss the matter from your perspective. But that's it; they'll get it. The last line is inappropriate and kind of priggish ("low-paying service industry job").

Also, look at this way: You decided to spend your downtime reading rather than straightening up the gum aisle. I think the admissions committee will look upon that favorably.

[Marisa5252]

Yes, I was wondering about this, too, but for a different reason. I was laid off but not fired, and did receive a severance package. Does this mean that I still need to attach an addendum?

I would either write the addendum or e-mail the admissions department and ask if they want you to. Not because I think it is an issue for the application but because during the character and fitness investigation for the bar they look at the applications and if you WERE supposed to include it and didn't it might be something they take issue with. C&F takes "lying" "falsifying" "omitting" or whatever way more seriously than the actual act. This would just be a stupid reason to bring that into question. Better to be safe than sorry!

[BriaTharen]

Your last line is pretty bitchy. Keep in mind that they do have your job history in addition to the addendum. While I think there is a 0.09% chance they would do this, don't give them any reason to call your former employer and hear about your parting words.