Fought them and WON but................

What is the name of your state? Indiana

I worked for a company for 14 years - I was fired from that job and filed unemployment - that company denied me unemployment and then didnt show up when I appealed their decision - so I won -- that was 1 year ago - since then I have been trying to find work - Every time I get to the part on the application that says - WHY ARE YOU NO LONGER THERE>>>>>>> I dont know what to say........See, I KNOW the reason I was fired was nothing more then the General Manager DIDNT LIKE ME _ that is why he never showed up to defend his reason to fire me and that is why I won. but How do I let potential employers understand that I am not the bad guy here - I worry that they look at my resume and say hmmm real good work history - then - OH she was FIRED --- would it be in bad taste to attatch a copy of my court papers = stating that I won my appeal because they did not show up - it seems that I have nothing other then that to prove I was a good worker considering because I filed for unemployment and won - no one from my past job wants anything to do with me - so if potential employers dismiss my resume because I was fired - then I will never get to tell them what REALLY HAPPENED>>>> any advice will do - I have nothing but time because noone is calling me back on jobs.........

Yes, it would be extremely bad taste to attach your court papers.

You are confusing two different things. The fact that you won at unemployment, regardless of the reason, has nothing whatsoever to do with your firing. Potential employers do not care whether you're on unemployment or not. They're not going to hear, "oh, she won at unemployment, that means she's a good worker after all". That's not at issue. Your unemployment status is totally irrelevant to potential hiring. I've talked with a lot of people, and it sounds as if you may be one of them, who assume that if you win at unemployment it means that you were wrongfully terminated. That is absolutely not true. Beisdes, winning unemployment does not mean that you were a good worker. I'm not saying you weren't, but plenty of people who were not good workers are also able to get unemployment. The two have no connection with each other.

Rather than going into the story of your unemployment fight, which I assure you your potential employers do not want to hear, when asked about why you are no longer with the company, you can explain, POLITELY and without badmouthing your employer, that there was a personality conflict with the general manager, and the company thought it would be best for all concerned for you to seek employment elsewhere. Then you can also try to line up other people at the company, perhaps other managers or co-workers, who might be willing to give you a reference.

Keep in mind three things. First, ,many, many companies choose to give no information about an employee in a reference check except for dates of hire, title, and possibly salary. Also, many, many companies do not allow anyone but HR to give out references. Before you get too bent out of shape about the references you may or may not have, find out what your former employer does in the matter of references. You may be getting all upset over nothing.

Second, in the current economy there are many more people seeking jobs than there are jobs available. Your failure to find another job may well have nothing to do with your references, and nothing to do with the fact that you were fired, but simply due to the fact that there are too many people out of work right now.

Finally, for the same reason, the current economy, employers are very well aware of the fact that people can get fired or laid off through no fault of their own. Being fired is not the kiss of death that some people assume.