Fifty Shades of Grey

Straight Answers to Real Questions

Question: I just left my position as CFO of a $70mm owner-managed environmental reclamation company. We haven’t been doing very well lately and the owner has been asking me to take our accounting and financial reporting direction that I’m just not comfortable with. There may be fifty shades of grey in accounting, but what he’s asking for is definitely on the dark grey end of the spectrum.

It finally came to a head last month and my boss basically gave me an ultimatum to comply with his directives or leave. I’ve engaged a lawyer and am launching a constructive dismissal suite against my old employer and I’m actively looking for a new position.

Will the fact that I’m suing my previous employer negatively impact how any future employer might view me? How do I handle this in an interview?

Answer: Generally speaking, I would say that the circumstance of you leaving and the ensuing litigation shouldn’t be a factor for a future employer. Most if not all interviewers would understand and appreciate the fact that you insist on maintaining your professional (and ethical) standards.

I’m assuming that this current constructive dismissal suit is your only experience with this kind of litigation and that your resume reflects a track record of success and logical progression up the career ladder. In which case make sure that your previous employers are standing by to give you a glowing reference.

If however, you’ve left previous positions due to a conflict with your boss, potential employers are probably going to come to one of two assumptions about you, neither of which work in your favour. They’ll conclude that either you are in fact hard to get along with or they’ll conclude that your decision making skills when it comes to finding a new job are somewhat impaired.