The one thing you should never say after being fired

Future employers are going to want to know why you were fired

In order to minimise the risk of bullying and harassment and to provide guidance in cases where it does happen, employers should have an anti-harassment and bullying policy (Corbis)

Being fired might seem like the ultimate failure.

But that doesn’t always have to be the case, according to Clark Valberg, CEO of InVision, a prototyping tool used by Uber, Twitter and Airbnb. Mr Valberg told Fortune that being fired can result in your greatest success, just as long as you know how to turn such a big disappointment into something positive.

Future employers are going to want to know why you were fired. They will want to hear a thoughtful answer about what went wrong and what you are doing to make it right.

There is one thing you should never say when you are asked why you were fired: “It just didn’t work out.”

Instead, Mr Valberg recommends making a list of accomplishments in your last role to identify the positive parts of the role.

Rather than avoid the negative parts of the job, write these down too, using them to identify how to improve and what might have prevented you from improving last time.

When you are ready to look for a new job, use these lists to help identify your next career step. At the interview, use your notes to give a thoughtful response to why you were fired.

“Be prepared to stand up to scrutiny, and know that those of us who are hiring aren’t looking for perfect—we’re looking for perfecting,” Mr Valberg said.