Hey Mozar, I always enjoy your posts and I'm sorry to hear about your layoff. Hang in there. Make sure you get plenty of exercise. Don't sleep in late. Your new job is looking for a job, and in my experience, it's the hardest job there is.
I'm thinking about saying something like: "well the unofficial reason is that I was fired for being bad at temping, officially because their contracts fell through."
No. Try, "I enjoyed working there, but their contract fell through, and I was let go along with
- other people." That's all you need to say.
My experience is that recruiters that are only somewhat interested in me will dig and dig for information that would incriminate myself. Recruiters that are very interested don't usually even ask about it.
That's your insecurity and personal selection bias influencing your perception. Recruiters look for people who won't flake out and can make it through at least 90 days, which is usually how long a person has to work before the recruiting fees (or performance metrics for internal recruiters) are due. You just need to make it through the recruiter, then you can interview with the hiring manager. That's the real interview.
Next issue: I have a contingent offer.
[...]
There was a company that I had turned down for an interview because I didn't think I would be happy there. They asked me to let them know if things changed. Should I contact them?
There was also another company that I turned down. Should I contact them?
Yes! Starting a new job runs in seven discrete phases: apply for the job, pass the screening interview (usually by phone with a recruiter), pass the hiring manager interview, pass the big boss interview, negotiate salary and benes, sign the offer letter, and start work.
When I've been unemployed, I keep looking for jobs right up until I start work. I've had jobs drop out at every one of those phases. Yes, even after I had a signed offer letter. I showed up for the first day of work, to learn that they had laid off 50% of their staff the following Friday, forgot to tell me, and my role was cut a day before I even started. That was a fun day!
So, absolutely contact the other guys who might have a job for you. Worst case, you have multiple jobs to pick from. You should never stop looking for a job.
I'm worried the agency will decide they hate me or something. There were 3 other companies who I had been interviewing with but they disappeared.
This is the worst part of being unemployed. It's depressing, sometimes disabling, and one of the hardest corners to fight yourself out of. Don't give in to the voice in your head telling you that you're no good. I've been there, man, I hear it. Do whatever it takes to put in at least six hours a day of solid job-searching until you start work. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, and take care of yourself.
