NO MATTER WHICH SIDE YOU ARE ON YOU USUALLY ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION AND GET YOUR CHANCE TO TELL YOUR CASE. PREPARATION FOR THE HEARING IS KEY. ALWAYS REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION. PREPARING FOR THE HEARING IS CRUCIAL. IF YOU FEEL YOU MAY HAVE BEEN WRONGFULLY FIRED YOU WILL NEED TO PREPARE.  THIS IS A CHECKLIST OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU WILL TO DO AND GET:

1. GATHER ALL INFORMATION FROM YOU PRIOR EMPLOYER. ITEMS MAY INCLUDE DISMISSAL NOTICE OR SOME SORT OF PAPER SAYING YOU ARE TERMINATED AND FOR WHAT REASON.

2. WRITE TO YOUR COMPANY THAT HAS JUST RELEASED YOU REQUESTING ALL RECORDS BE SENT TO YOU. SOMETIMES YOU WRITE TO HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT AND SOMETIMES IT MAY BE YOUR SUPERVISOR OF A COMPANY. THIS PAPERWORK OR FILE IS CRUCIAL INFORMATION FOR YOUR CASE.

IN YOUR FILE IT WILL STATE WHETHER YOU HAVE HAD WARNINGS, BEEN WRITTEN UP, HAVE HAD WORK ISSUES THAT MAY WARRANT YOUR DISMISSAL THE FILE SHOULD ALSO HAVE PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS AND RAISES. IT WILL ALSO HAVE YOUR HOURS SCHEDULE AND LOST TIME. THE LAW STATES THAT A COMPANY HAS A LIMITED TIME TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THIS REQUESTED FILES. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION IS YOU CAN TRACK HOW LONG THEY TAKE TO MAIL IT TO YOU. A COMPANY CAN BE FINED DAILY FOR NOT PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION TO YOU UPON REQUEST.

3. IF YOU HAVE GOOD WORK ETHICS AND HAVE HAD NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO DISMISSAL ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE YOU WERE TERMINATED YOU MAY PROCEED WITH THE REST OF THE STEPS. ALTHOUGH SOME STATES ARE AN AT WILL LAW STATE BEING THAT YOU MAY BE TERMINATED FOR ANY REASON THAT DOESNT MEAN YOU CANT COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT UNLESS OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE NO MONEY TO COLLECT.

4. AN EMPLOYER MUST PROVE THAT YOU VIOLATED A SPECIFIC LAW, CONVICTED A CRIME, WAS WARNED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OF A SPECIFIC ISSUE, BEEN WRITTEN UP ON A BEHAVIOR ISSUE IN PATTERN MEANING HAS DONE IT BEFORE. IF YOU KNOW ANOTHER PERSON THAT HAPPEN TO DO WHAT YOU MAY HAVE BEEN TERMINATED FOR AND IS STILL EMPLOYED THAT IS AN IMPORTANT FACT TOO.

5. START TO PREPARE FOR THE HEARING AFTER RECEIPT OF YOUR RECORDS. REVIEW YOUR RECORDS-FILES THOROUGHLY.  YOU MAY PREPARE BEFORE YOU RECEIVE THESE TOO.

6. GET A COUPLE LEGAL PADS OF PAPER.

7. KEEP A PAD ABOUT AT ALL TIMES SO WHEN YOU THINK OF SOMETHING THAT MAY BE IMPORTANT WRITE IT DOWN.

8. YOUR HEARING WILL CONSISTS OF ASKING YOUR PRIOR EMPLOYER QUESTIONS. SO KEEP ALL YOUR ISSUES IN A QUESTION FORMAT.

9. KEEP THE QUESTIONS DIRECT AND STERN LIKE "IS IT TRUE THAT...?"

10. REMEMBER TO BE STERN AND STATE YOUR CASE REFER TO YOUR WORK ETHICS, JOB DUTIES, EVALUATIONS, NO WARNINGS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOUR CASE AN EMPLOYER MUST PROVIDE YOU A WARNING OR SHOW PRIOR PROBLEMS OR PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR FOR DISMISSAL.

11. IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE BEEN WRONGFULLY FIRED AND HAVE GOOD WORK ETHICS YOU CAN STILL COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT. IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS JUST EMAIL ME