Navigating Career Moves: How to Handle a Relieving Letter That Mentions Termination?

Hi,

One of my friends from Kerala worked in a small private limited software company (4-6 employees). Since he got a new job in a US multinational corporation (MNC) and the new employer asked him to join without a relieving letter, he did not resign and went to his native place for a few days on leave. Then, he called and informed his employer that he could not continue his job due to some valid reasons and resigned.

He joined the new company and realized that he made a mistake on his personal front by not collecting experience and relieving letter from his last employer. So, he sent an email to the owner and asked for the experience and relieving letter.

Since they had a good relationship, the employer considered his case and sent his experience and relieving letter in one document. However, along with the experience and relieving letter, the employer specified that "duty with this organization therefore stands terminated."

Will this line affect his career? It was his third company in his career. My questions are:

1. Should he show this experience in his resume (only six months of experience)?
2. What should he tell the next HR if asked about this?
3. Will it impact his career?

Thank you.

Dear Rekha ji,

The word 'Termination' differs from 'Relieving'. According to the ID Act, 'Termination' of employment occurs for certain reasons as per the standing orders and service rules. Definitely, the impact of the word 'Termination' in the service certificate will be a negative remark on his part. If the employer is already aware of this incident and is willing to relieve him from his services, then why has that word been mentioned? One thing that is not clear is whether the candidate is on a 'Contractual roll'. Generally, in some software companies, the position is offered on a contractual basis for certain project works. If that is the case, the word 'Termination' is correct since the candidate is violating the contract period.

Regards,
PBS KUMAR

Thank you for your response. Since it was a startup company with only 4-6 members, and the owner was the sole leader of the team, he initially offered these terms and conditions. Here are the main points:

1. Probation for a period of three months, and services will be confirmed after the completion of the probation period. However, he has not confirmed the service. The employment conditions were very unfavorable; other people were also unhappy and continuously searching for other opportunities.

2. Termination of your employment by either the company or yourself shall be effective one month after the receipt of written notice from either side.

3. The letter he sent across was as follows:

"I inform you that Mr. X was with us from (start-end). Having his engagement expressed with us, management has considered his case and decided to relieve him from his current duties and responsibilities from the organization. Hence, his duty with this organization stands terminated."

The concerned person is seeking career growth and has the following questions:

1. Should he include this experience on his resume?
2. Can the employee inquire about the specific reasons for the termination?
3. Will this impact his career prospects?
4. The employee possesses all his salary slips and the offer cum appointment letter.
5. If he receives an offer from a larger company tomorrow, how will this experience impact his career during a background check by a third party?

Please note that the employee's father was unwell, and due to the long distance of the workplace (taking two days to travel from the hometown), the father was unable to return home. This reason was communicated to the employer, who agreed to it.