<prompt> Human: So I was going through some tough times, couldnt focus on work and I was fired. What Im worried is when I apply for a new job and if they reach out to the former employer they will probably say negative things about me, ultimately causing me to lose the job offer at the last step. Should I remove the several months of employment from my resume and just come up with excuses to explain the gap? Help!EDIT: That job lasted about 8 months.  <response>: In general, you can request that they not contact your most recent employer due to a non amicable separation. Most places just use a service anyhow to get dates of employment.If the time period is relatively short you can also pretend it never happened.If you did separate for major cause, omit it. major cause would be threatening violence and so forth. 