How do I explain in an interview that I was fired?

A termination by the employer -- whether for operational reasons or performance-related -- does not need to be treated as a blemish in an interview. Three strategies depending on context: (1) Redundancy: Address directly ('The company underwent a restructuring, my department was dissolved') -- no shame needed; Destatis shows approximately 200,000 operational dismissals per year in Germany. (2) Performance-related termination: Honest but constructive ('There was a mismatch between expectations and my strengths -- I learned X from it'). (3) Mutual agreement/settlement: 'We parted ways by mutual agreement' is fully true and sufficient. What you should NEVER do: Speak negatively about the former employer -- it sounds reckless. ISO 10667: Interviewers rate self-reflection and growth orientation higher than flawless careers. AGG: Employers may not use termination reasons as grounds for discrimination.