I quit my professional job and gave one days notice with a resignation letter
stating that I was going to finish my undergraduate degree.  My boss
was not happy with me leaving. I feel that leaving on the day I
resigned burned bridges even though I spent a few hours closing out
loose ends with my boss.  My boss and I did not get along well and I
really don't expect that I would receive a good reference at all.  If
asked by a potential employer, why did you leave your previous
employer, how did you get along with your previous boss or what is
your bosses name and number (application), what creative sentence can
I use to make this a positive thing?

Ok, try this:

My supervisor at my previous job was unable to fully appreciate the
significant contribution I made to the company, however, his
shortcoming taught me a valuable lesson: 'My time is as valuable as I
am, and neither should be wasted on frivolous pursuits'.

How's that?

tutuzdad-ga

I doubt that there is any way to make this "a positive thing." When an
employee quits with one day's notice, this places quite a burden upon
an employer. It is likely that the best you can do is to level with a
potential new employer by telling him or her the truth about your last
job, and explaining that you and your boss had disagreements that may
affect the way he or she ranks your performance. It's going to be
difficult to justify the one-day notice, though. Good luck.

So what did you do to make the Boss dislike you?

I wrote the above the way I did for a reason.  That is, you need to
first figure out honestly what the problem was. Were you the jerk or
was the boss? Or once you figured out the boss was a jerk - what did
you do to solve the problem or did you do things to make it worse? 
Did you enjoy quiting with one day's notice?  Would you enjoy quiting
the next job in one day because you did not get along with someone?

You screwed yourself big time.  As an employer, I would be hard
pressed to hire you.  What if you didn't like me and decided to quit
in one day.  How would I solve this problem..??  You know how I would
- I'd pass on you.

My suggestion is go back to your boss and tell him/her that you are
sorry and would like to stay on a few weeks to help with the new
employee they are now forced to hire.  Explain to your boss that you
were wrong leaving them out in the cold like this.  Tell your boss you
were unprofessional and would like to help out.  Do it for free.

Maybe your boss will let you.  I doubt it.  

Now when you get that new job interview, you can honestly tell them
you acted poorly, and went back to help out until they hired someone
else, but it turned out they did not need you.

It sounds like you acted emotionally from a deep seated dislike for
your boss with a desire to "get even". If this is the case - don't
ever do it again. If on the other hand I'm wrong and this has upset
you, I'm sorry.  Either way - Don't ever do this again - you only
screwed yourself.

Well, in all actuality, your old boss isn't allowed to say anything
negative, legally. It doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but if you find
out that you were denied employment because of negative feedback, it
*could* be grounds for a lawsuit.

In general, it isn't necessary to indicate how long you gave notice
when your position was terminated. It certainly isn't a question on
any of the applications that I've filled out. You are required to list
your employment history, length of time at each place, and why --not
how-- you stopped working there. In employment at will states, either
side can terminate employment at any time with or without notice.
Since your question is the time-wise equivalent of an employer
terminating an employee without notice, what you state on your
application is simply that you left because you wanted to go back to
school.

Yes, you give old boss name and number... but first, you have a friend
call the boss and ask employer type questions for reference for you.

If you are polite and honest to your prospective new employer, and
indicate that you have had some communication difficulties with your
former employer, things that may have been purely differences in
personality, but nothing that had to do with you actually getting work
accomplished accurately and on time, this can go a long way to
buffering any potentially adverse effect.

Still, you are only supposed to indicate *WHY* you left. Anything else
is simply too much information.

I am not a lawyer. This is not to be construed as anything more than a
suggestion. This is a free comment. I am not a GA Researcher.

I've done that, quit on the day, and you know what, it didn't matter,
and never has.  You are going back to school. Tell your future
employer that. And believe it or not there IS NOT PERMANENT RECORD.

Best of luck.

You know, I've quit many jobs. If you DO GIVE NOTICE, half of them ask
you to leave anyway, and give you a week or two pay. They don't want
you around any more than you want to be there.

And...some people say "when a door closes, God opens a window". Every
darn time I've left a job feeling badly about the situation, whether
quit or fired (and I've been fired after more than 2 years
employment!), I have always stepped into something FAR, FAR better!
Keep your eyes, you ears, and your mind open.

And clint34 is right. There's no "public" record. If they tell anyone
anything more than start date, end date, and days out, you can sue
'em.

And good luck to you!

One of the worst moves a jobseeker can make, in my opinion, is leaving
a position abruptly and without proper notice.  You did burn a bridge,
and unfortunately, the ?bomb has been detonated.?  If you approach
your previous boss now in an attempt to make amends, then you'll be
back-pedaling.  There are times when an apology and other resolution
measures are appropriate, but I don?t feel this is one of those times.
 Let?s be honest, you left them high-and-dry with a near non-existent
notice.  What words will undo the damage?

Hiring managers and human resources personnel are on to the latest
tricks pertaining to interviews.  Have you heard the adage, once you
learn how to play the game the rules suddenly change?  Interviews are
an ever-changing environment for those involved on both sides of the
hiring table.  So, should you put a unique spin on the situation to
make it look positive?  Here?s another idea: use honesty.  The facts
are you left abruptly; you didn?t get along with your boss; you likely
didn?t perform at your best because of the situation.

The employer/employee relationship resembles a marriage ? and most
marriages don?t last, nor do they proceed like fairy tales: living
happily ever after.  Craft (and practice) an answer that will satisfy
the asker?s inquiry, e.g. ?I could provide you with a bogus answer,
but I believe in honesty.  Not all employment situations work out. 
The employment situation was less than favorable for both of us.  My
work performance was hindered, and I felt it best to move on and make
room for my successor.?  Indicating you left to pursue other
opportunities, or to seek other interests, will only blow smoke and
the interviewer will see right through it.  It?s best to be
straightforward and honest.

To offset the Q&A session on this dreaded topic, create an impressive
portfolio to hand out at the time of your interview.  Encompass key
points of interest to the employer; strategies to topple competitors,
new processes, list of accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and
so on.  Your portfolio can encompass an array of different components,
limited only by your creativity.

It?s true, some companies are taking the high road when it comes to
employment verification ? and yes, companies have grown leery of
retaliation from disgruntled ex-employees.  Not all companies,
however, are steering clear of such questions as ?Would you recommend
Mr. Employee?? and ?How would you rate Mr. Employee?s performance?? 
Information released depends on the company?s internal practices, yet
weighs heavier on the person answering the phone.  I suggest
contacting a reference-checking firm to find out exactly what?s being
said ? if anything.

I wish you the best!

Regards,
Teena Rose

The assumption on the part of employers that you owe them notice is
such a stretch in logic: it's CRAZY! No company will ever put an
employee's interest ahead of fiscal or any other interest, thus, why
would any single employee extend such care for an entity that really
doesn't give the faintest crap about them? I've never heard of a
company saying to an employee, "In two weeks we'll be firing you but
we're giving you some time to get your affairs in order before we
throw you out in the street." Think of your situation like this, you
fired your company. That's fair, you were done, and you left. No one
has to do anything they don't want to do. As far as explaining this to
future employers, you don?t have to. You quit to return to school and
that is that. Offer them references from other jobs where you had a
better relationship and if they insist on your last employer being
contacted, explain that they were very unhappy to lose you and this
caused some bad blood in the end. As an employer, I really wouldn't
care much about which reference I got from you as long as you can
provide a couple good ones in a related field. Don?t worry about this
too much, people get far too caught up in the power of corporations
and big business and forget that they aren't looking out for anyone
but themselves; you should do exactly the same.

Good luck!