Donald Trump wasn't the first person to fire Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, the combative "Apprentice" contestant who makes a heralded return to the NBC reality show on Thursday, the next-to-last episode of the ratings hit.

According to the new issue of PEOPLE, the former political appointee -- who spoke glowingly of her White House days -- was banished from four jobs in two years with the Clinton administration.

At her last one, "she was asked to leave as quickly as possible, she was so disruptive," says Cheryl Shavers, the former Under Secretary for Technology at the Commerce Department, where Omarosa worked several weeks in 2000. "One woman wanted to slug her."

Manigault-Stallworth, 30, was also bounced from a previous position at Commerce, says another former administration official, "because she couldn't get along with people."

At her first White House gig, answering invitations received by Vice President Al Gore, "she didn't do her job, and it got everybody in trouble," says a former Gore staffer.

During the Q&A with the audience at a March 19 Washington, D.C., panel discussion on "Wearing the Pants: A Woman's Experience in a Man's World," PEOPLE asked Manigault-Stallworth about the challenges she's faced as a woman in her own career.

"I have done logistics and advance and event planning for the White House under the Gore staff. ... At 23, I got appointed to the White House. That was not a place to learn how to be a young professional. That's a very difficult environment, because they don't believe in training. They just kind of throw you in the fire," Omarosa told the audience.

But Omarosa did not do any logistics or advance work for the Vice President, the former Gore staffer, who asked to remain anonymous, tells PEOPLE. "Her exact title was scheduling correspondent. Her job was to respond to invitations," says the former staffer.

Omarosa was transferred to the White House personnel office, which later sent her to Commerce.

When asked about her employment history, the former Apprentice at first told PEOPLE, "I left when I got married," but later said she left "to go out on the campaign for Al Gore."

Manigault-Stallworth, who claims she's inundated with new job offers, said recently, "I'm a moving target. As soon as they think they've figured Omarosa out, I've already moved on to a whole different industry."