0

I see a lot of advice stating to leave short-term jobs off your resume because you don't want to look like a job hopper. But sometimes it just happens. Whether the money isn't right or you just need something to tide you over. The ideal situation is not always possible. You may move a few times, etc. I've had 6 jobs in two years since moving to a new state. One was a contract job.

I'm now ready (after much training) to plant my feet again. But how do I account for these jobs?

Also, I was laid off after eight years in 2008 and did child care, which has nothing to do with the medical field.

Dawny33
  • 13,125
  • 3
  • 58
  • 70
Danette
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
    one was a contract job, and the other five were what? Certainly looks like job hopping to me. If they were all contract that would be different. – Kilisi Nov 16 '15 at 06:12
  • Can you explain why you tok those short-term jobs in a way that makes clear that they were understood by both you and the employer to be temporary/part-time positions? If so, you don't have to be afraid of them. If they were full-time jobs in your field that you took and then walked away from, I don't know an easy way to convince an employer that this time you're serious. – keshlam Nov 16 '15 at 06:28
  • If there has been a significant change, such as completing training, make sure you bring that out. It is quite normal to hold short term random jobs while preparing for a career, but then be ready for a longer term job in one's target field. – Patricia Shanahan Nov 16 '15 at 06:32
  • 1
    what do you mean by "the application disclaimer" ? – Kate Gregory Nov 16 '15 at 11:11
  • My My. I have had 6 jobs in 6 yrs (one being a 2 yr job), and still am a job hopper according to some. You are definitely ahead of me. – nik Jun 24 '16 at 18:50

3 Answers3

1

because you don't want to look like a job hopper.

Yes, it is advisable to do so if you have hopped one to two jobs. But, in your case, you can't get away with skipping those jobs from the resume. You are indeed a job hopper.

But how do I account for these jobs?

If asked about a complete job history (which is the case amongst most cases), you need to mention them on the resume, and cannot afford to leave them out.

So, in this case, prepare nice excuses for your actions. There must be some sincere reasons behind job hopping. If not, then you're in trouble if the company insists on your complete job history in the resume.

Dawny33
  • 13,125
  • 3
  • 58
  • 70
0

You had six jobs in two years, you are a job hopper, so you need to minimise this as much as possible in terms of landing your next couple of months work while facing the facts.

Best practice would be to leave some of them out if they're not directly related to the job you're seeking. Focus instead on your recent training and if asked about the others say that they were just temporary to finance it. I wouldn't mention any of them that I didn't get a good reference from on the way out, and wouldn't mind a prospective employer contacting.

It seems unlikely that you are applying for high level positions in any case, with lower level jobs employers tend to look less at a persons history because they expect an attrition rate. If you are thinking of applying for a high level professional role, then nothing you say is going to realistically mitigate against the fact you've hopped around, so it's best not to mention it.

Kilisi
  • 222,118
  • 122
  • 486
  • 793
  • 1
    Leaving them out of your CV is fine, but if the application specifically asks for a complete job history (which is my assumption due to the "What about the Application Disclaimer" part of the title), it's hard to avoid – Jon Story Nov 16 '15 at 09:59
  • Easy to avoid, you don't write them all down, deal with it at the interview. No interviewer expects to see anything detrimental on a resume. – Kilisi Nov 16 '15 at 11:56
0

Did you view any of those positions as long-term? Or were they genuinely just to "hold you over"?

If none of them are relevant to your career and the majority are more of the "hold you over/temporary" positions, then you may want to simply leave that period out of your résumé completely (or say 2013-2015 temp. worker or some other general label). If an interviewer asks you can always say that you had a series of short-term positions because of X (whatever that reason may be).

The question, though, is whether the rest of your résumé can hold up under scrutiny. A two-year gap is not necessarily deadly in most fields, but in a technology field it can torpedo résumés if the applicants cannot show that they've at least managed to keep up with their craft.

cwallenpoole
  • 429
  • 2
  • 8