Determining whether or not to include jobs that you worked for a short period of time can be tricky. You don’t want employers to look at your resume and see you as flakey and unreliable, but you also don’t want gaps in your resume. There are a couple of ways to “hide” these short-term position, but first, let’s look at some of the three determining factors.
#1-If your employment lasted less than three months: Take it out.
Unless the position was an internship, you probably want to remove it. The exception is when you are applying for a job that is extremely relevant towards the position you’re applying for.
#2-If your employment lasted less than six months: Take it out.
Unless the experience is both significant and relevant to the industry you are targeting, leave it off. Also, don’t include the month you started and ended, only include the year. For example, instead of saying October 2012–April 2013, just list 2012–2013. Make sure to stay consistent for every position listed on your resume.
#3-The ultimate question I ask clients when deciding whether or not to include short-term employment.
When you sit down for an interview how will you answer this question about your short-term employment, “Please tell us why you left your position with (Company Name)?” If you can’t figure out a way to answer positively about your experience, then it may not be something you want to include.
Whether to include short-term experience on a resume is a difficult situation to write about because each person has a different experience. To discuss whether you should include short-term experience on your resume, email a copy of your current resume to cassiecareerconfidence@gmail.com. You can also leave a question in the comments section below.
To learn more about the first 5 Deadly Resume Mistakes, click the links below:
What are the systems that 95% of employers use to review and toss out resumes?What is the #1 way to ensure your resume beats the system?
When hiring managers only take between 10-15 seconds to decide if your resume is going in the Yes or the No pile, what is the best way to get your resume noticed?
An objective statement does not tell employers what valuable skills and qualifications you bring to the table. What is the best way to replace an objective statement?
What is considered to be too long for a resume?What are the exceptions to the length rule?
60 % of errors on a resumes are grammatical. One of the easiest ways to determine if you have grammar or punctuation errors in your resume is by using Grammarly.com.
Cassie Olson, Founder of Career Confidence, is a professional resume writer, former Director of Career Services and Veteran Transition Specialist. Member of The National Resume Writers Association (The NRWA) and the Professional Resume Writers Association (PARW).
Career Confidence resume clients have successfully landed careers with: Amazon, UPS, Apple, Starbucks, Southern Acquisitions, CACI, CGI, Red Cross, State of Virginia, CSM Railways, Cabelas, Quicken Loans, Triple Canopy, Nexius, and much more.