Resume Write & Wrong

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Hip Hop History

Certain items on a resume will raise red flags for prospective employers. These include sloppiness, poor organization, poor writing skills, missing information and, too much information, especially, too many employers within a short span of time.

If you are a recent college graduate and these short stints represent between-semester work, or internships, - relax. This sort of history is normal at the beginning of your career and will not be a problem for you. On the other hand, if you are well into your work years, the appearance of job-hopping may hurt your chances of being called for an interview.

A few months here and a few months there can mark you as a dreaded job hopper. You, no doubt, have perfectly legitimate explanations, ones that would satisfy the concerns of any interviewer:

- the company failed soon after it hired you;

- another company made you an offer you could not refuse;

- your family, for unexpected reasons, had to relocate.

There are many possible reasons for a checkered employment history, but you might not get the chance give them.

Job hoppers cost a company, - they cost time, money, and can affect critical business operations. Think about this from the employer's perspective. Most new employees must be trained before they can contribute. A senior employee must take the time to do this, which, in turn, takes time away from her regular work tasks. It can take a week, two weeks, or longer.

Additionally, time and money goes into filling out forms, getting new employees into the organization's systems, providing them with uniforms, equipment, ID. In short, when a person is hired, an employer makes an investment.

When a new employee leaves before earning out the investment through their contributions to the business, the company loses. No hiring officer wants to be blamed for hiring an unstable worker.

You can't change history, but you can present it in a way that will be less alarming to a prospective employer.

Sometimes, you can simply drop an employer, if the omission does not disrupt the work chronology, - that is, if it won't create a gap in employment.

If all your employment is in the same field, or if the job duties were similar, combine two or more employers under one job listing to show a single employment period of at least a year, preferably longer.

Having removed the job hopping appearance from your resume, you will put the hiring officer at ease and greatly increase your chances of getting an interview.

If your personal employment circumstances are more complicated than those I have described above and can't be helped using these tactics, seek out a seasoned resume writer to discuss an effective strategy.