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How to handle short jobs

  • Started 5 months ago by MerdeCat
  • Latest reply from MerdeCat

  1. MerdeCat
    Member

    A few years ago I left one job because I thought the company was going under. And it did. However, the place that hired me had to lay me off after only 4 months because the owner died. So, after that there's a gap in my resume while I looked for another job.

    I want to leave out that 4-month job, but then it makes the gap even bigger. So, in the past I've put on the resume that I was laid off because the owner died. Is this tacky?? I just think it looks bad to have a 4-month job, but the gap looks bad too.

    After that, I had the same job for several years, so maybe I'm just being paranoid about that one short job.

    Posted 5 months ago #

  2. Raven
    Member

    I did a lot of temping/short-contract work a while back and it looks really bad on a CV to show 7 short-term employment details.

    Instead the person who wrote up my CV showed it as an 18 month 'temping assignment' which included 7 different contract placements during that term.

    That way the CV shows one listing, but 7 placements - does that make sense?

    Posted 5 months ago #

  3. thecvstore
    CV Consultant

    MedeCat: rather than including the months on your resume, just include the years - this 'hides' any small gaps or short contracts.

    In addition, it today's market, it isn't unusual for people to have a few short-term roles so it's nothing to worry about.

    AYou might also want to consider writing a functional CV (resume), see here http://www.thecvstore.net/CV_Design.htm for more information.

    Posted 5 months ago #

  4. MerdeCat
    Member

    Thanks everyone. I haven't heard of a functional resume, but I'll check it out.

    Posted 5 months ago #

  5. sacback
    Member

    Sometimes, you don't have much control over things like that which causes you to look bad in a certain aspect. It may not be that you weren't looking for a job but to the employer it may look that way.

    Posted 5 months ago #

  6. jtech
    Member

    If I were you MerdeCat, including the short job wouldn't concern me!

    Posted 5 months ago #

  7. skatss
    Member

    I would add the short job to my resume as well. You can list jobs by years as someone suggested and that will hide some of the gaps.

    It's hard finding a job these days and I'm pretty sure that companies know this but I wouldn't worry in your case. You've had your last job for a while and I assume you've had others that lasted a while so that proves that you don't jump from job to job.

    Posted 5 months ago #

  8. MerdeCat
    Member

    Thanks everyone. I guess I'm paranoid about the short job because I worked in staffing/hr with someone who would automatically toss any application that had a lot of short jobs. That was retail.

    I don't work in retail anymore though.

    Posted 4 months ago #

  9. MerdeCat
    Member

    Oops, I didn't mean to post twice, deleting the second one now.

    Thanks again everyone.

    Posted 4 months ago #

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