Need Resume/CV Advice

[Steve]

Okay, this really should be in the jobs/career section but I feared not as many people will read it, so my apologies for posting it here.

 

I started a new job on April 14th. I am not so sure about it now. Money is good but have other issues. A problem or two I won't get into and I may stick it out possible. However, I'm going to put out feelers in the job market and send my resume (CV to you non yanks) out there and see if I can find similar money.

 

Anyway, should I include my present job on my resume or not? I know if I do I will be asked why I am thinking of leaving it so soon. I can come up with an excuse or valid answer I think. But I wonder if I may not even be considered since I am there for such a short period of time?

 

I can put the job before my present on there instead. I am still technically on the books there as it was a contract position through a recruiter and technically I can still go back and work for them (I won't!). Should I just do that? This present one is a permanent job not a contract job.

 

What should I do? Place this job on there or not?

 

 

[drogon]

With a period of 1-3 months in any new job and if for any reason you leave it you do not mention your new job on any CV.

 

Never, this is the best way to shoot yourself in the foot.

 

Do not know how HR work in the US but they should not be that different.

 

Just do not do that too often...

[teddy]

CS, It depends on what the rest of your CV looks like. If you have a couple of these short stays on it, then it looks bad, but if you have shown that you can last for 3 or 4 years with a company then just one blip like this should be overlooked.

 

I would advise you to be honest about it and just tell them the reason why it hasn't worked out. Unless of course you know someone in your previous firm who would give you a reference without mentioning the date that you left.

[drogon]

I disagree Teddy.

 

Even if you have 6-7 years of experience then it is a no no.

CS has been in this company for 2 months.

 

Of course if it becomes 4-5 months then he has no choice and has to put it on the CV then try to explain this...

 

Except if CS has a very good reason to leave his new job, something which can not be questioned by any HR badass then do not put it down.

 

If it is a matter of 1-2 months then do not put it on your CV:

HR for any new job will look at it and:

 

- Candidate for the new job is not a good pick as he does not inform himself about the company prior to accepting a job -> if he did it with a previous employer -> he could do it with us as well.

 

- Candidate is unstable and unable to dedicate himself to a company despite a few obstacles

 

- Candidate will leave the company for any reason thus is not reliable

 

etc...

 

I say it because it happened to me.

I left a job after 5 months -> got 2 companies which were very interested in me who turned me down because of these 5 months which I put on my CV.

 

I talked with a few HR relations and they told me that I should never have put my 5 months on the CV or if did then turn it into a "temporary position".

 

This is not lying, you just "avoid" sublty the subject ->" I worked x time temporarily for this company while I was looking for a firm position, of course I could have stopped working while doing my job search but being inactive is not something I wanted"

....or something along these lines.

 

CS: How long have you been working and do you have other "incidents" like this on your CV?

 

In your country (USA?) do employers have the right to check fully your previous contracts?

[Weird]

They can and often will call previous employers in the US.

[drogon]

Calling previous employers is quite common her too.

 

I thought it was illegal to fully check previous contracts.

 

Thanks for the info

[Bangkoktraveler]

Put your best side forward. If a potential employer should ask you what you are doing now, just tell them the truth. It is permanent but not what you want. If they like your resume, and the clue is making the resume likable, you are in. If they sense you are uncomfortable, they could hold it as a leverage point to give you a lower salary; don't let them do it to you.

Geting a job is like politics; it is all a game.

[Steve]

I have showed stability in prior jobs. 2 yeas being the shortest stint on a job (the one before my present). I averaged about 6 years in a couple prior jobs.

 

I believe I can get the previous job to say I am still the past two months. Technically I can still do work for them, I just haven't. In fact, I was thinking about working weekends for them just for the extra dosh.

[samak]

this depends whether you are a notorious job hopper or have had some stable jobs (and careermovements within the same companies) and also whether you would like to use this former contract job as a reference or not.

i do not at all agree with drogon! there are always thousand reasons to leave a job after such a short time. for example that the employer failed to deliver certain promises or that the job has a total different scope than agreed. a prospective employer could see this as a positive attitude to take action rather than being passive.

[bibblies]

 

You're pretty old, aren't you, steve?

 

Anyone as old as you is pretty likely to have had a situation like that at one time. As long as it's just the once (or maybe twice for your age :grin: ) and it's surrounded by examples of otherwise good solid stuff, what idiot is going to make a big deal of that one very brief occurence?

 

It's not unusual so why be dishonest about it? It's probably more impressive to a potential employer that simply tell them straight if they ask and move on to the next question. That says you're a straightforward and strong trustworthy guy (unless the reason you left was 'stealing' ) What message does a weasely answer send? "I'm a scared little pussy who'll lie about something that's pretty common in a career of my length."