Job That Didn't Work Out? How to Handle it On Your Resume
It is very unfortunate when we make the decision to join a
company and it doesn't work out. The reasons can be numerous; a
bad boss, job misrepresented, poor colleague fit, and of course,
some candidates sell themselves into situations that they
shouldn't be in. The reality is that it happens.
Do you represent jobs on your resume that were short and didn't
work out? And if so, how do you do so?
My advice, and most experts agree, is that you need to include
all formal work experiences on your resume, even if they did not
last long. You do not want to misrepresent anything on your
resume and cover letter. It is the right thing to do, firstly,
but secondly, omissions and falsehoods have a way of being found
out sooner or later.
Be up front, but politic. Phrase it in a way that doesn't leave
a negative impression. The cover letter can be a place to
provide some context to your departure or intent to depart. If
you have resigned, or are voluntarily seeking to leave, make
that clear. Readers of your resume who see only a month in the
job will assume you were fired unless you make it clear.
At the interview stage, you can provide a bit more context,
again, without being negative.
Stay positive
In the case of a bad boss, you can refer to a poor fit between
the two of you or, more specifically, you didn't like, or
couldn't work with their management style. If pressed in an
interview, without naming names, you could share a bit more
detail so that the interview fully understands the reasons for
your departure.
In the case of a misrepresented job, you can say that the job
content was different than specified in the interview process
and it wasn't a fit. Again, if pressed, you can let them know if
you were required to perform tasks that were unclear or
undisclosed at the interview stage, or if the job was oversold
in terms of responsibility and content, you can safely say that.
Sometimes, you will be interviewing with competitors in a small
industry and your fear will be that everyone knows each other.
Well, this can't be helped. You will just have to deal with it.
The good news is that you will be surprised at how often your
diplomatic, positive explanation of why you didn't stick with
that new company will be met with a knowing and understanding
smile. If the boss was that bad, or the job misrepresented to
such a great extent that you had to leave, chances are you
aren't the first, and that the company has some sort of
reputation in the industry.
One thing you can acknowledge is the learning this situation has
provided you with. The importance of doing your due diligence
during the interview process. The importance of asking good
questions.