August 13, 2018

Employers are looking to make sound hiring choices and avoid turnover. It’s costly to invest in an employee only to have them leave a few months later. For this reason, an employer may avoid you if your resume lists a number of short-term work experiences for fear you lack commitment, or worse—you don’t know what you want. So, what can you do if your recent work experience has you “hopping” between jobs? 

Four ways to explain quick transitions between jobs 

Honesty is always your best policy. Plus, you can follow these resume tips: 

Build a functional rather than chronological resume.

This resume format is popular with recent grads who don’t have much work history to list. But it can also be helpful if you’ve recently had several short-term work experiences. Open your resume with a career summary—highlighting your areas of expertise. Then, add a skills and abilities section, where you list nine to 12 of your top career skills. Finally, add a work history section, but only your past one or two jobs. When you list them, only include the years you worked; skip the months. 

Offer an explanation in your cover letter.

Since your resume is basically a list of quick-to-scan information, your cover letter is where you can go into detail about what you’ve been up to, your career passion, and why you’ve applied to this job. Never lie but think about WHY you have a list of short stints at various jobs. Have you been working temp positions because you haven’t been able to find full-time, permanent work? Were you laid off? Maybe you chose to work a few temp jobs to build up your work experience and figure out what you want to do for the long term. Whatever your reason, keep your focus on learning, growth and working towards your future. 

Focus on the skills you have gained.

When explaining your reasons for leaving a job, give a concise answer, and then shift the focus to what you learned during the experience. Always try to keep things positive and professional.   

Reassure the employer you’re looking for permanent placement.

It’s always a good idea to reassure the employer that even though you’ve had short-term employment, you’re currently looking for something permanent. 

Work with a recruiter 

If you find you’re having a hard time getting a job due to your past short-term work experiences, why not contact a staffing agency? Your recruiter will work with you to understand your career needs and help you find a job that fits. 

Check out InterConnect! 

We place candidates with office/clerical, industrial, technical and professional/managerial experience. To learn more, contact us  today! 

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