THE BEECHMONT CREST CAREER GUIDE:
SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
CHAPTER 2: WINNING RESUMES
Do I have to detail my entire employment history on my resume?
As mentioned above, your resume is a brochure, not an autobiography. You may have some work experience that doesn’t necessarily help you in your efforts to sell yourself to your potential employers. It is sometimes beneficial for you to omit or summarize portions of your career history. Consider the following situations:
You had a “false start” job right out of college.
College graduates in their early twenties often lack the perspective needed to accurately judge whether or not a given position would be a good fit for them. In addition, the demand for unseasoned college graduates dramatically drops in a soft job market; so young workers sometimes have to take “whatever they can find.” Therefore, it is not uncommon for a young person to spend six to eighteen months in an initial job that they don’t like (and which perhaps doesn’t like them). This is usually followed by a more stable employment pattern, in which they have access to enhanced self-knowledge and a wider range of choices.
Whether or not you should list such a “false start” job on your resume will depend on several factors:
How long did the job last? If the job only lasted a few months and you found your true calling shortly thereafter, then you may be able to omit it from your resume without any noticeable gaps in your work history. (Whether or not you should omit it will depend on your answers to the subsequent two points.)
Does the job compliment or clash with the rest of your career? If you have been working for the past fifteen years as an accountant, then the three months you spent in outside sales when you were a wet-behind-the-ears college graduate probably won’t be of interest to anyone. After all, you determined that sales wasn’t your calling, and you aren’t trying to sell anyone a salesperson (no pun intended). Your skills and experience as an accountant are the basis of your self-marketing efforts, so why make human resources managers reader about your brief stint in sales?
How long ago was it? A five-month false start job that you held last year may still be quite relevant. If you held the same five-month job twenty years ago, then it likely isn’t pertinent now.
Other cases where omissions may be acceptable:
You stocked shelves at the local hardware store for several months after you were laid off from your job as a programmer.
I know of an engineer who, following a layoff, worked in a retail sales position for a short while to “make ends meet.” He doesn’t include this experience on his resume, and I suspect that few employers would have a problem with this omission. Once again--it is an issue of relevance.
You changed fields eight years ago.
I once met a software engineer who had previously spent a decade working as a teacher in the public school system. She didn’t list any of her teaching jobs on her current resume--based on the somewhat reasonable assumption that software employers wouldn’t care about her experience as a teacher.
Counterpoint: A diverse career track might be an advantage
A diverse background can actually work to your advantage in some situations, so I was not entirely in agreement with the aforementioned software developer’s decision to omit all references to teaching from her resume. If your past life includes a totally separate (and meaningful) career track (as opposed to a short “false start”) consider summarizing all of that experience under a single heading, and let your interviewer determine if more detailed information is necessary.
Counterpoint: If it exists, they can find it.
“If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.”
-Mark Twain
A thorough background search can determine every company that you’ve ever worked for. Therefore, if you do omit any employment experience from your resume, make sure that the purpose of the omission is to include only the relevant experience—not to hide something.
However, in most cases, employers are more concerned with uncovering fabricated employment history, rather than uncovering omissions. Consequently, it goes without saying that you should never consider creating an employment history that you don’t have—you will be found out.
What about the skeletons?
Did you have a poor working relationship with a previous boss? Are you worried about him ruining your chances with a company that is currently considering you for a job? You can probably relax. Unless you were guilty of outright malfeasance, your past employer is not going to drag your name through mud when a potential employer calls to verify your past employment. Employers almost uniformly refrain from criticizing former employees for fear of legal action.
A potential employer can check up on your credit history and criminal record. However, bad credit or a minor brush with the law will not necessarily sink your chances. Poor credit is usually only an issue if you are interviewing for a job with access to large amounts of cash. Similarly, a night in jail fifteen years ago because of a fraternity prank would probably be overlooked—but any violent episode would be a concern for an employer.
If you are nervous about what will come up on a background check, you can always investigate yourself. Credit reports are available from numerous online sources, and you can hire an employment screening agency to check the rest of your background for a modest fee.
Copyright 2006 Beechmont Crest Publishing