4 Tips to Downplay the Appearance of Job Hopping on Your Resume

4 Tips to Downplay the Appearance of Job Hopping on Your ResumeWhile it is increasingly normal for people to have many jobs over the course of their careers, there is still a stigma attached to job hopping. Switching jobs happens, and it happens for many reasons. Sometimes it is the employers fault, and other times an employee has plenty of good reasons for leaving wanting a higher salary, better job satisfaction overall, or perhaps even just a much-needed career change. Long gone are the days of staying with one company for decades. However, employers and recruiters still want to be able to have some confidence that job seekers arent going to get hired then skip out on them after only a year or twoor less.The way your resume portrays your work history can have a major impact on the success of your current job search. The fruchtwein effective resume needs to speak to a potential employers needs while demonstrating that you are a top-bedrngnisch, qualified, and trustworthy candidate.I f your resumes work history shows that you jump from job to job, prospective employers may infer that you are elend a loyal employee, or that you are difficult to work with. But that is not always the truth. If you are job searching and worried that your work history makes you look like a job hopper, there are some strategies you can use to demonstrate that you are in fact a valuable employeeeven if you have had some short stints at several jobs.To show you some tips to tailor your resume in order to prevent scaring off potential employers, Ill take you through the changes made to Bryan Kepplers resume, as well as to that of a healthcare executive.Bryan, a passionate conservationist, had the bad luck of going from one habitat restoration company that collapsed a few months after he joined to another that failed to send his paycheck regularly. In spite of having done absolutely nothing wrong, Bryan was having a very difficult time finding a new job with ansicht two experiences appear ing front and center on his resumeand positioning him as a dreaded job hopper. He didnt just up and quit for no good reasonhis previous employers were the problem, not him. Nonetheless, the employment dates were putting off potential employers before he even had a chance to prove himself as a skilled, loyal employee.Here are the four resume tips I recommend that you can also use if you are worried about job hoppingor just the appearance of ithurting your job search. Even if you have left because of low job satisfaction, an issue with pay, or a bad work environmentand done so through your own choiceyou can implement some of these tips to help improve your resume and the chances of your hiring at a new company.1.) Be Strategic with Your Dates of EmploymentIn Bryans case, one of the easiest and most basic strategies to downplay the appearance of job hopping was to remove the months from the dates on his work experience. The original entry readCompany 2, Toledo, OHJuly 2017 PresentComp any 1, Bowling Green, KYNovember 2016 March 2017The updated entryCompany 2, Toledo, OH, 2017 PresentCompany 1, Bowling Green, KY, 2016 2017There were actually two key changes made here. The first was actually formatting within the employment history sectionpushing the dates together with the company name and location so as to call less attention to them. The second was to remove the months, which helps by not calling attention to the fact that he worked for both companies for less than six months. It also removes the four-month employment gap between March and July of 2017.If you have multiple short periods of employment, or employment gaps, simply removing the months from your resumes employment history can make a big difference to how a prospective employer considers your application. If youre looking at your resume and wondering How often is too often to change jobs? Are my multiple job changes hurting me?, then you are probably a good candidate for removing the months on your resumes employment history and just including the years.2.) Keep the Current Position Short and SweetBryan knew very well that badmouthing his current employer on his resume would not play very well. Unfortunately, there is no way to effectively state on your resume that your employer is shady and failing to send a paycheck without casting yourself in a negative light as well. Even if it is true, it does not belong on a professional resume. When you talk about a previous employer like that, a prospective employer may read it and wonder what youd be willing to say about them.Instead of badmouthing the previous employer in the cover letter or the resume, we crafted a short entry of no more than three lines playing up the role as a temporary position he took in order to help with several forest ecology projects. It demonstrated his skills and experience without potentially damaging his character.3.) Use Your Cover Letter StrategicallyIn Bryans case, we used the cover letter to address the appearance of job hopping by mentioning that while he had to relocate for family reasons from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Ohio and took a temporary position in the meantime, he is excited to take on a new challenge and become a loyal, long-term employee at a company where his passion for conservation and teamwork would add value.Your cover letter can be a place to discuss your reason for leaving a job, your gaps in employment, or other issues that might contribute to the appearance of job hopping on your resume. However, as noted in tip 2, you have to be careful that you are not badmouthing a previous employer or casting yourself in a negative light through your explanations.And if you get an interview, follow the same rules for discussing previous employers and your reasons for leaving as you follow in your cover letter and resume. Doing so will build the trust of a prospective employer.4.) In Extreme Cases, Consider a Hybrid Functional Resume / Chronological ResumeIf you have spent less than a year at your last three or more jobs or if you have several significant employment gaps on your resume, another option is to push the chronological list of your employment history to the end of the resume and keep the focus on relevant achievements rather than on your career chronology and the years spent at each job.The format of this kind of resume looks similar to a voreingestellt resume with a primarily chronological format, but rather than diving into the work history chronology after the career summary statement or introduction, it includes a section for relevant experience highlights and accomplishmentshighlights and accomplishments that set you apart and show your value, not a boring list of job duties and soft skills. For a senior healthcare executive who wanted to downplay his employment gaps while showcasing his qualifications, this section took shape as followsExecutive Strategic Leadership Highlights(Followed by several bulleted achievements related to his patient-retention metrics, operational leadership, budget management, and key role in implementing a new Medicaid ACO contract.)Population Health Management Financial Analysis Highlights(Followed by several bulleted achievements across cost savings, patient satisfaction scores, and post-acute care process improvements.)This information took up the entire first page and perfectly positioned him as a qualified, promising applicant for the healthcare executive roles he was targeting. By the time the hiring manager got to the second pagewhat, a two-page resume? Yesits okay and often a good ideato see the career chronology and his employment gaps, they were already excited about his accomplishments and overall value proposition.While no one should ever lie or be misleading on their resume (not only is it unethical, but it will almost certainly come back to haunt you) the purpose of marketing collateral is to cast your experience in the best possible light to a recruiter or hiring manager. You need to make yourself stand out as an applicant, and downplaying negative aspects of your career helps you do that. If you are struggling with the appearance of job hopping or with employment gaps as you write a resume, feel free to contact us at Great Resumes Fast for help with your professional resume and get started with achieving your career goals. You have the skills and the qualificationslet us help you craft them into an outstanding, effective resume.For more resume writing tips, dos and donts, insights into the hiring process, and general career and job search advice, head over to the Great Resumes Fast blog archives.Are you tired of your resume being rejected by applicant tracking systems? I know how frustrating it is to submit your resume and receive no response. I hate seeing qualified people never breakthrough the screening process. It shouldnt be that way. Thats why I created this guide and I encourage you to download the FREE PDF so you can start seeing b etter resume response rates

3 Underutilized Hacks That Will Make Your Resume Stand Out

3 Underutilized Hacks That Will Make Your Resume Stand Out You know which job you want, and youre eager to apply for it. The trick is figuring out how to make your hintergrund look neat and tidy on your resume, which should only include the details that apply precisely to the job youre applying for.You sit down to write your resume and stare at a blank page with that obnoxious little cursor flashing at you waiting for you to start typing. You cant decide what to include and what to leave out...and how are you supposed to know the right order in which to list everything youve done?If the whole process feels a bit like a guessing game, here are 3 things that will help1. Choosing the most powerful lines.The most powerful lines that pack more of a punch are the ones that answer the following questions a) How did you make your prior workplace better? Did you boost morale or improve a system? b) How did you cut costs? Maybe you changed to a less expensive supplier or eliminated a redunda nt department. c) How did you increase sales or productivity? Perhaps you were able to cut down the onboarding process by 5 steps.Why is answering behauptung questions so important? Because no one really cares about your responsibilities. People are more interested in what you actually achieved.2. Reframing how you think aboutwriting your resume.Do you remember the Snuggie? You know, the blanket with sleeves? It wasnota groundbreaking idea -- so how did the product do so well?I noticed a few things in the infomercial that I thought were interesting. You might remember the similar tactics from other infomercials.They suggest that if yourenotusing a Snuggie, youre cold and uncomfortable the commercial shows a woman turning up the thermostat while shes noticeably shivering in her house, and to top it off, the video footage is in black and white Then the screen turns to a happy woman in vibrant living color with a big smile on her face, snuggled up on the couch in her new Snuggie while watching TV. (Oh, and she has the cutest puppy on her lap) Ive been told by people who have actually ordered the Snuggie that the product is nothing special -- and not all that warm.The point is, its a very mediocre product. The marketing was outstanding. With your resume you have an advantage You are the product, so you know the product is good. This means you owe it to yourself to use any means necessary (without lying or being unethical, of course) to make yourself look great on that piece of paper. Imagine that you are a new product and you need to describe yourself in the very best light. If you feel like its tough to write about yourself in this way, ask someone you know and trust to help guide you or suggest edits.3. Evoking curiositybeyondyour resume. Resumes, elevator pitches, blurbs on the back of books, and movie trailers all have a purpose. Its to get people to want more. All these things should showcase the best stuff --but not all of it.View your resume the same way y ou want to entice readers to take the next step and learn more about you. Having a lot of unanswered questions on your resume is not the way to go - but if you craft your writing effectively, you can encourage your readers that youre a great fit for the job - and that you can elaborate on why during an in-person meeting.--Natalie Fisher is an enthusiastic HR Generalist who loves her job Shes been on over 50 interviews and received 48 job offers. Download her Free GuideHow To Nail An Interview Youre Unqualified For.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer