You began your new job just to realize it wasn’t for you. You quit that within a short period. Sometimes you didn’t get the details well or could be the work pressure, co-workers issue, or anything you can’t really stand. And now, as you begin your job hunt, you realize that it wasn’t the right decision you took, or if you will ever get a good job now because of the short-stint (caused by leaving your job after a short term employment) mentioned in your resume. But hold on, just like you, many people left their new job just because they were not happy and still got a better new job as they thought they wanted. But you know what the difference between you and them is? They knew exactly how to explain job-hopping.
Guide for Finding a Job After Job Hopping or Short Term Employment:
How to explain leaving a job after a short time?
Leaving a job in a short time is something you didn’t do just for fun; there surely is a valid reason for it, and you need to let an employer know it in a way that does not take away the new opportunity that you go. But before that, you should also remember that an employer expects you to have all the skills and knowledge for the position they are hiring.
To prove that you are a perfect candidate, you will need to let them your credibility and that you had your personal reasons to leave the last job in a short period of time. So it is always advisable that before you switch job, make sure you have learned something from the workforce, even if it’s a short term. You can as well know the right way to get you a better job than that one and welcome amazing opportunities to choose from.
So if you are searching for the right way to explain job hopping, this blog is exactly going to help you know that. Right from the time you begin creating a creative resume and cover letter, to attending an interview to getting hired, the question of why did you leave your last job in such a short time period? is going to follow you every-where. So here are few ways to master the ways to answer Short Term Employment on your resume as well as in an interview.
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How to address Short Term Employment on a resume?
Upgrading your resume is the first thing to do while you start your job hunt.
- Format: Employers often prefer a chronological resume than a functional one. Functional formats will hide your work history, and that might make employers more suspicious. Moreover, recruiters nowadays use resume parser to filter the best resumes relevant to the open positions. Your resume will be skipped, or even if you get selected, you will directly have questions related to your job during an interview. Select a functional format only if you have long working gaps or no work experience at all. A
- Have a positive summary: You cannot change anything about your short-term work experience, and the best strategy is to develop a forward-looking resume that shows the value you offer potential employers. In your resume, create a positive summary of your work experience(even if it short) with the previous employer. You want the employer to know that you are a quick learner, and you learned even if it was a shorter duration of time.
Apart from this, while creating a resume, highlight your latest achievements no matter if its from the past-employment. If someone from your network got you that particular job offer asks them for a written reference that you can include in your resume. You can also include a positive quote in your resume. You don’t need to mention the reason behind leaving your job, but you can do that in your resume.
What is job hopping?
The term “job hopping” refers to an employee’s propensity to change employment frequently during a certain period of time. Many individuals use it to describe workers who routinely quit their employment after two years or fewer. But they don’t include occupations that are meant to be temporary, such seasonal jobs, internships, or contracts. Younger workers are more prone to change jobs frequently as they strive to determine their career goals. Older workers who transition to a new industry might also change jobs when they figure out what they like.
Job-hoppers could be seen as unreliable by hiring managers, and they might be unwilling to give you a position. They might modify their opinion of you if you positively discuss your job hopping or provide them background information about your work transitions. For instance, if you explain to the recruiting manager that you may have to change jobs due to circumstances beyond your control. Such as layoffs, they will be sympathetic to your plight.
How to explain job-hopping in a cover letter?
Your cover letter is the next thing that an interviewer will look at after your resume. You must build a powerful cover letter to complement your skills and the job requirements. And you will have to mention job hopping in a way that does not make it sound bad. Or you will just end up losing a good opportunity.
- Explain your job-hopping initially, along with the reason behind it.
- No matter what, do not write any bad thing about your past employers. Recruiters don’t appreciate that.
- Explain what you gained through those short-term experiences.
- Keep it short and be clear about what you speak.
- Conclude your cover letter by explaining what you expect from a new job and why you the right candidate.
This way, you will direct the attention of the recruiters towards what you look forward to with the company. When approached the employer with this kind of resume and cover letter, you will get an interview. You may still need to answer the reason behind job-hopping during an interview. So here are a few things you should know before an interview if you have left a job more frequently.
How to explain job hopping during an interview?
Interviews are extremely tricky, and to ace them, you need to develop some good communication skills, interpersonal skills, and, most importantly, commercial awareness. Commercial awareness is having in-depth knowledge about your industry, including past, present, and future scenarios.
Employers don’t just want bookish knowledge. They seek talent that will grow their organization. Also, now that you have left a job or jobs frequently, you need to work a little extra hard to prove your worth. During an interview, when the interviewer asks about your short stint, you need to:
- Be interview-ready: Maintain a positive attitude about your job-hopping throughout the interview process. For instance, explain that your job hopping indicates you’re constantly looking for a new challenge rather than hinting that you get bored fast. Make it clear that you’re looking for a position that will challenge you and that you think the job you’re applying for fits that description. To find your perfect career, it may also be helpful to mention how each of your positions has helped you define your hobbies. Explaining how your job-hopping has made you a more versatile employee is another method to portray your experience changing jobs. For instance, beginning a new job necessitates extensive learning and altering your work habits for the organisation, so you may demonstrate that you have the ability to swiftly adapt to new circumstances. The hiring manager can view your brief job hopping as a favourable trait if you accurately portray your employment history. Before the interview, practise how you’ll explain your job-hopping and come up with a few different answers so you can discuss it in a confident manner.
- Take responsibility: The conversation about your previous work experiences should begin with taking responsibility. Talk about your reason in the most positive manner while leaving a job. If you have several job-hops, tell an employer about it in short. Explain your weakness as well when asked about job-hopping. Don’t stretch the conversation longer as it may direct employers’ attention towards your job hopping rather than your skills and knowledge.
- Maintain your demands on the recruiting manager reasonable: While it’s fair to worry about the hiring manager’s reaction to job-hopping, try to refrain from passing judgement on them too quickly. Keep in mind that every hiring manager is a person with a distinct career history. They may be sympathetic to your experiences by nature or they may have their own experiences with job hopping. Keep in mind that recruiting managers are often open to hearing your justifications. Some of them could also inquire about your prior employment in an effort to understand your goals, interests, and potential match with the company. You can make a good impression and demonstrate that you’ve been interested in this position for a long time and don’t plan to quit if you’re prepared to explain in detail why you frequently changed positions. If they inquire repeatedly about job-hopping, have a good outlook and demonstrate your willingness to be completely honest in all of your responses.
- Explain your reason and be honest: Whatever your reason might be, explain why did you quit your past jobs in such a short period of time. It’s okay to discuss the downside of the past work experience because employers value honesty, but be positive when you do so. For example, you can explain that the job you did earlier did match the job description or the culture of the company didn’t match your work ethics, or whatever the reason could be. But make sure you end the discussion positively. Explain to them what all you have earned through past work experiences. For example, you can explain what you learned about the new work culture or the different positions and the way people managed their work, etc.
- Try not to speak ill about the company you once worked: Always remember that no employer welcomes an employee who doesn’t respect his boss. It would help if you never sounded too bitter about your boss during an interview, no matter what the reason is. Instead of impressing the employer, you might end up creating a bad impression on your interviewer. This way, you might risk your chances of getting hired.
- Talk about your career plans: During your interview, you need to attract an employer’s attention to your career goals rather than your past short term work experiences. You need to briefly explain what you want to be and how you can contribute to the organization’s growth and development. You can include what all you are willing to do and then stick by it. It would help if you let your hiring manager know what you see in their company that convinced you to apply for the role.
This way, you will easily be able to let your interviewer know that you do take the responsibility other than neglecting your job-hopping. This creates a better impression, and the employer can easily give you that particular position.
[READ ALSO: SOME HELPFUL INTERVIEW TIPS ]
You might surely have your own reasons for ending your previous job, but make sure you don’t do that frequently anymore. This not now but in the future can be a hindrance to your career growth. Whether you are just a beginner or an experienced employee seeking a new job, you should know that you need to work for a particular organization for 2 to 3 years.
If you feel you want to leave a job soon after you started working, try talking to the HR manager about the problem you are facing. You surely will get some solution to that. Try staying at a particular position for at least one year, even if it is very difficult to manage. This will give you an idea of what all you want in a new job and what you don’t want. This will make your job perspective clear. I hope now you know how to let the employer know about your job hopping in a way that does not negatively affect your career.