About Lana A. Expertise I am able to answer most questions relating to resume preparation, organization, design, and presentation of information such as gaps in employment or termination of employment. My specialty is in assisting entry-level and mid-level administrative applicants.
Experience For over ten years, I have been responsible for reviewing and selecting job candidates for various administrative positions. Based on the thousands of resumes I have reviewed, I can offer great advice on what to include, what to omit, and how to present many items in your resume. Feel free to forward a copy of your resume to me for prompt, constructive feedback. DUE TO CULTURAL DIFFERENCES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, I AM ABLE TO ADVISE U.S. JOB CANDIDATES ONLY.
Question Hi,
I was fired from a job at the beginning of Sept. after 6 months with my last employer. I had come back from a leave of absence and then found after a day back I could no longer do the job. I was dealing with some personal problems, and, combined with my unhappiness with the position, this led them to terminate me after not calling in for 2 days.
Now I am ready to try and head back into the work force after some distance from the situation. My qustion is: Should I include this 6-month job on my resume or leave this period out? One of the reasons I wanted to include it is because it involves writing/editorial skills that I'm sure would be attractive to potential employers, (I should say I'm currently trying for an editorial/writing-based position) and that my last position was the 1st closely related to this type. Also, my termination there was not acrimonious - they understood I had some things to work out and that I was not particularly happy with the position.
So, if I leave it off, I have to account for the 6-month gap in employment and don't have this viable position for employers to look at on my resume. However, if I leave it on I'll get the inevitable "what happened?" and have to explain this somehow to potential employers. What do you think? Thanks.
Answer Good afternoon, Paul.
The first thing you need to know is whether your prospective employer conducts background checks. If they do, this position is likely to be discovered.
Honesty is usually the best policy. You will want to address questions regarding that position in a matter-of-fact manner and with confidence.
First, you really need only explain that the position turned out not to be a great fit and that you were able to take advantage of the time off to complete some personal projects (or whatever explanation you're comfortable with). I would recommend that you stick to something "personal" in nature as most interviewers will not pry too hard for additional details.
Next, I would offer up a positive outcome to your employment gap. Perhaps you can finish off with, "the time I had off allowed me to focus on some personal matters and improve my <insert something relevant here> skills. Whatever you choose to use, you should point out something of value to the position you're seeking that transpired during or through your time off.
If your termination with that employer was amiable, it would be great to use them as a reference, too.
