Avoiding the 'job-hopper' label on your resume -- Career Center Blog

August 7, 2010

Avoiding the 'job-hopper' label on your resume

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By Randy Woods
NWjobs

It's a fact of modern life that the typical American worker will change jobs often over the course of their careers. In a Bureau of Labor Statistics study of the careers of baby-boomers over the last 25 years, the average worker held 10.8 jobs during his or her lifetime.

Given this statistic, one would think that today's hiring managers would understand that moving from job to job up to a dozen times over a career would be considered acceptable behavior. Sadly, that is still not the case. Many resumes that try to impress the reader with a long string of jobs often end up getting tossed aside.

"If you muddy up your resume with too much experience, show several jobs that were for short periods of time or include roles that are not in synch with your target job, this is a red flag for prospective employers," says Evelyn Salvador, a certified career coach. "It can lead them to look at you as a job hopper or one who isn't in touch with what you're seeking--and your resume might get screened out."

In her latest book, "Step-By-Step Resumes," which was recently released in an updated second edition, Salvador walks job seekers through the process of customizing a resume to fit the individual requirements of the position being offered and integrating your resume into your social networking strategy.

Here are some of her tips to help you avoid the "job-hopper" label:

Eliminate unrelated short-term jobs - Showing experience is important, but if you have a few jobs that only lasted a few months and were dissimilar to the job for which you're applying, just leave them out, Salvador says. Focus instead on the longer tenures and focused on what your main accomplishments were.

Patch up work-history gaps - The exception to the rule above, she says, is when the elimination of a short-term jobs creates a gap in your work history--another resume no-no. In such cases, it's a good idea to include any temporary work you did in between jobs, even if it was in a different field, to show that you were still active. Look for any job skills you used in these short-term jobs that may transfer to the job you are currently seeking and emphasize your achievements in those areas.

Reach into your past, if needed - The rule of thumb is to list your work experience over the last 10 years, which usually is enough time to showcase your skills. However, Salvador says, if there was a particular job you had even earlier in your career that is relevant to the job you are seeking, be sure to highlight any work experience you had from as far back as 15 years ago.

List jobs by year only - When you list your jobs chronologically, only mention the year in which you began or ended your time there, rather than including the month, Salvador says. That way, if you left a job in January 2009 and did not find work again until September 2009, you can list the same year as the stop and start time and smooth over the gap. However: Don't be dishonest. This tactic should only be used to avoid rejections from automated resume screeners. Be up front with your work history during your job interview and explain any gaps there. Lying will always be found out and will get you nowhere.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.