As many as 40 percent of hiring managers use job hopping as one way to quickly screen resumes, so it can be harder for someone who has had a lot of jobs to land an interview, says Louise Kursmark, a professional résumé writer and principal of Best Impression, an executive career services company, in "CIO" magazine. Because hiring new people can be expensive, Kursmark says companies may be reluctant to pursue a candidate who has a track record of short-time employment. If you've moved around a lot career-wise, putting together a resume that makes your job hopping an asset rather than a liability is essential.
Step 1
List all your jobs and responsibilities, and look for recurring themes in your work life. For instance, you may have had jobs in lots of different industries but many of them relate to customer service, or you may have helped launch several new products. Make a list of these skills you've used at many jobs and include them at the top of your resume under a heading like "Areas of Expertise" or "Skills."
Step 2
List three major achievements you made at each job you've held. Job hopping looks like an asset when you can show that you made a contribution at every place you've worked.
Step 3
Edit out very short term jobs that don't relate to the kind of job you're seeking. According to Kursmark, it's OK to leave some jobs off your resume. If a potential employer asks about a job you didn't include, Kursmark says it's acceptable to explain that you included your most relevant work.
Step 4
Group together freelance projects or contract work under a single heading, recommends Karen Burns, author of "The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use," in "U.S. News and World Report."
Step 5
Make a note on your resume if your short tenure at a job was because of corporate decisions you couldn't control, like a merger or company reorganization, suggests Kursmark. Write something simple like "magazine closed" or "purchased by ABC Company" in parenthesis after the company name to show recruiters that some of your job changes weren't your choice.
Step 6
Move your dates of employment to a less prominent position, such as at the end of your job responsibilities, to make them less immediately obvious--or use years instead of specific dates of employment on your resume. Though you may have to fill out specific dates for a job application, you can be less specific in your resume, says Kursmark.
Tips and Warnings
- Your cover letter can be just as important as your resume, according to Burns. Use your cover letter as an opportunity to write the story of your career, tying your varied work history together in a way that will make sense to an employer and using it to explain why your unique career path makes you a perfect candidate for a certain position.
- Resist the urge to lie on your resume. You may be able to bend the truth and land the job, but if your employer finds out you were dishonest, you can be fired at any time. It's better to have good reasons for changing jobs and to be honest about them.
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