7 Sticky Résumé Situations and How to Overcome Them

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Very short, frequent job stints can raise eyebrows. While it may be tempting to omit a few positions, it’s better to go with full disclosure. If you have a legitimate reason for job hopping — you’ve worked for several startups and all have gone bust, or you are taking temporary work during a shaky economy — explain it in your cover letter. If not — you’ve job hopped looking for higher pay, for instance — be prepared to endure a little more scrutiny and to explain yourself in the interview.
3. You’veworkedforonlyone company.
While your long tenure at a company demonstrates loyalty, you also want to make sure you emphasize career growth. List each position you’ve held at the company to show forward momentum. You also might have a section highlighting ongoingeducationandprofessional developmentactivities.
4. You’ve held several temporary positions but few full-time roles.
Fifty-six percent ofexecutivespolled byRobert Halfsaid they view a long period of consistenttemporarywork as comparable tofull-timework. You can list temporary positions in reverse chronological order, just as you would full-time ones. If you worked with a staffing service, use the name of the company you worked through as your employer, grouping all of your assignments from that company. Also, make sure you indicate that the jobs were temporary assignments so hiring managers are clear about the nature of your positions.
5. You’re a recent college graduate with little experience.
Keep in mind that the work history section of your reacutesumeacute isn’t exclusively for paid, full-time work. As long as you’re candid about the sort of positions they are, it’s perfectly acceptable to list anyinternships,part-timejobs,volunteerwork or other applicable experience you’ve gained. You might be surprised to find you have more experience than you think.
6. You’re not sure how to list your GPA.
As your work history develops, academic accomplishments carry less weight, so if you’ve been in the job market for more than a few years, you don’t need to include your GPA. Simply list your alma mater and degree earned at the end of your reacutesumeacute. Forrecent graduates, however, a high grade point average or degree from a prestigiousuniversityshould be listed near the top of your reacutesumeacute.
7. Your former employer changed its name.
You worked for years for Boxes-R-Us before it was acquired by BoxMania. How do you address the name change on your reacutesumeacute? The simplest solution is to list the current company name, followed by its former name in parentheses. Putting both names on your reacutesumeacute ensures that potential employers can locate the appropriate information when verifying your work history and conducting reference checks. If your former employer has gone out of business — unfortunately, not uncommon in today’s economy — also note that in parentheses. Just be sure to keep in contact with anyone from the company whom you hope to use as a professional reference.
A thoughtfully constructed reacutesumeacute that addresses any potential red flags will give you the best chance of reaching the next step in the process — the interview.

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