How many times have you looked at a resume, noticed the candidate had a short tenure at his or her last three positions – then tossed it right in the trash - right? Or if you are the candidate, are you worried how short job tenure will be perceived? Whether you are a recruiter or another HR professional, should you summarily trash that job-hoppers resume? Maybe and maybe not. If at first blush you are drooling over the candidate’s credentials and experience but then your worry antenna telescopes up on job tenure, you need to spend more time digging. Being in the search business for over 30 years, I’ve certainly seen my share of ‘flakes’, but there is a fair number of candidates who appear to have a poor work track record, when upon further investigation, it is found to be explicable. Here are five reasonable explanations for what appears to be a poor tenure record:
- They were involved in a merger situation and many people were terminated because of over-staffing or duplication of positions.
- The candidate did so well in their position that after a year or two they needed to move on in their career and there was no possibility of advancement.
- An organization downsizes or closes, and then the candidate must move on. We had a candidate several years ago who unfortunately, during the recession, found himself employed with three consecutive businesses that closed and a fourth that was purchased but much of the staff was cut.
- Complete change in management personnel and/or procedures which make it difficult to fulfill job duties/responsibilities.
- Family crisis making it imperative for candidate to move to another location.
So there are certainly good candidates who have had very circumstantial reasons for changing jobs two or three times. If they have great experience and credentials, reasons for movement seem understandable and you have taken the time to obtain reliable references, then these candidates can often turn into your most loyal and useful employees. Why? Because they really want a place they can stay and become a contributing member of the staff. So what if YOU are the candidate with the bad track record? First, don’t lie and don’t make excuses. Like the old Dragnet TV show – “Just the facts ma’am, just the facts!” But don’t hesitate to include a line at the end of each employment section with a job change explanation such as: the company closed, changed management or downsized. This should lead a recruiter or prospective employer into a dialog with you about what happened and how your skills and experience pertain to the open position. In addition, what did you learn from those experiences that could help you with a new employer? This does not mean it is okay to be negative or appear disgruntled – again, just state the facts. The next time you read a resume that looks good except for job tenure, do a little digging. You just might be passing up a potentially good candidate. If you are putting together a resume, give a brief note about reasons for leaving a position – there will be less chance of your resume going in the round file. How much effort do you put into looking at circumstances when you see a ‘job-hopper’ resume?
Ronni Anderson is a VP of Business Development at Morgan Consulting Resources, a healthcare executive search firm celebrating 20 successful years in business.
