Welcome back to another 2MT Taylor Maurer here with another resume tip. I sometimes get questions from candidates if they can leave a past position off of their resume. The short answer is no. Most hiring authorities, if they are interested in your candidacy, will do some digging and due diligence before, during, and often after the interview. Often, this is where the skeletons are found in the closet. Pre-interview investigations will general consist of putting scrutiny on resume employment dates and comparing that information to a LinkedIn profile if available, amongst other options. During an interview, the conversation can twist and turn, frequently landing on the experience the candidate gained at the company they left off their resume. In the post interview stage, something may come up with one of the references. No matter how it is discovered, when a potential employer discovers that there was not absolute transparency with employment on a resume, it leaves the hiring authority to guess at the reasons that the information went undisclosed on the resume, like: Why would he leave a particular job off the resume? Did he get fired? Did the candidate do something illegal or unethical? What else might they have not disclosed? Full transparency will help you maintain the trust of a potential employer, even if you are afraid that they may see it as a dig against your candidacy. But at least it puts you in the driver’s seat to explain the circumstances. We will explore explaining job changes in the interview so stay tuned.
Posted in Hiring Managers and Candidate