Dear Aunt Jobby

I am rewriting my resume but don’t really know how to deal with a resume gap that occurred a long time ago. About 10 years ago, after a long period of job hunting, I finally landed a job. Within a day, I knew it wasn’t going to work. Within a week, I knew I’d get fired if I didn’t find another job quickly. Because we needed the money, I hung on until the inevitable came Friday afternoon on the fourth week.

I was told to pack up and not come back on Monday. It was clear to me from the very start that it had all been a mistake … a mismatch of skills and personalities.

Should I mention this resume gap in my work history? I got another job a few weeks later and the gap doesn’t really stand out. Now I wonder if a search will spot this resume hole and make me look like a liar? What should I do?”

Jane  D.,  Sacramento, CA

Aunty Jobby’s response:
Poor you. It’s horrible to fear something like this coming back to … dare I say it? … bite you in the rear end. I was stumped by this question, but HR expert, Kris Plantrich of Resume Wonders had very sensible advice.

Got a big black hole in resume?

“Hi Jane, I think since you only worked there a month and it was 10 years ago, I would leave it off your resume. It was such a short period that you worked there and because of the termination and mismatch of the position, it is better to not even include it.

“Also your resume should be a targeted commercial or marketing tool which you use to sell your qualifications and so you want to include only information that is relevant to the position you are applying for. That job probably wouldn’t apply here. Even if it was found out, I don’t think it would be an issue since you were only there a short time.

“If questioned – just be honest about the situation. You can even use it to your advantage and say that since then you’ve learned not to jump so quickly at just ‘any offer,’ it is only a waste of time for both you and the employer. Turning the negative into a positive or learning experience is always a good way to answer interview questions. Good luck.”

Kris Plantrich, ResumeWonders, is the owner of ResumeWonders Writing and Career Coaching services. She is certified in resume writing (CPRW) and career coaching (CCMC) and offers support and services in document development and career coaching services. Follow Kris on Twitter, http://twitter.com/krisPlantrich

Photo:  Photo of a big hole by Sheadonato at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdonato/ courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons License.