“I’ve only been in my current position for three months. I accepted this position and it did not turn out the way it had been described to me during my interview process. I need to update my resume but I’m not sure how to handle this short period of employment. I have barely gotten settled in much less actually accomplished anything. How should I handle this on my resume?”
Career Resumes® answers:
“This situation is not as unusual as it feels to you. Jobs sometimes just are not a good ‘fit’ and its best to move on. It is perfectly ‘legal’ to leave this short period off your resume, especially if you have not achieved anything significant during the period of employment. However, you will need to list this position on any application that you complete since an application is a signed document that is considered a legal document. If your employer filed employment taxes, that job will appear on any background check and if you have not listed it on the application, it might be considered fraud.
That said, a resume is a different document. The purpose of a resume is to get an interview. Once you get in the interview, it is certainly acceptable to disclose your short period of employment if you feel comfortable doing so and explain the situation. A resume or cover letter is not the vehicles for that explanation.
If you do not feel comfortable revealing this short period of employment, don’t bring it up unless asked about it. If you are asked about it, give basically the same explanation but do not dwell on it and never, ever, communicate sour grapes.”
