How to Explain Job Hopping on Your Resume

With good reason, candidates spend a lot of time tweaking their resumes. If you want a chance to land an interview at a great facility, you should too. When surveys indicate that many managers spend as little as six seconds looking at each resume, any obvious red flags could land yours in the “rejected” pile. So what should you do if you have a history of job hopping? Though there are many legitimate reasons to jump from one position to another, hiring managers are not always quick to give you the benefit of the doubt. Here’s how you can address job-hopping on your resume without scaring off potential employers.

Know what to include (and what to leave out)

First, let’s make one thing clear: You should never lie on your resume. When a potential employer runs a background check, they will uncover your complete employment history. Regardless, you may find it beneficial to leave out information if it is not pertinent to your potential job. You may have held several positions in a short period of time, but were all of them directly related to the job you are seeking? If not, you could be excused for leaving them out, which will lead to a more streamlined, easy-to-read resume while also minimizing your appearance as a job hopper. Since healthcare workers, in particular, may often work in multiple specialties, it is not unreasonable to omit unnecessary information.

Use a resume format that makes you shine

Traditional resumes highlight your work experience in reverse chronological order. Don’t allow yourself to be tied to tradition, though. Alternative resume formats, such as one that gives more attention to skills and qualifications, will help draw attention to your best qualities.

Highlight your achievements

More than anything, employers want to know they will get their money’s worth out of each hire. Therefore, they may overlook job hopping if you can demonstrate you pulled your weight at every previous job. Even if you spent a very short period of time with some of your previous employers, you should be able to pick out an achievement that proves your time there was well spent.

Be ready to explain job hopping in the interview

Once you land an interview, it’s impossible to avoid the issue forever; your interviewer will want an explanation for your employment history, and you have one chance to give an explanation that eliminates their worries. A strong, confident explanation will prove to your future employer you deserve their trust and you are a sound investment.

Know your strength

After all, who decided that job hopping is a bad thing? Employees with a wide range of experience in diverse facilities are an asset to their employers. If you feel your job history, however varied, has made you a more valuable employee, this is a quality that you should flaunt, not hide.

In fact, Quality Medical Staffing specializes in helping healthcare workers with diverse talents, abilities and histories find jobs that will help them thrive. If you’re interested in learning more about temporary, per-diem and permanent job openings in exciting healthcare settings, contact us today.

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