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Subject:Re: Too many jobs on a resume From:David Orr <dorr -at- ORRNET -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 2 Dec 1998 10:43:15 -0600
>In his response to Anon, David Orr wrote:
>> I hire a lot of technical writers, so I review many resumes. I would
be
>> careful about having more than two jobs of short duration on your
>> resume, if you are planning to work as a full-time staff person.
>What do you consider to be a "short duration"? Less than a year? I'm
>looking for a new job (permanent, as opposed to contract) and I'd like
to
>make sure that I'm addressing any misconceptions that potential
employers
>have. I've been at my current job for one and a half years, and my
previous
>position was for two years. My current job is a (long-term) contract
that
>was only supposed to last for six months, and my previous job ended
because
>the division was closed. Should I be concerned that employers will
>interpret these job durations as short?
Cheryl,
"Short" duration to me means two years or less. If I see a job history
in which the person changes jobs every year or two, I get alert. Two or
three such jobs don't bother me much if I see at least one place where
the person has lasted three to five years. I might still interview a
person but closely question them about the job changes and check
references carefully.
You should be prepared to answer questions about the duration of your
jobs and about why you left. You may consider putting a Reason for
Leaving line for each job listed.
