Just started job that will not work out---what would you do?? (employment, job openings)

[awsun1980]

Ok, here is my story in a snapshot. I just moved a couple months ago without a job to a new state (personal reasons.) Took me 2 months & about 50 resumes to get this job I have now that I knew I wouldn't like--but I was running out of $ & had to take something. So I knew it was only going to be temporary until I can find something better.

It is a low-paying call center job. I got the job because of my background but I am overqualified & very underpaid with my skills, experience, etc. This is not the type of job I want, but unfortunately the only type of job that I can seem to get. This is VERY frustrating!! It's not a very livable salary & now I'm stuck with it until I can get hired elsewhere. I know they say it's better to look for a job when you already have one, but...

So here is my question. Given that I was out of work for 2 months & have been only at this job for 2 weeks---while I am sending out resumes now, do I put this job I have on my resume??? General consensus would say NO & I haven't, but since I don't know how long this new job search is going to take, how long until I have to put it on my resume before it looks like I've been out for work for months????

Do HR/recruiters look down at people with a small gap in employment history if they've moved out of state?? Other than this, I have a steady & solid work history.

So it comes down to
A) I don't want this TYPE of job &
B) It's not a doable income (Arizona pay is ridiculous!)

Anyone been in this situation before and/or can help guide me in the right direction? I'm hoping to get something better quick so that I don't have to put this job on my resume.

[PG77]

I would just include this job on my resume and I would just be honest and tell the potential employers that you took this job for income purposes, but ultimately need a job that is more in line with your qualifications and salary range.

[jamesandveybe]

Agreed. Never lie.

[studedude]

Just incase you need a reason to listen to PG and james. There are very few secrets anymore. They can find out anyway. Tell the truth.

[POhdNcrzy]

THE ANSWER: YOU SHOULD ONLY LIST THAT JOB, IF IT'S GONNA HELP YOU GET ANOTHER JOB. (example: another call center that pays $4.00 more per hour is hiring, so you wanna naturally list your current job, but maybe XX-out the company name for reason explained below.)

What I'm saying is: There is no law or custom that says you need to list every job you've had on your resume. Think about it. Some older people have worked too many jobs to list them all. You don't even need to list your current job if you don't want to. The logic there is that you might not want to disclose your current job because your current employer could be contacted, for example, and might find out you are planning to leave them.

BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: A resume is an advertisement to get a potential employer to respond and offer you an interview. You should be truthful, but spin, spin, spin the information in the best way possible.

I used to list all my jobs in chronological order on my resume. I did this for two reasons. 1) I thought that's pretty much what one should be doing on a resume. 2) It helped me keep track of my work history (Now I do that separately).

In recent years I've had some more menial jobs just to make a buck and survive. I noticed that since I started listing those on my resume, my resume was generating far fewer job interviews than before. I HAD to take them off (say watcha want but it sure beats never ever getting a good job again!).

Once I removed those jobs, I realized I could remove some older jobs as well. Then that allowed me to reduce my resume from two pages to one very concise page. In a way, I could even argue that I HAD to not list some jobs because having a one page resume is much more effective than a two page resume.

Sure enough, today I replied to five job openings with my new one-page resume. After an hour, two employers had called me to offer interviews.

Wow! For me, that was an outstanding result!

Keep in mind, in these harried modern times, NO EMPLOYER HAS TIME TO READ YOUR RESUME IF IT'S LIKE A TOLSTOY NOVEL. Keep it really focused, concise and short (one page best, two pages max). I don't care WHAT industry you work in, NO ONE SHOULD HAVE A RESUME LONGER THAN TWO PAGES. Think of it this way, if you saw a commercial on TV that lasted for 3 minutes instead of 20 seconds, you would wanna throw a brick at the TV. DON'T BE THE PERSON WITH A RESUME THAT MAKES A POTENTIAL EMPLOYER WANNA THROW A BRICK AT YOU (or just throw your resume right in the trash).

[BagongBuhay]

The politically correct verbage when asked why..."The current job I have is not in line with my overall career objectives." That should cover being overqualified and underpaid. Most employers when comparing what you are doing currently versus your past experience will understand what this means and will not take it against you. They are cognizant of market conditions now in the employment arena and realize that some people take the job for lack of any other until a better opportunity comes for which you are more qualified and is a better fit for your qualifications. Good luck!