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I was laid off due to bad economy and financial mismanagement at my organization. I am conflicted as to whether I should allow this information to be known, since there is no upside- 1. you either suffer outright rejection due to prejudice, or 2. you get a “low ball” offer. No matter how open minded an employer might say they are I sense fundamental prejudice against laid off workers. Here's my take on hiring managers logic: Do I hire potential employee A, who has a job so is applying for the “right reasons”, or employee B who has been laid off so MAY BE applying because they are just desperate for any job ?
I say “stretch the truth” - consider it a white lie. In my case, I've been constantly employed for 28 years, and I have enough funds to hold out indefinitely until I find a job that is a reasonable fit. So this issue should not even be on the table.
Also, how many employers have you had that stretch the truth when it comes to presenting their open positions ? Personally all of my experiences have left out important details. Also, how many employers stretch the truth when they are going after contracts ? Oh, just about 100%, so what's fair for the goose is fair for the gander.
No, life isn’t fair so I say take your chances and stretch the truth.
Either put the correct date on or leave dates off completely. Give you an idea when I screen applicants.
If the applicant has no dates on their resume, I put them in the NO file. If they have dates and can explain lack of employment they go into the yes, as long as they meet other requirements.
If you have dates on your resume and those dates match the application but when we do our background check the dates do not match the background check, then you will not be offered a position and never be able to apply again.
Do not be so bitter about the employment system, that only leads to longer unemployment.
Either put the correct date on or leave dates off completely. Give you an idea when I screen applicants.
If the applicant has no dates on their resume, I put them in the NO file. If they have dates and can explain lack of employment they go into the yes, as long as they meet other requirements.
If you have dates on your resume and those dates match the application but when we do our background check the dates do not match the background check, then you will not be offered a position and never be able to apply again.
Do not be so bitter about the employment system, that only leads to longer unemployment.
Who's bitter? We all know the employment system is in favor of the employers no matter how many shady tactics THEY employ. Not all employers do as you do by at least giving the unemployed a chance to explain lack of employment. Some will look at a resume and if that person is not currently employed or has been unemployed for a long time they will put those resumes in the NO file.
Sadly, businesses locking their doors for good appears to be the norm now. It's not inconceivable that a job applicant will have one of these listed on their resume. If they went out of business in 2008, or 2011...who can really tell? If its a big corporation with the resources to delve into these things, I'd say don't do it. Smaller companies don't have the money or manpower to waste on such endeavors.
You could always just not list the actual dates on your resume. If you worked UNTIL 2009..then you would be correct in saying "2004-2009." I worked one job that started in October 2001, and ended in mid-January 2003. So technically, I worked that job for 15 months. But those 15 months began in 2001 and ended 2003. And so, on my resume, it says I worked that job from 2001-2003. Which is completely, totally, and entirely truthful.
You don't have to lie to make yourself look good on a resume. You can explain any gaps and details in an interview. If you don't make it to the interview, it probably isn't just due to a gap in your employment, and it might simply be that there were more people with more qualifications than you applying for the same position.
Interestingly enough this is the teaching of the career departments at many top tier colleges/universities.
To the OP: You will eventually be asked for the dates so be prepared to provide them on the application/background release that will accompany your interview. I can't imagine having a super interview and then seeing a job offer dissolve due to a date discrepancy.
My advice...work part time. Verify the guidelines for your state with unemployment (try to speak to a person, even if you have to wait 40 minutes or some un-Godly wait time). In CT you can work p/t and they deduct about 60% of the wages from your UI payout. That means you get a 30% increase in UI for working (at least that's how I look at it) and you have a current employer.
Adding a retail, food service, temp, etc. job on your resume will detract from your last position in your field so find a way to state it on the cover letter (what's your angle? "Currently expanding my customer service skills, by working p/t, while looking for a new engineering position"). If you come across those form applications like Taleo, I suggest putting the p/t job on so you can check the "current" box. If this still doesn't help, try adding a single line reference on your resume that won't take up too much "space."
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