Keys to Explaining Job Hopping To a Hiring Manager
The job search can be a difficult one, especially if you’ve had some bad luck along the way or just haven’t found the place where you want to invest your life. While you’ve probably gained some excellent experience along the journey, job hopping can appear flighty and non-committal to a hiring manager. Remember that hiring new personnel is a process for any company and can be expensive so they want to find committed team members. They are not necessarily being negative about your job-hopping but rather want and need an explanation.
Your attitude about their questions will be key to helping the keep an open mind about your job history. If you start off on the defense and feel attacked, your explanation will probably not sound too great. They are protecting their interests and can you really fault them for that?
It’s your responsibility to connect the dots for the company and you have the power to explain your resume in a positive way. Here are some keys to explaining your job history during an interview:
- Be honest. You have the job history you have. If the hiring manager won’t accept your past, they may not be the right company for you.
- Be ready to explain the whys without getting emotional. If you were let go, be ready to explain what happened, with minimal details and no emotion. If the company folded, explain that to the interviewer without placing blame or sounding bitter. This is your chance to clarify without sounding defensive.
- Be sure to mention all the skills you’ve gained. If you were able to be successful at other companies, you learned how to work with a variety of people. Highlight your flexibility, adaptivity and even different industries you now understand. Talk about bosses, co-workers and clients and how you learned so much from them all.
- Be clear about your intentions. It never hurts to say you want to find a good fit and then stick around. If they are still on the fence about it, have them contact your references. Chances are they will hear about how you are committed to the tasks at hand. You are a great team member and your references can speak to that.
A resume full of jobs isn’t always a negative in your job search. Decide to make your experiences a positive and focus on all the things you learned in each situation.
With locations in Portland, Clackamas, Beaverton, Everett, and Vancouver, our skilled recruiters are ready to help you make your workplace the best it can be! Call NW Staffing today.
