resume Q&A | Robin's Resumes (r)

Resume Q&A: I Got the Job and Quit. Am I in Trouble?

Mar 20 2022

Q. I have quit only one job in my entire career—but I quit in the first 3 weeks. What will employers think of me? Do I have to mention this job on my resume?

If it makes any difference, the reason I quit was because no one paid any attention to me. I asked my boss for work and my boss seemed surprised to see me there! I asked a coworker if I could help with their work and they bristled, as if I had said they were incompetent. After 7 workdays like this, I went job hunting. I called Human Resources as soon as I had another offer in hand to say I was quitting. They basically shrugged. What kind of company does that?

A. What you experienced was a horrific onboarding process. Research by Sapling last year revealed that 88% of organizations do not onboard well, are focused on completing paperwork, and stop even rudimentary onboarding after the first week. So it seems that a lot of companies are like the one you suffered in.

Poor onboarding—no training, guidance, organization, or communication from day one—makes employees twice as likely to quit and seek a new job. Research by isolved Connect states that 51% of employees consider leaving a job immediately if the onboarding goes haywire.

You are not alone in your solution to this problem. Kudos to you for waiting until you had a job in hand before walking away.

I usually advise people to mention every job on their resume but in this case I somehow doubt the company would even remember you worked there if a future employer calls. To be perfectly open, mention the company at the very end of your resume under “Other Experience” or “Early Experience” and just give the company name and your position, without any details.

You should avoid bad-mouthing this company. Since you have a long work history and this is the only job you ever quit, it is unlikely anyone will ask about it. If it is mentioned during an interview, you can always refer to it briefly, without going into details, and then change the subject back to happier work experiences.

Robin’s Resumes® comes across many types of iffy work situations, and we are confident in our ability to write resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and cover letters that address any issues that need addressing.

Resume Q&A: Going from Remote to Onsite Employee

Oct 20 2019

Q. I have worked remotely in direct mail marketing for a long time now, mostly for one company. I like working from home and I like the company but I am ready to become an onsite full-time employee and there are no onsite positions open in my current company. I miss the comradeship, opportunities for advancement, and even the politics and gossip of office life! How can I convince hiring managers and recruiters that I am ready to make the shift?

A. I myself thrive as a freelance and remote professional resume writer. There are a lot of us out there who like being fully remote. But I understand your quest for an onsite job also, as I happily worked onsite for many years as a chemical engineer.

The challenge you face as a remote worker is convincing a new company of three things:

You know how to work on a team. As you mentioned, onsite employment means interacting with your peers and managers. Your resume should give examples of your ability to collaborate with others.
You understand the need for oversight. Many hiring managers and recruiters have the mistaken idea that remote workers prefer remote work because they can get away with not working; no one is present to object to their goofing off. Your resume should stress how you deliver a 40-hour week for 40 hours of pay.
You are prepared to learn new processes and technologies. As a successful remote worker, you have established your own favorite processes and technologies. While you may be able to transfer some of those favorites to your onsite position, chances are the company will insist on their preferences. Your resume should show that you are fine with change and able to learn and adapt.

For help with your resume and your goal of going from remote to onsite employee, please contact me at Robin’s Resumes®.

Resume Q&A: Job Titles on Your Resume

Aug 22 2019

Q. I work in one of those companies where job titles are pretty creative. The marketing department is headed by a “Chief Amazement Officer” rather than a Chief Marketing Officer; and as the second in command, I am the “Idea Builder Extraordinary” instead of the Vice President of Marketing. The Chief Amazement Officer recently went on to another job, and I’ve been temporarily fulfilling that role, too. So how do I translate those titles and indicate what I’m really doing these days?

A. Your first problem, translating your title into something more standard, is actually the simplest. You can write Idea Builder Extraordinary and then put the equivalent standard job title after that in parenthesis like this: Idea Builder Extraordinary (Vice President of Marketing). If your field is notable for creative job titles, then providing both the creative and standard title is important.

There are many reasons why a job title might not align with an employee’s real-life responsibilities. In your case, you have filled in after your boss left. In other cases, an employee is simply handed extra work and responsibility without a title change, or the organization may be so flat that job titles are meaningless. In all those cases, parenthesis can work to explain the additional functions. For example, as a Vice President of Marketing who is actually fulfilling a CMO role, you might write Vice President of Marketing (CMO-level).

But it is also important to explicitly state in your job description that you took on the role of your boss and to clearly describe achievements that reflect that higher level of responsibility.

When you are applying for positions, you will find that even standard titles cover a wide variety of actual responsibilities. Read the job description carefully to weed out positions that may not be on your preferred career path as either Idea Builder Extraordinary or Vice President of Marketing and potential CMO.

If you are still feeling frustrated by the gap between your title and real life, contact me at Robin’s Resumes®.