By Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, Expert Resume Writer
Are you so in love with your career that you’ve managed to switch jobs more than the average executive simply to test the waters at multiple employers? Or have you suffered back-to-back layoffs in the uncompromising job market that has left workers of all levels struggling to stay employed?
Unfortunately, as today’s executive job seeker, any type of movement from one employer to another makes you appear to be a chronic job hopper—and job hoppers don’t have great reputations for reliability, especially at the executive level where reliability is crucial. So what can you do to overcome what appears to be executive job hopping in your resume?
List Jobs Relevant to the Current Position
If you have held several positions within a short period of time (e.g., three executive jobs in a two-year period) and one or more were so short that you barely had a chance to impact the company, don’t list them all. Simply note the ones where you stayed longer and/or are most relevant to the position for which you’re applying.
Move Employment Dates to the End of Your Job Descriptions
Instead of listing the dates of employment as the headers for your job descriptions, consider listing them at the end of the descriptions. Also, consider utilizing the years that you were employed with specific companies instead of both months and years.
Call Attention to Mass Layoffs and Mergers
While employers aren’t excited about seeing executives job hop, they can certainly understand when doing so was unavoidable due to mass layoffs or company mergers. If you’ve been the victim of either during your executive career, be sure to say so in your resume.
Highlight Your ROI in Each Position
No matter how long you were working for an employer, as long as you were able to make a difference, you can prove in your resume that you are a great return on investment (ROI). Be sure to highlight your expansive leadership roles, list plenty of quantitative value-driven accomplishments, and showcase several complex yet successful initiatives that prove you can hit the ground running.
Being a job hopper at the executive level is undoubtedly less desirable than professionals further down the corporate ladder, but this doesn’t mean you are incapable of being hired. By creating a resume that highlights your strengths and then backing them up with an impressive cover letter, you are likely to get the interview call you desire.
About the Author
Jessica Hernandez, is a resume authority for the Job Talk America radio program and multi-published expert author for resume, career, and job search publications. She boasts more than ten years in human resources management and hiring for Fortune 500 companies and utilizes her extensive experience to support job seekers in their quest to move onward and upward in their careers. Find out more at Great Resumes Fast.
Check out the latest Career Insider eNewsletter - November 3, 2011.
