Communicate your reasons for leaving jobs that you’ve held for less than one year.
If an organisation posted their hiring record along with the job posting, would that affect your perception about the company or decision to apply?

Would seeing an employer’s history of high turnover and frequent redundancies cause you concern? If you did apply, would you ask different questions in the interview?

Would you feel more compelled to pursue an opportunity with an employer that employees don’t seem to want to leave?

Chances are, you would be alarmed if that record reads like the organisation’s led a carousel of hiring and firing employees. You may see that record and picture yourself walking into the same situation after a few months of working there (after you’ve invested months of your time, energy, and resources).

This is how recruiters see your job tenure at different organisations in your workhistory. And they don’t want to be another stop on your carousel of employers.

When a recruiter sees that a candidate left their last employer after 4 months, and 8 months in the job before that, and only a couple in the position before that, they begin to wonder if that person will leave their organisation just as quickly.

If you haven’t written a cover letter or note to tell the employer otherwise, then this could take you out of the running if put against candidates with similar backgrounds, but longer tenure.

How long were you working in each of your last three positions? If you’re looking at your CV now and think that your current employment history could possibly pegyou as a job hopper, here’s what to do.

You can’t change what’s already happened—at least, not without lying—but you can address the recruiter’s concerns, before the short journey your CV is about to take to the employer’s “no” pile.

To address any work history that could be interpreted as job hopping, write a note in your cover letter that briefly explains why you left those positions at the times you did. We’ve also seen candidates include these notes on their CVs directly, which is fine as long as you keep it brief.

For example, if you started a job whilst finishing your studies, but wanted to find something with better hours once your schedule changed, then let the recruiter know upfront. That motivation for a job change is much different than the reasons that they would be concerned about, such as leaving due to a conflict with management or leaving for a job that pays more.

Re-word terms and phrases that show involvement, but not ownership of a task.
Recruiters see assistive words such as “helped” or “contributed to,” to mean that you didn’t have ownership of that task or project. Therefore, they can’t know how much impact that you or your skills actually had on the success of that project or achieving the result that you’ve cited on your CV.

Be specific. How did you help? What did you contribute? In which areas of that project did your actions have the most impact?

Think about what your education and qualifications say about you as a professional.
This is an area that candidates are often concerned about, but you may be surprised to know the employer’s perspective on this.

In some fields, aligning your formal education with your career is essential, such as nursing or engineering. For other industries however, and especially in entry to mid-level roles, going to college for a different focus than the field you’re in can be a strength. It shows dimension and a diverse base of knowledge.

For example, a recruiter may find the background of a sales rep who studied psychology more attractive for a sales role rather than someone who has a sales-only background. That psychology/sales combination suggests to a recruiter that the candidate is likely to be reflective after sales calls because they’re interested in knowing why the questions they asked prompted the prospect to respond in the way they did. They may apply psychological principles to the sales process that results in a new perspective that the organisation hadn’t considered before. That individual may read psychology literature that provides them with insight they can use to make their pitches more compelling by using certain trigger words.

Whether you’ve chosen to study a subject for a particular reason or if you followed your interests and realised later that they’re different to your professional skills, write a sentence or two in your cover letter about how your studies (and therefore transferrable skills), relate to the position that you’re applying for.

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