Can I Delete A Short Tenure From My Resume?

We get it, sometimes you are at a position shorter than you would have liked. Recruiters see talented candidates all the time that have either a short tenure or gap in the work history and are still spectacular performers on the job. Bottom line: be open and honest all the time. The last thing you want is to have a potential employer find out you were not truthful about your work history. Here are the key reasons why you should never remove a short tenure from your resume:

Yes Or No? Bottom Line

Let’s be direct with this one: Should you delete a short tenure from your resume? NO. A fundamental value that every business, professional or recruiter is looking for is trust. People need to know they can trust you. When you remove past experience, a short-tenured job or, even worse, put false employment dates on your resume it is grounds for an automatic pass! Many feel the likelihood of getting caught is worth the risk, but it’s a small world and technology has made it much less likely that you’ll get away with it. If you have a short tenure or two, a good recruiter will help you navigate your previous work history with a new potential employer. Always take the high road as that will benefit you far more than trying to hide a past experience.

Everyone Is Human

If everyone were perfect, recruiting would be the easiest job in the world (and believe us, it’s not). Hiring managers know that people can make a mistake or take a position that was not a great fit for them – they are human too and appreciate honesty. If it’s not a pattern on your resume, these blips are usually forgiven. It becomes a problem when there are multiple short tenures that suggest a pattern of undependability, even when the reasons are valid. The best advice here is to avoid short tenures in the first place. Think hard before making a move. Do NOT:

  1. Change jobs when you are unhappy for several months or things become tough.
  2. Change jobs until you have determined FOR SURE that you’ve exhausted all possibilities of improving your current situation and have had all the tough conversations required to address the issue.
  3. Leave a GOOD job for a little bit more money – it better be a LOT more.
  4. Ignore red flags about a potential job you are looking at.

Learning Experience

Be ready to have an open and honest discussion with a potential employer about what you learned from a short-tenure role and how that will not be an issue going forward. While you should never be one who leans on excuses, be ready to discuss in detail the past experience if asked. Your recruiter should take the time to coach you on how to navigate this discussion in an interview.

Past Doesn’t Dictate The Future

There can be a misconception that your past dictates your future and the best way to alleviate that worry is honesty. The famous quote from Jurassic Park holds true, “I don’t blame people for their mistakes, I just ask that they pay for them,”—and your honesty is the form of payment. You are telling the potential employer that you are ready to show them how great you will be in the new role. Do not think because of the short-tenured role you are out of the running—you are not! Give yourself a chance and put your best foot forward.

What is the moral of the story? Be honest and do not alter your resume to hide the truth. A good recruiter and employer should be able to see through a short tenure and work with you to build a great career.

If you have any further questions about working with recruiters or anything about the recruiting process, give us a call at 713-357-9565. We want to give unbiased answers to your questions, whether you choose to engage our help or not.

Happy Hunting!