The Dog Ate My Career

This is a post by Joseph E. Buss for Contributor Platform. 

So there you are, writing your resume, a lot sooner than you’d planned to.  Maybe you got downsized, or maybe you just want to get out of there because your boss is not easy to work with.  At some level, you really do want to point out that your departure, past or imminent, is not because of you.

Let’s be honest, this has been a rough decade for those of us who punch a clock or sit in a cube farm. I’ve seen a lot of resumes where people lost their jobs in 2001 or 2002 right after 9/11, and lots of folks lost their jobs during the Great Recession that began in 2008 and never really seemed to end.  With that, there is always that temptation to defend yourself.

All well and good, but the resume is not the place to go into that.  As I discussed in my first article, the purpose of the resume is not to get you the job, it’s to get you an interview.  This means a short, quick recitation of your skills and accomplishments.  It is not the place to rehash personality conflicts or bad history.

Now when you do get to that point of the interview, you will probably be asked that question if the Human Resource person knows what he or she is doing.   The best thing to do is to relate what happened with the least amount of recrimination while still being honest.  If your position was eliminated, then be kind of understanding that sort of thing happens in business.  If you left or want to leave, put it in terms that you are looking to expand your horizons.  After all, the most probable reason why you are being given an opportunity to interview is because someone was let go or left.

About the Author 

Joseph E. Buss is the Owner/Operator of Competitive Edge Resume Service, Itasca, IL.  Talk with Joe at his Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/CERS131. or visit his website,  competitiveedgeresume.com