11

After only three weeks from the day I left my previous job I have been invited by this company to join their team. I accepted the invitation right away, but now three other weeks have passed and, for a number of reasons, I don't feel neither comfortable nor satisfied enough with my choice. I would like to start looking for a new job again, but I don't know whether it will be beneficial or not to include this 3-week-long experience in my CV.

The truth is that in these three weeks I learned a lot of new things about Java (which is most certainly what I will be applying for anywhere else), but I am afraid that "stating" in the CV that I want to leave a company I joined just the other day will give a bad image about myself.

How should I deal with my current position in my CV?

Improve this question
2

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
6

Resume where you are listing your projects or key results - there won't be much about this part of the job. Also, generally "learning a lot through reading" is usually not placed much in resume unless you have gained practical work experience in that area. (it's ok to put Java as part of skill set).

However, when you are putting down the chronology of companies you have been to, it is very essential that you do not omit any organization attended. Usually, a period like 3 weeks one could ignore when evaluating and no one will come to know about it; however, if they come to know about this relation during ref check - it leaves a bad remark as to why you hide this fact.

And during interviews where one would ask you why did you changed so quickly? If you had genuine reasons to leave people wont mind it. But in the above stated situation no one might cross check with you. You might be at loss.

So as a general rule never hide that you have attended a company even for a small while.

Improve this answer
4
  • I imagine that any new employer would only find out about the 3-week employer if the OP used the 3-week employer as a reference. In that case, yes, it would look bad to give a reference that is not on the resume. To avoid the problem, I think it might be enough to just not list the 3-week employer as a reference.
    – FrustratedWithFormsDesigner
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 17:53
  • 3
    @FrustratedWithFormsDesigner - No that is not necessarily true. Ref checks can happen by seeking feedback from people who are not referred by candidate. If as a recuriter, I know that candidate worked for company X - and the I know someone else in that company (X) I can seek feedback about that candidate, and if he provides the information that the said candidate actually joined a company Y (not listed in his resume) - then recruiter comes to know about it. Our HR do ref checks on people other than those who are referenced. The smaller the industry more likely this can happen.
    – Dipan Mehta
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 18:06
  • Very interesting. Every time I've had someone do a reference check on me, they explicitly asked permission to speak to the contacts I had given them. They also explicitly asked if there were any individuals I'd prefer them not to speak to, and why not. It seems a little sneaky to dig up references that aren't given and then speak to them. But I guess some find that method to be necessary.
    – FrustratedWithFormsDesigner
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 18:27
  • @FrustratedWithFormsDesigner it can also show up on an employment history / background check search -- Often you can explain it away, but in this case since valuable skills were learned/honed listing it is probably the best idea.
    – voretaq7
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 20:49
2

Short answer is no. Working for only 3 weeks in a permanent position would be a red flag to a potential employer (it indicates you could have been sacked). Career gaps are an even bigger red flag but nobody will notice just three weeks so your safe to omit it.

I suggest you do a pet project that uses the skills you talk about. You can then demonstrate your new skills without detracting from your cv

Improve this answer
1
  • I don't necessarily agree about not listing the position (it could really go both ways, helping or hurting), but +1 for doing a small side project using the new skills you learned - As a bonus you get to sharpen your skills further.
    – voretaq7
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 20:54
2

I would list this in my resume and continue to search.

The reasons, it leave a positive impact that you have a job and you are looking. You are not comfortable with it is understable by any employer. Just one bad case does not leave you in bad water. If you have a history of such short tenures then you might have a problem and you want to think again.

Employers will look at this as positive thing, unless something's wrong with the company, you are not really proud of it and you dont want to associate yourself with it. In that case it is your personnel choice.

Improve this answer
0
0

First you should approach your current manager about your concerns. They have invested time and money in bringing you up to speed. If they are at least aware you are looking for a new position then you are more likely to get a positive reference.

Second for a CV I would list the position always. A CV is about your complete experience and should be all inclusive. A resume on the other hand is about what experience you have that is important to the position you are applying for now. For a Resume I would list the position as my current position but I would likely drop the position from my resume afterwards. After 6 months or so those few weeks you spent there are no longer important enough to list unless you made a major contribution or received an award while you were there.

Improve this answer
0

It strongly depends.

Big corporations hiring people with long-term perspective usually find short-time contracts suspicious. I was even once asked, why I quit my previous job, without any suggestion from my side, that I lived and that this contract was in any way prolongable.

However, if you're going to work as contractor or freelancer, sometimes such short contracts can be a plus for you, because they prove you can adapt to the new workplace quickly (which is a crucial ability for very short-time contracts).

Improve this answer
1
  • Could you please provide any references?
    – tmaj
    Commented Jun 5, 2018 at 0:52

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .