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I am in email communications with a potential boss and he accidentally responded all to me possibly telling his cohort that, to paraphrase, "the lack of continuity/progression is of concern."

I can only assume this is about my shared resume, as I have had others comment on it before that it is a bit unfocused (STEM / Biology) with a lot of different areas explored (computational areas, hospitals, agriculture) as internships. I did not know this could be of detriment to me.

Or it could address a few months (3) time gap in which I was doing unpaid research / laborer temp work. ( I left it out due to irrelevance, although I could add the unpaid research in future builds of my resume to "fill the gap")

We are meeting very soon and I also assume he might address this lack of progression in my resume in person. How should I respond?

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    You know what they say about assumptions, right?
    – Erik
    Commented Dec 6, 2017 at 20:00
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    And if he does ask, be honest. I'd be rather concerned if a Biology major wasn't interested in various areas. My wife went from nursing to biology (her associates) and then to biomedical sciences and is graduating with her molecular biology bachelors. She's interested in more and more focused interest areas based on what she's done so far, and that's what I see here: narrowing down what specialization you're into.
    – SliderBlackrose
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 14:47
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    If it was an accident, consider how much of that kind of carelessness might spill into the rest of his work.
    – Blrfl
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 17:33
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    Remember that interviewing is not some clinical process where the employer objectively determines if you fit within the rules they set for the position they are hiring for. It's a chance for the employer to get to know you, you to get to know the employer and both of you to decide if you're interested in working together or not. This will include a lot of subjectivity from both sides. That's why it's important to be truthful and polite during an interview: if lying gets you a job then you're probably not actually getting the job you wanted.
    – Cronax
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 17:38

1 Answer 1

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First thing, if it's not brought up in the interview don't mention the email. It seems pretty clear that you were not included intentionally, so just pretend you didn't see. Obviously if he asks about it, don't lie, but there's no reason to point out his mistake if he doesn't know.

If he asks about your "lack of continuity/progression", then just be honest. Why did you explore a lot of different areas? Were you intentionally trying to get a diverse set of skills? If so, then explain how they all apply to this job to give you a leg up. Though they look very different, did you actually use many of the same skills in each job? Then talk about the similarities between the positions and how it shows you actually have a good deal of experience in this field.

In short, it sounds like you don't view your work history as a negative, so explain why you think it's positive and benefits the company.

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    but there's no reason to point out his mistake -- this.
    – Neo
    Commented Dec 6, 2017 at 21:07

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