How can I explain leaving a job off my resume/CV?

Question

I was recently contacted by a recruiter who looked at my resume on my linkedin profile.

I have had two positions, but only listed the most recent one. The recruiter asked me why I didn't list the other job I had.

I had the first job for a year, but left it off because there was a gap of four months between the first job and the second (my current job).

While this recruiter seemed to accept the explanation, I feel like I should have a better answer prepared. How can I explain a gap like this in my resume?

Answer 1

It's not really bad to have holes in your CV. I got a 1,5 year long hole where I had nothing but a few courses and some training in fork truck driving, but none of them were relevant to my initial education. I've also left out the year I was in building and construction class, it went horrible, to say the least... So, whenever someone ask about the holes, be honest but do not worry about details. In your case the honest answer can simply be "I did not feel I gained any meaningful experience from that job that is not already reflected in my CV"

To point it out, stamping papers for a year is NOT 1 year experience of paper stamping, so if you go to another job to do paper stamping, you really don't need to mention the previous paper stamping job in any future CV edition.

Answer 2

Now this depends upon what experience you mention you have in first place. If the times you have worked don't add up then the recruiter will express a doubt. These doubts could be on various topics like experience gaps, academic gaps, and so on. Perhaps you may have done consultancy work, volunteering or something similarly useful but if you don't show that in your resume, it lets enough room for doubt. So, first thing that you should do is show all your experience, relevant or otherwise, on your CV.

Next, about the gaps, I must tell my personal experience. I worked at a place for three months on contract and then was asked to resign because I had failed in my final year exams. In the next six months I cleared those papers and got another job. Later when I went looking for a better job, a lot of recruiters asked me the reason behind the gap. Most of the times I'd tell them the half-truth - that it was a contract job. The next question was inevitable- "How can we trust you if you can hop a job in months?" That would always leave me speechless. Finally once I told a recruiter the whole truth- that I failed and got fired. They did not grill me further, instead hired me for the profile I wanted and a pay beyond my expectations. Sometimes it is best we tell the whole truth.