Must I list a previous company in my resume?

Question

I was hired for reputed Company A as a fresher from campus recruitment. After five months, I was asked to resign (not terminated or fired) as I could not pass the tests they conduct during their training.

Luckily I got into Company B. I chose to ignore my five months with Company A and go in as a fresher. I don't want to list anything to do with Company A on my resume at all in the future.

Will Company B or future employers be able to find out about my time with Company A from a background check?

Answer 1

The time line in your resume must be complete. For instance (not yours), if there's a gap, have a reason for it, and be ready to explain why it was, and what you did while you were idle. "Tutored kids on spreadsheets at the Library", or something.

In the US, with the privacy laws being what they are, one of the few things a company can ask a former employer, and one of the few things they can answer, is your dates of employment. Dates on a resume are easily and usually verified. If there's a problem (Company A), you can survive if you're honest. If someone discovers a problem without your admitting it up front, your resume won't even hit the edge on it's way to the circular file.

Everybody stumbles sometime. Myself, many times. I used to ask potential vendors for 6 references. 3 where thing went well, and 3 where they didn't. I wanted to know how they reacted when an installation wasn't going well. If they were honest, and capable, I got all 6 references. If I didn't get all 6, they didn't sell to me. I'd suggest you do the same. If you had a problem with Company A, explain it; explain what you learned from the experience, and why you're now better for the experience. People respect honesty, it's not that common.

Keep at it, you'll find a place to shine. Best of luck to you.

Answer 2

You were lucky because of a small timeline gap. It is possible to find out by background checks. It is appropriate for you to mention company A in the resume for your future prospects as there would be a timeline gap in your resume. You could come up with a good reasons to answer this question if you were asked in future why you left A to move to B, instead of pointing out the actual reason.

Answer 3

Will Company B or future employers be able to find out about my time with Company A from a background check?

Yes.

A thorough enough background check would be able to determine that you worked for Company A for 5 months. An extremely thorough check would be able to determine the circumstances under which you resigned/were asked to leave/was fired.

That said, many companies don't conduct very thorough background checks.

So yes, future employers are able, but many won't bother. You have to decide how lucky you feel, and what you would say if your omission was discovered.