Advice for including work in a background check if not on resume due to job being a poor fit

Question

I've gotten to the point in my career where I have enough work experience that my resume has gotten rather lengthy. So, to keep it focused, I recently trimmed some irrelevant and outdated information.

One thing that didn't make the cut was a job I had for two months three and a half years ago. To make a long story short it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be, my day-to-day responsibilities were not at all what I signed up for. I talked it over with my boss, gave my two weeks notice, and we parted ways.

I kept this position on my resume for a while but I wasn't there long enough to accomplish anything significant and don't consider the experience relevant to my intended career path so I removed it from my LinkedIn and resume.

Fast forward over three years and I've been offered a job with a company that wants to do a background check that (obviously) will involve verifying my past employment. Is it going to be a problem if I include this job in the background check? Or, since it's not on my resume and I was only there for two months, should I just leave it out?

My inclination is to include it (honesty being the best policy) but I've got this nagging paranoia that it's going to be a problem. I left this company on good terms so I have no problem with anybody calling them to verify my employment there. I'm just suddenly afraid that this will be seen as lying on my resume which is absolutely not my intent.

Should I include this job on my background check paperwork or continue to leave it out?

Answer 1

Resumes and background checks are not the same thing. Your resume is a marketing tool, and as such, you choose what best represents the skills you are selling. Information provided for a background check is expected to be more thorough and is not about your skills.

I have never known of anyone losing a job because they left something off a resume. I have known of people losing a job due to failure to disclose information for a background check. It was not for a failing to list a job, it was failure to list a minor ticket. But the issue was never about the thing that was left off, the issue was about the fact that the candidate was not honest.

Answer 2

The background paperwork will generally ask for you to explain any gaps in employment during the last X years. If that is the case, or if they ask for you to list all employers, then you have no choice but to include it.

Don't try to fudge starting and ending dates for the employers surrounding that two month job, or you risk it being discovered when the other employers don't have the same work periods you claim on the background check.

The punishment if you get caught can be as severe as immediate termination.

Note: resumes are not the same as your entire employment history. Skipping a small job on a resume isn't a problem, but be prepared to explain any gaps during the interview. They might ask the employer, job title, time period, major tasks, and why you left.