Need Help Determining Employment End Date at Previous Employer to List on Resume

Question

Every resume, CV, and employment application needs to have the period of employment for each employer. My situation is a little unusual:

• On 9/30/2013, I was formally advised in writing by my last employer that my job was being officially eliminated in 60 days (11/30/2013).
• But instead of asking me to be "on-call" until the end of November, they asked me to pack up, turn in my employee badge, and leave immediately, so my final ACTUAL date of work in the office was 9/30/13.
• From 9/30/13 to 4/30/14, I was kept on the company's official active employee payroll until 4/30/14 receiving bi-weekly pay and benefits as if I were still in the office, and eligible to apply for preferred internal positions.
• If a future employer inquired the company about my last date of work, the HR records shows 4/30/14.

My question(s) are, which job ending date should I use on my resume?

1. Last date physically present in the office (9/30/13),
2. date my job was eliminated (11/30/13),
3. or date I was OFFICIALLY removed from HR records as an ACTIVE employee with the company?

Obviously, it would reduce the gap in unemployment on the resume significantly to use the 4/2014 date but would that be "fudging" or dishonestly even though "technically" correct?

Answer 1

Contact HR, ask them at what date your employment ended according to their records. Specify/clarify that you are asking them this question to make sure that your employment end date matches whatever employment end date that they provide to anyone who wants to verify your employment start and end dates.

Answer 2

Put 4/30/14 and unless they asked you to clarify, that's your official end date. What HR says is what goes.

Putting one of the earlier dates not only makes it look worse for you but once they call HR to verify employment and they give a conflicting date, now you got to explain yourself and everything is gonna go downhill from there.

Answer 3

You should have documentation that tells you, but the company's HR should also know, so obviously you can ask them.

If you are laid off and receive money for time where you were not working (like you did), there are two ways this can be done: You can be on "gardening leave", getting paid, being employed, but not expected/allowed to come to work; that means you cannot actually take another job. Or you can receive "payment in lieu of notice", where the company gives you the money that they would have to pay if you stayed working, but your contract is cancelled, and you can start work elsewhere. You should know and HR must know which one is the case.

The way you describe it I would guess that you were on gardening leave and were an employee until April 30th.

Answer 4

Without the slightest hesitation I say you should list your last day of work as 4/30/14. This will reduce gaps in employment on your resume, so it will look better to those reading it. And it's not a lie. Take any advantage/option handed to you; this is one.