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I originally ended my employment with a company in the Philippines on June 30th which is what my resignation letter says, but my employer asked me to extend that by a day, making July 1st my last day.
Can I now list this job on my resume as "May 20XX - July 2016"?
What will my Certificate of Employment (COE) say?
While you could do this, the real question is whether or not you should do this.
Your resume is a statement of your qualifications, experience, and communication abilities.
If I read on a resume that you worked from May XX - July 2016, the assumption I will make is that you worked all, or a significant portion, of your final month.
This boosts your experience by a month. It is misleading.
Now, if you've worked at your previous job for several years, it probably doesn't make a big difference in your perceived level of experience. Small, but still misleading.
But if this is a short contract, say from May 2016 - June 2016, then you would be implying that you worked for 3 months instead of 2, boosting your perceived experience by 50%. Very misleading.
So, if I choose to interview you or hire you based on your resume and the truth comes out it will change how I see you as a candidate - I will see you as someone willing to mislead me for your own benefit.
I will not care that it is technically true; I will not trust you.
The alternative, is that you list May XX - June 2016 on your resume. You are now under-reporting your own experience by a day.
Will this make you look less qualified? No.
Will it effect my perception of you if I find out the truth? Yes --> This is where you can truly convince me that you are someone worth hiring.
"So Ju-chan, you worked for company XYZ until June 2016?"
"Well, technically I worked for them until July 1st, they needed me to stay longer than my intended end date, and I really enjoyed working for them so I was happy to stay a little longer to help out" <-- this is you showing me a great example of your character as an employee.
So, you decide for yourself whether or not it's worth it.
As July 1st is your last day at the company, you can absolutely say you were at the company until July on your resume.
As for your Certificate of Employment, it is probably best to contact the appropriate government office or a lawyer that has experience with those documents.
