Can I omit my last position from resume/job applications?

[Anonymous]

I worked for 1 year in my last position and I would say I did not leave on good terms. No, I was fired, but I resigned and also gave sufficient notice. The employer was not happy with my work performance and wanted to demote my position and I resigned. Prior to that position, I worked for 2 other organizations for about 5-6 years each. I am positive this last employer will not give a good reference and I just don't trust them to just say my date of employment if HR were to call.

Can I leave this last position out? I would just say that I took time out during the pandemic to care for my kids.

Question is, is it illegal to omit that? I feel that if this job was one that I held 10 years ago, it would have been fine. But it being my last one gives me some pauses.

[Anonymous]

You can leave it off of your resume and most recruiters will likely assume you took a pandemic break. But probably not a job application.

[Anonymous]

You can leave it off your resume but you can't lie about it. I would just include it, it's not uncommon to leave a job on bad terms but it's a HUGE red flag if they later find out about it (like if they ask you in the interview what you've been doing in the past year) and it's not on your resume. It's also better to have steady employment rather than gaps in your work history.

[Anonymous]

include it because otherwise it's a weird red flag that you didn't disclose it if they find out. you don't have to have liked it or had it been a good fit but they will assume you were fired for cause if you just leave it off.

[Anonymous]

Leaving it off your resume isn't illegal, but employers will ask about the gap, which will put you in the position of either lying (which will bite you in the butt later) or telling them about the job anyway. IMO, you'd be much better off coming up with a good explanation for why the previous job wasn't a great fit and why they're unlikely to give you a good reference.

[Anonymous]

Restructure your resume so it's functional rather than historical or whatever the proper terms are. Functional resumes will focus on your relevant experience in specific fields over time, not just your last job. In that case, you can probably safely omit your last job.

I wouldn't lie, but I also don't know how you would approach this. Most reasonable people understand that sometimes work places are just not good fits, and it's not as much a judgement against you as it is a judgement on the situation. I think we've all worked places where our bosses made us feel like $hit and worthless, I don't put those people down as my reference. I usually choose their boss since I'm on good terms with them, or someone else. Can you maybe list that job but put someone else as your reference? Keep in mind, some places don't even call your references.

[Anonymous]

I had a similar experience at my most recent company, and my story was that the company was at an inflection point (true) and I was looking for a place with more stability and growth potential than a family-owned startup (also true). Starting a new job in a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

I would not lie (my jobs require background checks so I really would be dinged). Don't most places ask if they can contact your references ahead of time? If so, give them .the other two (jobs b and C) ...if asked about it the recent one, I would say something like " Frankly, Job A simply wasn't a great fit, so I am not sure how well they can speak to my skills, but I am sure they would be happy to verify my employment. my former managers at Jobs B and C know me best and will be happy to offer detailed assessments..."

[Anonymous]

List it but don't put them down as a reference.

[Anonymous]

Listing your work history on a job application is different from providing a list of references. You can provide your references from your previous two jobs. Yes, you can exclude the job from your resume but I would not leave it off an application/employment history form). When it says to provide a contact (on an employment history form/application), include the head of HR--not your boss--to verify your employment. I would have a good reason ready for why you resigned. The previous poster had some good ideas.

[Anonymous]

I would include it and have my story about how it was a bad fit ready. Your longer tenures at other jobs show it was an outlier and surely you can spin it into lessons learned.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks, all! Problem for me is that my old job there is no HR. I don’t trust my former boss to be impartial if someone call to verify employment dates.

As far as employment gap, I’m not worried about it. No employment gap until now, when I quit this job. I’m also not worried because this job happened to take place during the pandemic and a lot of ppl either lost their jobs or quit for various reasons.

I guess the question is if they find out about the job and why I didn’t mention it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a similar experience at my most recent company, and my story was that the company was at an inflection point (true) and I was looking for a place with more stability and growth potential than a family-owned startup (also true). Starting a new job in a few weeks.

Did they contact your previous employer?

[Anonymous]

Include it but don't give them as a reference. Have great answers handy just in case for the interviews.

[Anonymous]

Companies rarely call your previous employers to verify employment. Just don’t use that company as a reference but you can put it on your resume.