I was at the CFEC career fair last month in Orlando, and I had a couple jobseekers come by with great concern. They had just quit their jobs because the jobs they thought they accepted turned out to be everything but. Both were concerned that by quitting a bad job, that would hurt them with future employers. While this should be a concern, you can overcome this obstacle. I suggest the following tactics:
1) Be upfront and honest while interviewing with your new employer. The challenge here is too make sure you are specific about the issue that caused you to quit while not being negative about the employer.
2) Make sure when you submit your initial resume to a future employer, the dates on the resume reflect you no longer work for your last company. Along with this accurate resume, you will use your cover letter to explain your early exit from your last job.
3) Make sure that the new job you are interviewing for doesn’t have any of the reasons you left the last one. Do as much research as you can to find out about the company. The best case scenario is talking with a current employee at this company before your interview.
4) Realize that the person interviewing you most likely has had a former job or experience very similar to the situation you are experiencing. People are sympathetic, especially when you come across as a straight shooter.
If the interviewer keeps coming back to your situation, ask them if there is anything specific they need to know. The best advice I can give you is just be completely honest; stick to the facts and make sure you spin them in your favor. You will be hired on your qualifications, enthusiasm, quality of work and desire to be successful, not because you happen to have a blip on your resume!
