A red flag on a resume, such as employment gaps, short-lived jobs, or sudden terminations, can negatively impact hiring managers. While they may not unfriend or block you on social media, they will discard your resume if they notice these issues.

1. Employment gaps

One of the most frequent resume red flags are employment gaps. We frequently encounter job seekers who have been unemployed for longer than a year. Even if the reason for the career break was entirely legitimate, having it on your resume is not a good look. Long employment gaps on your resume give hiring managers the impression that you have some sort of defect that has prevented you from finding employment. On your CV, explain any gaps in your career by:

• Make note of the career gap right away on your CV.
• Briefly summarize your activities during the time you were unemployed.
• Emphasizing the experience you obtained through your work, volunteer work, or project management during your career break.
• Stressing the certificates you have obtained and ongoing education you have completed during your career break.
• Highlighting on your resume your side projects and freelance work that you completed while taking a career break.

2. Changing jobs frequently

Are you a job seeker who has worked at several different places in a short amount of time? After that, prospective employers might reconsider hiring you, perhaps even three times. A hiring manager will be very concerned if a resume shows frequent job changes. They will need to take into account the reasons behind your sudden job changes, whether you have ongoing performance problems, or why you find it difficult to stay in one position. Job hopping will be a major concern for positions where the employer must provide additional training and development. In addition to the loss of training resources, your employer will assume that you will be understaffed if you leave this job in a few months. If you’ve previously changed jobs frequently, these suggestions may help you:

• Discuss how your experience has been improved by working under various management philosophies.
• Emphasize how your exposure to various leadership roles has helped you become a quick learner.
• Prioritize your accomplishments in the role over the duration of your employment.
• Draw the recruiter’s focus to your business acumen, which has been cultivated through your experience in a variety of industry facets.

3. Unplanned departures

A sudden termination or unannounced departure from a previous job is another serious red flag that can negatively impact your chances of being hired for a job. Strong candidates typically have a job lined up for when they leave one. If you are looking for work while unemployed, a recruiter might be curious as to why you abruptly left your last job. If you left a job due to a toxic work environment or if you were among the unfortunate people let go in the most recent round of widespread tech layoffs, you can succinctly explain why you were let go on your resume. When speaking with your future employer about your layoff, bear the following in mind:

• Never place the blame on your former employer because doing so betrays a lack of loyalty.
• Consider how you weren’t a good fit for the company culture.
• Explain how there weren’t many opportunities for career progression within the company.
• Emphasize the experience you have from your prior job that will be beneficial to your future career.

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