St. Joe's Workshop

Just prior to the end of 2009, I connected with Jacqueline Recchia, a Recruiter with Great Expressions Dental Center; then I followed through in a LinkedIn Group.

As an HR professional, I asked Jacqueline if she could give me her perspective on a personal situation I have faced and struggled with for so long with my resume. I wanted to share my question and her response in hopes that those facing the very same issue could benefit from her comments. A great big note of “THANKS” to Jacqueline for allowing me to share this information.

My question to Jacqueline: Having well over 25 years of professional experience in Sales and Marketing, I am currently faced with my 4th lay-off since 2000; searching at the moment for my 8th career opportunity in that same time frame. Although I am a loyal employee, not the job hopper my resume indicates, how would you suggest I get around this stigma?

Jacqueline’s response: The growing trend in today’s market of layoffs is to put “(position elimination)” next to the company on your resume so that at a glance recruiters can see that you were not job hopping but a victim of unfortunate circumstances. Personally, as a recruiter, even without that listed, I assume individuals have been victims of layoffs and call them anyway to find out why so many jobs exist. Another tip, when talking to recruiters, if they ask you why a position ended – tell them a brief overview of the circumstances. For example: Q: “Why did your position at XYZ company end?” A: “XYZ company merged with ABC company and they decided to eliminate most of the staff at XYZ company” or A: “Due to a reduction in business my position was eliminated as part of downsizing,” rather than just saying “I was laid off or my position was eliminated”. Also – please make a note when speaking to recruiters or when writing, that there is a huge difference between “laid off” vs. “position elimination” or “released due to downsizing.” Laid off implies you might be called back to work and recruiters and hiring managers feel nervous that you might jump ship to go back to a previous position when things clear up.