My resume makes me look like a job hopper. How can I solve this problem?

My resume makes me look like a job hopper. How can I solve this problem?

By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter

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My resume makes me look like a job hopper because I’ve held a lot of different positions over the past 4 years through no fault of my own (working at startups, moving, having health issues, etc.) and I’d like to know how to handle this appropriately in interviews so employers don’t see me that way.

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My resume makes me look like a job hopper. I’ve held a lot of different positions over the past four years – and it’s not my fault. I’ve worked at startups, moved, had health issues, and a lot of other issues that I would like to know how to handle appropriately in interviews so employers don’t see me that way.

So when it comes to dealing with this in interviews, I’ll volunteer to do something at some point. I wouldn’t start out by saying, “You know, I know my resume makes me look like a job hopper, but there’s a real reason for that.” You can wait until they ask those kinds of questions and then address them.

But I think you can do it simpler. When you’re talking about an organization that you’ve worked for, you can say, “You know, COVID was hard on this company. They closed three months after the lockdown. I found a remote position and worked for them for about seven months, and then they, you know, they also went through a hard time and laid me off and 14 other people.” So what you can do is address that when you’re talking about working at a specific company.

It’s not just what you say that matters; it’s what you say. How sincere you are is very important. So, remember: sincerity matters. This is part of the performance work you have to do during the interview so that they feel connected to you and trust you.

Because in addition to your skills, companies are more willing to trust you. No trust, no hiring. That’s the truth. So you have to come across as honest, serious, sincere – whatever words you want to use. That’s how you have to communicate to get them to trust you. Without belief, there is no hiring, no matter how good you are, because there will always be someone else with equal, same or similar skills and they don’t worry.

So one way to do that is to lower the sound. Slow down when you speak. This helps them connect with you and feel like you are trustworthy.

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