job hopper help

Kasandra · Aug 5, 2012

Do you have additional work experience on your resume?

I have read some articles that say not to bother putting down a place of employment of short duration. If you were to leave it off of your official resume, I would definitely be honest with HR and the nurse manager who you would be interviewing with. This is why: They do thorough background checks and confirm prior places of employment. When they look into your history, prior jobs do show up. If you were not to mention your short employment, it would give the hiring people cause to wonder why you would withheld this informaiton--they would wonder if you had something to hide, would contemplate what happened.

As someone who has had a couple of jobs in the past couple of years, I always mention prior places of employment so that any trust is maintained between myself and those interviewing me.

Tampa121 · Aug 5, 2012

Thanks Kasandra for replying. I spoke with my mentors from previous jobs, ICU,Homecare and they said leave it off because if I don't put it on they can't check it. Plus the HC company requires each potential emplyer pay a third party 20.00 for verification of employment. It's a double edge sword and I don't know what to do!! I think I should call a headhunter. When I resigned I stated I wanted to pursue stable employment for to return to school. I have my ASN and have been a nurse since 1974. So, age is a factor, too, as I just turned 60!

mikeicurn, ASN, RN · Aug 6, 2012

You might be able to leave it off your resume, but when you fill out applications they often want all time accounted for, and explainations for any gaps in employment. So you may have to address it then. You have a good reason for leaving, and the fact that you left and went to Florida just supports your reason for leaving.

Good luck,

kcmylorn · Aug 6, 2012

I was told to leave short term jobs off a resume also. I have to agree with Tampa. If you don't put it down on a job application, how can they check it?

I'm not far behind Tampa in age and received my ASN in 1980. I think our major hurddle is our age in this youth obsessed culture we have going on in this country right now. I've read places where they tell us older nurses to get new hip hair cuts and highlights in our hair. Next we'll be told to get the "bee sting lip look" like Goldie Hawn.

As for the gaps in employment- it's quite understandable that nurses stop and start their careers at different stages of the life cycle- raising kids, sick parents or other family members. That to me is common sense. I think these employers better start to respect that. If I sound a little angry, that because I am. I had an awful go around with a crackpot Nurse manager in a hospital where I was a perdeim at, over sharing the care of my elderly parent. This fine pillar of the nursing community sent me down to the nurse educator who proceeded to tell me to put my elderly mother in a nursing home- why? For the NM convinience, to be more accessable to the whims of the NM when she needed a nurse to come in and bail out her shift that was short staffed all the time, sh she could save money, score brownie points to the CEO and kiss corporate buttocks.

These perspective employers are not honest with us and play dirty pool all the way.

I have also read about doing temp positions and have been doing temp positions in this new employment climate. If I didn't work these temp positions, I would have lost my home 4 years ago. That's a long list of short term employment positions. I have also been questioned on interviews about them. I guess these hiring geniuses didn't get that memo, or can't read the newpapers. I guest we have to connect the dots for them- "this is my age group, no one is hiring my age group, 54% of my age group are unemployed, not old enough for social security, have to work, ......temp work. If I could get one permanant position that pays what I was making 4 years ago- I could get that blasted BSN that these employers are screaming for- like the newest trendy shade of lipstick. It's an expensive fad dreamed up by the ANA that the rest of the coffee clatch cats are swallowing. Sure I'll forego the wholes in my shower wall that leak into my living room and the leaking roof to spend thousands on a BSN sheepskin. Why not. To be told pure crap from a goupe of female hyinia simpletons- with their $300 Ann Taylor suits, coach bags and new cars who have never had to live like this. Then to listen to " education is gift you give yourself" The gift i'd like to give myself is a licenced, certified roofer and contractor who can fix the leaks in my house without screwing it up. So I can ditch this house, move out of this expensive crowded ignorant state and get out of nursing.it's like torture that never stops.

I'll stop now before I start saying what I real want to say about the hospital administration and nursing administration in this ridiculous country.

No, I wouldn't put a short term employment on my resume- it's just shooting yourself in the foot and at our age in nursing we have enough hurddles to go over with this current crap.

Tampa121 · Aug 6, 2012

Thank you-I agree with you 100%. To get my BSN will cost me 25k and I don't have that kind of money. So, I guess it has to be per diem and agency work! Yes, I'd love a facelift BUT can't afford that either! If you send me a private message i'll send u my resume, so you can take a look at it if you have the time. Many thanks for responding!