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Uh oh, I took the wrong job

By Joan Lloyd
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Q: I recently made a job change. After the first month, I have realized that making this change was a mistake and I am ready to begin a job search again. My employment history is six years in my last job, and ten in the previous job. All have been in the same field.
This job is in the IT industry. This company is 20 years behind current technology, the people are not friendly and I don't see this job turning into what my expectations were. How do I address this situation on my resumé and during the interview? I haven't been there long enough to even have roles and responsibilities to put on my resumé. Please advise.

A: Don't sweat this one. With your past longevity in jobs and your consistent history in the same field, you can explain this fairly easily. Don't belabor it. On your resumé, you can skip it altogether (since you've been there such a short period of time). Where you list dates of employment for each company, use years instead of specific months/ years. The few months you've been away from your old job won't show up and you may not even want to discuss this job at all.

On the other hand, you may feel more comfortable listing exact dates and jobs. You will surely be asked why you want to leave after such a short time. In response, say something such as, "The job was not what I expected it would be. The technology is 20 years old and I was under the impression that this would be a career move that would allow me to grow on my job." Enough said. You don't need to go into detail about the climate or people.
Let your cover letter sell your strengths and don't go into detail about why you are leaving. That is better left for the interview.

Company: Joan Lloyd & Associates, Inc.
Email: info@joanlloyd.com
Website: http://joanlloyd.com/

Joan Lloyd is a Milwaukee based executive coach and organizational & leadership development strategist. She is known for her ability to help leaders and their teams achieve measurable, lasting improvements. Her firm, Joan Lloyd & Associates, specializes in leadership development, organizational change and teambuilding, providing: CEO, executive & team coaching, 360-degree feedback processes, customized training (leadership skills, presentation skills, internal consulting skills & facilitation skills for HR Professionals) conflict resolution between teams or individuals and retreat facilitation. Clients report results such as: behavior change in leaders, improved team performance and a more committed workforce. Email Joan your question, to consider for publication. Visit the article article archive on her website with more than 1400 of her articles or her online store for management, career & job hunting tools.
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