Employers cast a jaundiced eye on job candidates who spend their entire career hopping from job to job. But a short stint with a company is not necessarily a reflection of immaturity or instability. There may be a perfectly understandable explanation for why the individual stayed for such a brief period. How do you explain the "cup of coffee" job to recruiters and prospective employers?

QUESTION

Here's a question ExecuNet recently received from one of its members:

"My 25-plus-year career has been highlighted by consistency, accomplishments, increasing responsibility and longevity. In 2007, I joined an organization and it turned out to be a bad situation. This is an organization with an extremely high turnover (more than 80% in less than 18 months) and a host of 'issues.' I stayed only eight months. The employer and I agreed that 'it wasn't a good fit' and we should go our separate ways.

"In interviews, I take the high road and focus on my accomplishments. And I am proud of what I accomplished during my brief tenure. In most cases, the experience with that company doesn't take up much of the interview. But I had a recent conversation in which a recruiter kept digging and digging.

"Since this was my most recent job and the tenure was very brief, how do I explain this while continuing to take the high road?"

ANSWER

Here's how ExecuNet "career coach" Louise Kursmark answered the question:

It sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing - emphasizing your accomplishments and briefly explaining the reason for leaving. For the recruiter (or others) who keeps pushing, here are some options:

Push back a bit. "I can see you want to know more, but quite frankly there isn't a lot to tell. I took the job because of its interesting challenges, and I'm proud of what I accomplished. If you check my references, you'll get a very consistent story of my work there. The fit wasn't quite right and for that I take some accountability. It makes me want to find another opportunity that's just as interesting but a better fit for [something about you]. The position you've described seems to be that but, of course, I'll need to find out a lot more about the company, the senior executives and their leadership style, the business strategy before making a decision."

Be frank about the bad fit, without damaging yourself. The trick is to say something positive about yourself without saying anything directly negative about the company. "I've mentioned that it wasn't the best fit. When I took the job I was overly optimistic that my ability to get results would make up for the very different leadership style that I use. I prefer an open, supportive, collaborative environment, and in the end this just didn't mesh with the company culture."

Ask what he's looking for. "I can see that you want more details, but frankly there isn't much more to tell. I can give you details of my work there, and a bit of insight into why the tenure was so short, but beyond that I'm not sure what to tell you. What exactly do you want to know?"

Conclusion

In sum, if you had a brief and unsuccessful stint with an employer, emphasize the positive aspects of the experience. Point out what you learned. Be frank about why it didn't work out. Above all, make sure you don't bad mouth the company or the people you worked with.

Wishing you career success,
Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet, www.execunet.com

TOP 10

Procrustes: Would have been a lousy resume writer

Resume Mistakes

By Glenn Demby

Resume writing is one part art and one part science. The art part is distilling a career's worth of accomplishment and personal qualities into a few sheets of paper. The science part is avoiding mistakes. Here are the 10 most common resume mistakes, according to Monster.Com.

1. Typos & Grammatical Errors

Nothing says "this guy is sloppy" or "this gal doesn't care" like a misspelled word or incorrect punctuation.

2. Lack of Specifics

The details aren't just filler. They bring your story to life and communicate your accomplishments.

3. One-Size-Fits-All

Although the essentials don't change, you must tailor each resume to the position you're seeking.

4. Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments

Employers are more interested in your achievements than a job description.

5. Going Too Long or Too Short

Did you ever hear of Procrustes? He was this guy from Greek mythology who had a bed that he would make his guests lie on. Procrustes was pretty particular about fitting the bed to the guest. If the guest was too tall for the bed, he'd chop off his legs; if he was too short, he'd pull out his rack and stretch the guy out to the proper length. Don't treat your resume like a procrustean bed. Say what you need to say and tailor the length accordingly.

6. A Bad Objective

The objective statement at the top of the resume shouldn't be generic. "Seeking a responsible position that will enable me to grow" doesn't cut it. But don't err in the other direction. "Seeking a managerial safety position in a large corporate setting" won't work if you're trying to hook on with a small construction firm.

7. Lack of Action Verbs

Describe yourself acting. "Responsible for" is much less effective than "managed," "ran" or "accomplished."

8. Omitting Important Information

Monster's advice: Mention those "soft jobs" like the position you took to earn extra money in school because they might prove more influential than you think.

9. Visual Overkill

Go easy on the fonts. Pick the one you like and stick to it.

10. Incorrect Contact Information

It may seem obvious, but make sure you list your phone and e mail accurately. Ditto for the contact information for your references.

SOURCE: Monster.Com

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