subject: 4 Steps for Minimizing Past Job Problems [print this page] 4 Steps for Minimizing Past Job Problems 4 Steps for Minimizing Past Job Problems
You are no angel when it comes to your past jobs. Perhaps you were fired, changed jobs often, haven't been in the workforce for a while, had some poor performance reviews, or a hundred other problems with past employers. Can you get the next job with your past? Yes.
Step #1: Identify Your Risks
What concerns a potential employer about your employment background? Identify all the risks you can think of. You can't deal with what you haven't thought through. Ask others who have hiring experience to identify problems or risks you bring to the table.
Had a lot of jobs? Had too few to show a breadth of experience? Not had any? Poor credit? Identify every risk that a potential employer might raise about your resume.
Step #2: Identify the Appropriate Frame
Ronald Reagan, during one of the presidential debates, responded to the risk of being too old by saying he "won't hold his opponents inexperience against him." He framed what could have been seen as a risk as something positive.
Not every risk can be framed in the positive. Let's say that your former employer fired you. If asked, they will let your new employer know that you are not eligible for rehire. And that's just the beginning. They talk to your former boss and find out things you'd rather they not know. There's no way to reframe that. So what do you do?
Step #3: Own Up and Move On
For those risks that can't be reframed, you must own up and let them know how you've moved on. Perhaps you were going through a divorce when you got fired. Let them know you took your eye off the ball and deserved to be let go during a time of personal turmoil. You are much more stable and look forward to driving the results that marked most of your career.
Step #4: Identify the Best Time to Deal With Risks
When do you either reframe or deal directly with them? For the most part, save dealing with risks for the interview. While you might be tempted to deal with your issues in your cover letter, save those for the face to face interview.
Step #5: Practice Speaking To Your Risks
If you aren't practicing interview questions prior to an interview, start now. And include in your practice talking through the risks you've identified. Make sure you are dealing with your risks with strong eye contact, relaxed voice tone, and in a way that shows confidence. That takes practice. Don't ruin an otherwise great opportunity just because you don't think you should practice.
Jim was a management consultant who had a rich background but also showed a pattern of changing jobs often, usually every 2 or 3 years. When asked about it, he admitted that it didn't look good, but then reframed it. "Sometimes I leave because of a merger or just keeping up with change. That's the nature of the corporate world we live in. And some moves were purely about learning and growing as a professional. But right now I'm in a place where I want to plant my flag for the next 10 years. And I'm hoping this just is the place to do that."
What was bad became a chance to resell himself as someone who had deep expertise, something they really wanted for the position they were hiring for. Don't freak out if you've got some issues on your resume. We all do. But the way you deal with will make all the difference.
