Navigating Resume Gaps: Should I Include My Brief Job Experience or Explain It?

Hi, I am a 2015 graduate and have been working for a company for the past 2 years. Prior to that, I worked for 11 months in a company where I was selected on campus as a fresher. I had to leave that company abruptly due to some genuine personal reasons. Nine months after leaving, I was fortunate to receive another opportunity in a different company as a fresher, where I am currently employed.

Considering a Job Switch

Now, I am considering a job switch, but I am unsure whether to include the experience of leaving the previous company in my resume. If I do decide to include it, I can explain the genuine reasons behind my departure to the HR. However, I would appreciate your advice on whether I should include this information. If not, how should I address the gap in my career when questioned about it during interviews?

Thank you for your guidance.

Hi,

I would suggest improving how you present your first employment details on your resume. You mentioned that you absconded due to genuine reasons. If you omit your first employment details, there will be a gap of 11 months plus 9 months, totaling 1.8 years after your graduation.

Hi Lakshminarayanan,

Thank you for your information. I would like to add a point here. I would add my previous experience in my resume. In that case, can I claim my total experience as 2 years and 11 months when applying for jobs and try for the same level jobs?

I think nowadays human resources managers have time to listen to reasons, which does not bother them at all. I believe absconding from an employer will definitely affect your interview and might give the impression that you do not have stability. I suggest you do not disclose to your potential employer that you have been absconding.

You can showcase your experience from previous employers by providing an experience or relieving letter. You may encounter issues if your current employer requests you to submit this documentation.

Hi there,

Here are my views: You really should showcase your experience and inform the HR during the interview itself. Nowadays, all employments are subject to verification. If they discover it later, you will definitely be in trouble.

HR professionals are human too, and they understand genuine reasons. Be honest and go for it.

Thanks,
Mansi

If the reason for absconding is genuine, you have an option to appeal against the dismissal at your first organization. In the inquiry that follows, if it is established that the reason is genuine, the company may settle for a notice period recovery and release your relieving letter. This way, you can list the experience as valid on your resume.

When an employee absconds, the company can only dismiss the employee, not terminate him/her, because the exit decision has been taken ex-parte or in the absence of the employee in the company inquiry. Therefore, at any point in time, the employee can appeal for a reversal of the dismissal on the grounds that he/she was not part of the inquiry.

However, this should be done only if you are fully convinced that your reason for absconding is completely justified. If not, it's better not to mention the experience on your resume. As the gap is right after your education, you can always say that you were preparing to proceed for higher studies and therefore studying for entrance exams. Many students do this, where they skip a year to write a series of entrance exams for prestigious universities. Later, they may change their minds and proceed to immediate employment.

Hi,

Firstly, absconding is not a good practice in any company. Whatever the reason for being absent, you need to provide an honest explanation for it. If your reason is indeed genuine, the interviewer will likely understand and accept it.

Regards,
P. Packiaraj

I joined as a fresher in a company for 3 months. After 3 months, I left the company due to a problem with the Team Leader. Can I add this experience to my CV? If yes, how should I address this during an interview?

Thank you for the information. However, no HR professional that I have contacted seems to show any humanity. After this realization, I received calls from a few company HR representatives, where unfortunately I lost a confirmed offer during the background verification process, even though I had explained my situation to them multiple times from the start. Many of them are unwilling to even consider scheduling an interview, and some are unwilling to listen to my explanation for the actions I took. As a result, I have decided to remove that particular experience from my resume. I have learned from this experience that sometimes it is better to conceal certain details rather than being completely transparent.

I would also like to mention that while you come across as very honest, nowadays, many HR professionals (not all) are more focused on enforcing company policies on employees rather than managing resources effectively, regardless of the individual's circumstances.

Background Check Challenges with Gap Experience

After background checks, some HR professionals may not consider gap experience due to a lack of document evidence. In my case, I initially worked for a small company during the recession in 2008 and quit after 1.5 years. Then, I worked for another small but reputed company for 5 years. Later, when I was selected in an HCL interview, after the background check, HR informed me that my first company's 1.5 years of experience would not be considered since its information is not available with NASSCOM (the first small company closed after some years). As a result, HR only considered my 5 years as my total experience, not 6.5 years, and salary negotiation happened accordingly.

First of all, why abscond? You have the right to properly resign from any company. It is important to maintain a good attitude throughout this process. When it comes to your experience, you can mention it very well.

Ensure there is a single line break between paragraphs.

This is absurd. Candidates who are qualified enough to understand what it means to be absconded. No company would accept such behavior. There is always a procedure to leave the company.

However, there can be reasons to abscond too, but that period of absence is not an experience. Hence, not advisable to mention in CV.