Should I omit my last job?

Question

I was laid off 2 years ago, went to work for a friend, (bad move)
and got fired.
I have over 25 years exp. in my field, always had good jobs.
I have had promising interviews but no offers. One person called me on the phone, we talked, she said she'd call me the next day after she had a better look at my resume. Never heard from her.
I think my prev. boss has something to do with it.
If I don't put that job on my resume, how do I explain almost 2 years of unemployment?

Answer 1

I worked in HR for about 10 years. You have a couple of options:

1. You can list the job but explain to the interviewer that it was a negative work situation and that you would like them to contact other past employers for references. Or, if there's someone else at your previous job who will be a reference for you, list that person rather than your friend. You can even put their cellphone or home number down as an alternative to the old work number. If your friend is the only other person, or the only one in a supervisory position at the old job, that may not be an option, but otherwise it's what I highly recommend.

Even if you can't find another reference but list the job, employers usually understand that some jobs just aren't good fits or that the issue isn't necessarily with the employee, particularly if the other references they obtain are good ones. With 25 years of experience and good prior references, you should be fine.

2. You can omit the job, but you need to be prepared to explain the time gap if someone asks. Did you pursue any education or training during that 2-year period? If so, I would list that in place of the last job. Most employers would just assume that you did that instead of holding down a job and won't ask if you had employment as well.

If you don't have something else to fill in, just leave it off (if that's what you decide to do) and hope for the best. Above all, don't make anything up, because if your potential or new employer finds out about it, you're pretty much toast.

Answer 2

You list the job but do not use your former employer/friend as a refernce. If the interviewer asks why you left the job, you simply tell the truth in an unbiased way. "I made a mistake. I went to work for a friend. < details > It didn't work out. I learned a hard lesson that you don't mix work with friends." When explaining what happened don't blame the former employer/friend but don't admit it was your fault either.

Most interviewers know that people have had bad work experiences. Why? Because they probably have. People get fired all the time but there are polite ways to get around admitting it was a firing. "It didn't work out" is a common one. Plus, avoiding who is to blame is key. A real warning sign to an interviewer is if you come out swinging at a former employer! Never do that. They interviewer wiill be suspicious you're the type who loves to blame others, i.e. a problem!

-- Liam