How to Answer Why Have You Had So Many Jobs

How to Answer Why Have You Had So Many JobsYoure sitting in the interview, and things are going fine, when the hiring manager looks up from your resume, eyebrow raised, and asks the question youve been dreading Youve had an awful lot of jobs, havent you? Can you walk me through that? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) DO understand why this is a potential red flag.You probably had reasons for every job switch on your resume. The interviewer doesnt know thatall he or she knows is whats printed in black and white on that fancy cream-colored stock. He or she doesnt know if youve been fired from every punkt youve ever held, or if youre a serial quitter when a shinier new opportunity comes along. Before they can hire you, they need to get a solid sense of your employment history to help determine whether youre a good bet for this company. If you look like a flight risk, the company might not be willing to make that investment in you.DONT assume this makes you look bad by default.The fact that the interviewer is calling attention to your, uh, varied history is not meant to make you feel ashamed, like some kind of job floozy. If youre asked to clarify (or even just given an opening to do so), take a deep breath and make sure you have an elevator pitch-style explanation.DO make sure you have context for all of it.A shoulder shrug or a long, awkward pause is the least helpful response you can give here. Be prepared to talk about why you have a variety of jobs listed over a short(ish) amount of time.DONT make stuff up.If youre asked about the jobs youve listed on your resume, be honest. You dont have to give every gory detail about why you left a particular job, but if you stick to the broad outlines you should be okay. For example I welches let go due to a company restructuring at XYZ Corp, and it wasnt until I landed at the Elite Agency the following year that I felt like I was back on track, professionally.Its okay to admit that you left jobs in the past because they werent a great fit for your professional goals, but be sure to reiterate that you see this current opportunity as having long-term potential.DO consider revising your resume to edit out some job change details.Do you really need every single one of your jobs on there? If you have entries on your resume that lasted less than a year, think about whether that job really adds relevance to your history. If youre not using anyone from that job as a reference and it wasnt a major cornerstone of your relevant experience, then consider dropping it.For example, this block of your resumeEdgy.com Marketing Coordinator, March 2010 February 2012 Whirlwind Inc. Marketing Coordinator, February 2012 November 2012 MakeAMatch.com Social Media Director, November 2012 June 2014could be narrowed down to thisEdgy.com Marketing Coordinator, 2010 2012 MakeAMatch.com Social Media Director, 2012 2014This way, youve smoothed over an interim job that looks like a n odd blip, without leaving a gap. This can also avoid awkward explanations about why you left that middle job so soon.If this question comes up in your interview, take heartits not necessarily a dealbreaker. Its a conversational opening to give context and explain how those jobs turned you into the stellar candidate you are today.