As we know, having a job is a great way to show off your career skills and achievements. It also gives you a sense of purpose and self-value as someone who has something they can showcase.
But with all those jobs come negatives, like poor bosses that may run down or take credit for your work, or colleagues that lack respect and are not supportive. These types of employers do not help you grow professionally and contribute little to the workplace culture.
It is very common to feel discouraged after leaving a bad job, but instead of letting these experiences weigh you down, use them to motivate you to find a new position.
Beware though, while it is okay to include past losses on your resume, only add positions that are one year old or older. More recent losses won’t convey much information other than that you have had some tough luck.
Calculate how much it'll hurt your resume
Even if you are confident in your skills, putting a job on your resume that you feel is not worthy of inclusion can be detrimental to your career.
Many employers look at resumes for clues about whether or not they should hire an applicant. If there's something on the resume that clearly shows that you did not perform well during the past few months, then it may negatively affect your chances of being considered for employment.
It could also prove to be difficult to find work as soon as possible after posting a bad job on your resume. Many employers evaluate candidates within the next two weeks, and waiting to remove a poor performance entry until later could cost you dearly.
If you have to include a bad job on your resume, then try to downplay its importance. Don't say too much about why you left, nor mention who else was involved in the process. Simply mentioning what changes needed to be made will help mitigate the damage.
Be honest
Even if it may not be in your best interest, you should never lie on a job application. If a question is clearly illegal or unethical, omit that information and look for another position.
If you are asked about an arrest record, say yes, but make sure to also include the reason why you were arrested and what action you took towards rectifying the situation.
Never give false personal details like where you work or who hired you for previous positions. If you get too detailed, you may expose something you don’t want people to know about you.
In today’s digital era, most employers check references at least twice before hiring someone. By lying on your reference, you could hurt your future employment opportunities.
It is totally acceptable to refer friends and family members as witnesses to help bolster your credibility, but do not advertise the fake name you used to describe them unless you have their permission to do so.
By telling the absolute truth on your applications, you will only strengthen your chance of being accepted into a new position.
About your current job
Even if you are currently employed, it is not always ideal to list your current position as an additional qualification on your resume. This is called listing your “bad job” on your resume!
Many employers look with skepticism at applicants who include this information on their resumes. They believe that people seeking employment should be trying to find new positions, not confirming that they can fulfill what has already been offered.
It also looks like some of these individuals may not have invested much energy in keeping their previous position. If this is the case, then why would anyone hire them?
The importance of having a good work history cannot be stressed enough when looking for employment. It is very difficult to win over potential employers without one.
Try to learn from the experience
As we mentioned before, even if you are in a position that seems like it could not get any worse, putting up a bad job on your resume may still not be a good idea.
It may feel tempting to put something aside until you find better opportunities, but this isn’t the right way to do things.
By having a poor work history, you run the risk of hurting yourself long term. You will limit your career possibilities, and it can cost you money in terms of lost wages and benefits.
In fact, according to a survey conducted by The Bureau of Labor Statistics, one out of every five people who had employment changes within the past year did so because they were unable to find suitable work due to deficient skills or lack of appropriate credentials.
So how should you handle a bad job? There are several ways to approach it.
First, make sure to take time off for the shift. A week at least. Then, assess whether it was your fault, or if there are other reasons for the downfall. If possible, look into why it happened and what you can do to prevent such mistakes in the future.
Look at the positive aspects
A recent career downfall is often a good thing for your career. It may even be necessary to survive as an employee. Having a failure as a leader, or manager, you need to learn from it and improve!
If there’s one thing we can say about successful people it’s that they are self-aware and know what makes them succeed.
They recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and work to strengthen the ones that aren’t as strong. In other words, they are aware of how to fix themselves.
That's why it is so important to look at the negative parts of your job as a person leading others. If you're not sure if that's the case, then maybe you should consider putting more focus on developing these leadership skills.
It could help you find new employment or keep current jobs longer than expected. So, take some time to evaluate whether having a failed stint as a leader was worth it before deciding whether to drop "Manager" off of your resume.
