I could use some advice on my resume

So I don't think I need to get too far into this unless you guys are REALLY bored...

Due to only recently getting a computer I have no copy of my resume and I need to remake it (that is the easy part). Anywho... the MAIN reason I am leaving my job is due to a very abusive work environment regarding my boss. I have gotten to the point where it is very hard for me not to "kick up dust" on daily basis and if I do not leave soon I will have to put "FIRED" as my reason for leaving this job. That doesn't sound as good to me as voluntarily leaving...

ONTO THE QUESTION: What would be an acceptable way to phrase my reason for leaving this job? I do not want anyone looking at resume to not call me for an interview because they think I am a candy a$$ or difficult to work with, this is not the case and pretty much very opposite of who I am and how I conduct myself. Unfortunately, many people who are insecure with themselves mistake kindness for weakness and if you keep stuffing it down they just grow more and more intolerable which after 3 years has become the case.

SECOND PART TO MY QUESTION (preferably answered by an employer): When asked during an interview about why I left this job, what should I NOT say?

This was a lot longer of a post than I thought it would be but thank you very much to anyone who got through it and can assist me!

H-ost said:

SECOND PART TO MY QUESTION (preferably answered by an employer): When asked during an interview about why I left this job, what should I NOT say?

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Do not tell an interviewer that you're leaving your current job because you do not get along with your boss or you have personality conflicts with the management. Seriously.

H,
First off, I would recommend looking for a new job while you deal with the pain that is your current job. Suck it up, play nice, collect your check and search for a new job. It would be silly to leave money on the table in these times.

As to what to say during an interview, I would try to redirect the "why are you leaving" questions to be more focused on what you are would look forward to in the role you are discussing rather than what sucked at your current job?

Something like "I have appreciated the opportunities XYZ Company provided me, but I really am looking for a more positive work environment. From what you have said and what I have seen online, your company really seems like a place to work".

As someone who has interviewed and hired a bunch of people, do NOT go too deep into what sucks about your current role... Honestly, the only reason we ask the question is to see how bitter you may be and how unable to tolerate annoying things you might be. I think there are very few jobs that don't have these annoyances and that is why we probe. Stay positive, focus on how excited you are in the opportunity you are interviewing for and try not to talk bad about anyone or anything.

Hope this helps.

Good advice above, +1. Venting is a HUGE turnoff to an interviewer. They don't give a rip about your bad boss...they want to know what you bring them.

Save the venting for us here at HBT; we're happy to listen

EDIT.. man you guys are fast!

Both questions same answer. Although you enjoy your current job and the people you work with, there is little opportunity for advancement.

Unless you've already quit before submitting the resume, I wouldn't mention it at all. And maybe not even then, depending on how long between the two. When it comes up at the interview (and it will), depending on the type of position you're applying for, you could say it was a lack of promotion opportunity or be honest and tell them it was a "non-productive" work environment.

Whatever you do don't tell them your previous boss was an a**hat (although my mother DID land a job once that way). Don't single out any one person to "put the blame" on. The hostility is mutual, and they will know it.

Also, try not to use such platitudes as "new horizons", "personal growth", or "varied experience". Be forthright while trying to demonstrate how you can be an asset to them.

And lastly, don't volunteer information. Answer questions truthfully and fully, but don't spend their time telling them things they don't need (or want) to hear. (This lost me more than one job)

Tell them you got caught in bed with the boss's wife. He lost it, beat you both up, got jailed and fired. Then tell them it feels a little awkward around work lately. Tell them you dont get it. It wasn't you who was doing the cheating.

This works for both a male and female potential employer. But if its female, be sure to give her a little eyebrow lift and smile after.

Look for things in the new company you think you will like. You know, the reasons why you want to work there aside from your present job sucking. Don't answer the question as 'why are you leaving the old company', answer it as 'why you are coming aboard to the new company'.

The less you can say about your feelings for the old company the better. You can talk about how you liked the work without mentioning the relations.

Dan said:

EDIT.. man you guys are fast!

Both questions same answer. Although you enjoy your current job and the people you work with, there is little opportunity for advancement.

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This response actually turns me off when I am interviewing someone. While I know it is not a universal truth, I feel that it is up to the me to progress my own career not my boss. It is not my job to completely lay out a yellow brick road to promotions. You have to earn it.

Now I am venting! Just my two cents.

Don't put anything at all about a reason for leaving. In fact, there really is no reason to put a reason for leaving any job on a resume unless it is to explain something else that could be construed as negative, such as a long gap in employment history or a short time in a job. Only discuss your accomplishments in a given position. Your resume should highlight only your strengths and make you look as good as possible to a prospective employer. The sole purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. If you do get an interview, your reason for leaving may come up. At which point you can say something like, "The organization has gone through a series of changes recently, and although have adapted to the change, I feel that the direction the company is going isn't a good fit for me anymore." And have a couple of simple examples highlighting some things that have changed (e.g. role has changed in a was that doesn't allow you to fully utilize your skills or the company structure has changed and your role has become unclear or whatever). I assume something has changed to make the situation particularly insufferable. Even if it hasn't, it's a plausible, but somewhat vague excuse. Whatever you do just don't straight out bad mouth your boss or your current company, unless the guy interviewing you really wants to know and won't let it go. Then just tactfully say that you and your boss no longer see eye to eye on the direction your team should be going.

Try not to use the F word. Some companies frown on that.

I very much appreciate both of your responses.

@Darwin: I figured that would be a big turn off, thank you for reaffirming.

@Gav: Thank you for your input from "the other side". I agree that no job is perfect and there will always be BS you have to deal with. I have a thick enough skin that, to people who know me, know if I am angry/upset/pissed off there is a damn good reason but thick skin just isn't enough anymore.

Once this resume gets written up I will be shotgunning it out to possible employers but this week I was very close to screwing myself over.

(I work in a warehouse)
Just a little background if you care to read it... In the 3 years of me working there I have replaced and taken on the responsibilities two people because of the work/effort I put forth. One of them was there for 2 years before me and the other almost 1 year (4 people down to 2 just two doing the work) don't get me started on how much I do vs the other guy who remains... Even with the extra workload he continues to add to my list of duties with things regarding his house and hobbies. Examples; I have painted his garage, weeded his entire property, removed a tree and subsequent stump, at least 2 days a week sort and clean bullet casings for him/his friends/the local PD (which he is in good with), assembled a shed, and most recently I am building a greenhouse. All of this I have done for no extra pay but during work hours... AND I STILL COMPLETE ALL OF MY DAILY REAL WORK. So when he tells me that I am "lazy" or "not doing anything" or like today he stopped me on the way to the confirm an order with the salesman who wrote it he interrupted what I was saying to the salesman to say "shut up, go back and pretend to work" it is extremely offensive. I highly pride myself on how hard I work due to how I was raised so that on it's own pisses me off but the daily barrage of unwarranted insults and personal attacks have finally gotten to me. He has also continued to throw my girlfriend in with his insults, the first time I told him it was unacceptable, the second time (a few months later) was rude enough that I told him to go f*** himself (that was a close one), this monday he said something again about her and I said screw you (this last one may have gotten me very close to termination). Throw whatever insults you want at me but blatantly call me out for things that aren't true or insult bring anyone I care about into it then I get very red very quick... Oh and the first year I worked there he fired the primary bread winner of a family two weeks before christmas and spent a good 20 min laughing his a$$ off about it, no lie... This guy is a jackass

Damnit, now it turned into a rant....

.... you guys ARE fast

I was reviewing CV's for an R&D position once and someone had put "I had to leave my current employer as some of my products were too innovative."

Needless to say that his CV went in the bin.

(I live in the UK, so things might be different in the US)
I would never put a reason for leaving on a Resume. It instantly comes over as bad. If you are handing out a Resume then they already know you have a reason. If an interviewer asks a question about why you have left/are leaving then it depends.

If you are looking for a job whilst in a job: If you can stomach it I would suggest that you basically say that whilst you enjoy working for your current employer, that you feel that you have reached the limit of personal development with them. Whilst you still like your job, you feel that by finding new responsibilities you can offer better value to your employer and unfortunately the oppertunity does not exist with your current employer. If it were possible for you to stay with your current employer you absolutely would.

I'd also emphasise that the decision isn't an easy one to make as you've been working there for 3 years and you've built up some strong personal relationships with the other employees and made genuine friends there.

I realise that the last part might not be 100% accurate, but it suggests that you are loyal to the company and the the people who work there and you get on with people. It also suggests that whilst you do want to develop your skillls and have ambition, that you are loyal to the company as well.

As others have said, no reason to put why you left a company on your resume. An interviewer will probably ask why you're leaving this job. They know you're going to give a polished answer so you should give them the polished answer.

A safe bet is always to say that you have exhausted your opportunities for growth with the company. It's vague corporatespeak that either means you can't get promoted, the business sucks, or there just aren't opportunities. If you never received a promotion that can telegraph you couldn't get yourself promoted so it may not be your best option. Instead you might say that you never found a promotion opportunity that was a good fit for your skills and explain why this new position would be a better fit.

If you're moving from a company with a poor reputation to a company with a better reputation you can say you're leaving the old employer because the company has a bad corporate culture (i.e. doesn't encourage people to do their best, doesn't treat customers with respect, etc.) but you know new employer has a better culture -- and give reasons. This is risky; if you're moving from one company to another where new company's management may have come from the old employer or have strong ties with the old employer or considers the old employer to be a reputable competitor/business then they may take that to mean something is wrong with you instead. It can be a really powerful opportunity to show something positive about yourself, you know something about the new employer and you can butter them up a bit, but if it blows up it blows up bad.

I've read about 400 to 500 resumes in the past 10 years and have done a decent amount of hiring in the IT space. First, I can't recall ever seeing a resume with a reason for leaving a position. That is not required or expected there.

I don't generally ask why some left a job unless I see signs or red flags that there might be personality issues. These (for me) include griping, complaining, venting, talking negatively about a past job or coworkers... While all might be legit, I have no way knowing whether the individual was a Saint in a horrible environment or the one causing the problems. Hearing negativity in a job interview, when you should be on your absolute best behavior, raises a flag for me. It is plausible that that attitude will be dragged right onto my team. It's also possible that if that person i just hired develops an issue with someone on our staff, they may just bail again for perceived greener pastures.

If asked in an interview and you haven't left your job, something simple like "I enjoy the job and my coworkers and I do a lot of important work, but I'm hoping to find something more challenging and with more responsibility." Or whatever it is that you can articulate that the new employer can provide that is more appealing than your current role.

If you are out of work, "I left because my role was eliminated" (i.e., a layoff rather than a firing) is a simple answer and the interview will move on, but don't outright lie. You might have to say something like, "I left because I didn't like the direction of my role. Let me help you understand what I mean, a few coworkers left and were not back filled, their tasks fell to me, and I picked up that work and responsibility and did well. When I approached my manager about the hours and added responsibilities they seemed indifferent, and I felt like I was in a situation that was getting progressively more difficult with no indication that it would improve. So I took a difficult step and decided to move on."

Just gotta be careful with a message like that, and anticipate follow up questions; where the hours difficult? Did you attempt to delegate any of that work to other coworkers?

Sorry, long answer but I've been thru this with individuals I have interviewed. Nothing turns things off faster than hearing someone complain about a boss or coworkers. Very few people are in a position where they can choose their coworkers, if you couldn't get along at the last job, I might suspect you'll have the same issue on my team.

Thank you for your input.

Let me back up and mention that I DO understand I do not need to put my reason for leaving on my resume, I confused two terms (resume and application). That being said, just about every APPLICATION requires you to put a reason for leaving. From what you all are saying though, it sounds like I should do my best to avoid the whole situation regarding my work environment here and come up with something more believable/positive sounding.

Thanks for all your responses! It has been a good few years since I have needed to find a new job. I kinda walked into this one and started working for 6 days before I finally met the owner and manager. Anywho, I have always been able to handle myself in an interview but I just have never had to deal with this certain situation. Now I know to just avoid it, thanks again!

I would state that the reason I am leaving my current position is that I feel I am not being utilized to my full potential in my current position. Also that I need to be challenged more to achieve job satisfaction. Leaving to maximize personal growth is better that leaving because of a negative situation. You could state that you had peaked in your professional development in that position and it was in the best interest of your former company and your self that you reach for a more challenging position. Also state that while your former position was good and it enhanced your particular skill set, it was time to pursue a more "progressive " company that would encourage "out of the box" thinking and promote employees to operate in a higher level of autonomous performance. Disclaimer... I do have few brews on board...

Beer must make you psychic because...

Pdazbrew said:

Also state that while your former position was good and it enhanced your particular skill set, it was time to pursue a more "progressive " company that would encourage "out of the box" thinking and promote employees to operate in a higher level of autonomous performance. Disclaimer... I do have few brews on board...

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...sounds very much like what I am looking for.
Yes I have a lot of work to do at my current job, I like that, I need to be challenged and kept busy. I cannot be content with twiddling my thumbs while I am on someone else's time, it is just wrong to me. Sadly, there really is no possibility for advancement or pay raise because the only position I could move up to would be sales. Although I have 3 years of sales experience the owner requires a minimum of 15 years of commission sales ecperience. My boss claims that anyone can move up to sales but in the 15 years he has owned the company not one person has received a promotion, he used to give yearly raises but that ended 6 years ago... I really need to get out of here...