#jobsearch #failedprobation #newjob #resumetips
Hey everyone 👋 So, I recently found myself in a bit of a pickle – I got let go from my job during my probation period 😬 Now I’m on the hunt for a new job and I’m not quite sure how to navigate this bump in the road.
Here are a few things I’m pondering:
– Should I include this experience on my resume?
– What should I say when asked why I left after only 4 months?
– Has anyone else been through something similar and how did you handle it?
I’m open to any and all advice or personal anecdotes! Let’s help each other out in this tricky situation 🤝 Thanks in advance! 🙏
It’s funny, I work in Upper management in IT and have recruited a few times, you would be astounded at how common short tenures are, it almost desensitises you as an interviewer, experience is experience and you can play that however you want! As has been mentioned already just say it wasn’t for you yada yada but also talk about what you got out of it and learned from the experience, professionally and personally.
Sorry that happened to you it must be crap. But don’t get discouraged 🙂 it happens and you’ll be okay!
Good luck
I would put it in yoru experience and say you left for cultural fit, make something up like “My manager left and the new path didn’t suit my career”
I passed probation (3months) and quit the following week. So a 3 month period on my resume was bad, right? Well, not really. You don’t need to tell anyone that you didn’t make probation, just say the job wasn’t for you (or some other reason). Also, on your resume instead of saying month 2024 to month 2024, just say you worked the job in 2024. Then it could be anywhere from 1 day to 1 year!
I have never had people question me why I have had short tenures of employment before.
You just tell them you are looking for something bigger and better. If they press then you say the job turned out to be not aligned with your skill sets and then proceed to explain how the job you’re applying for is.
Alternatively leave it off the resume entirely. Just say you were caring for sick family/on holiday during this time instead. Usually gets a head nod and the question is dropped entirely.
I failed probation once. Came as a shock to both my boss and co workers haha. New GM wanted to bring in nepo hires but didn’t have the budget. So she made room…
It sucks but it is what it is. Try and get co workers or senior people from other departments as a reference, even if it’s just a character reference. In my experience it didn’t have too much impact on getting a new job, I had references from the company and just said that leadership decided to go in a different direction regarding their staff makeup and I had no place in that.
Focus on the skills you gained through the experience and highlight that over anything else.
Same happened to me recently. I just said I went travelling with the fam for 3 months.
I feel like there’s a tonne of bad advice in here… just be honest about the situation.
Being deceitful / dishonest during the recruitment process is easily identifiable & you want to start your next employment off on the right foot.
You turned up, did your job & enjoyed your time working for that company but untimely they decided to go in a different direction.
I don’t believe this will close any doors for you but getting caught out being dishonest definitely will.
Just say it was a 4 month contract and you have better references from longer term jobs
You actually just worked a four month contract role now.
This happened to someone in my family.
Rewrote their resume and did NOT include that job. Explained they took a nice break, helped their mum sell her house, and took their time to think about what they wanted next. All this is actually true but they did it while working a 15 hr a week job.
I have personally quit a role after 3 and 5 months in the past. I explained the 3 months was a contract job and 5 months role just was not the right fit for me and I wanted more of a challenge and an environment where I could have more room to move up or around in.
I always tell people, you can be honest and word it in a way such as:
“In my previous role, I faced some challenges during the probation period, which ultimately led to not passing it. While the outcome wasn’t what I had hoped for, it provided me with valuable insights into areas where I can improve. I am now more focused on ensuring a better fit between my skills and the job requirements, and I’m excited to apply the lessons I’ve learned to new opportunities. I’m eager to bring my experience and dedication to a role that aligns more closely with my strengths and career goals.”
Or you can just put down 2024 – 2024 for the year without putting the months because it’s not their business. Putting the years creates that sense of longevity.
They won’t ask for a reference. References are chosen by you, not the prospective employer.
There is nothing wrong with short tenures, doesn’t matter whether you were fired or quit unless certain circumstances. If the position requires a security clearance, you will have to provide reasons for ending employment with employers from the last 5 years, I know of many people who’ve lied on this and they didn’t get caught. Your employer may also specifically request a reference from that specific job. This is extremely rare and if it does happen, just get someone to impersonate. In the super rare instance that the recruiting manager realises its a fake and doesn’t get you the job, oh well probably wouldn’t of worked out anyway.
I’ve seen plenty of people hired on short term contracts that were never going to be renewed.
Just say it was a 4 month contract position and you left when the contract ended. They’re not going to follow up on that, because these days it’s pretty common.
Just explain it away as a short term contract.
Is not passing probation common?
I’ve never known anyone to not pass a probation period
Did you get any feedback? Is it valid feedback?
How are you going to learn from it and build yourself up?
Also, maybe the company was making cuts and you were the last hired person. Plausible reason to leave and not use them as a reference.
But my parting comment is try to learn from it too. Good luck!
I’ve been in similar position, got let go after 6 months (didn’t pass probation).
Told everyone that the company wasn’t for me (not untrue) and worked with a recruiter to help place me into a role. Focus was on culture which was lacking at first company, they helped me get placed somewhere that put culture first which has been awesome. I’ve now been there 5 years with 2 promotions.
This isn’t the end of the world!