New Job on Your Resume — Here’s What You Need to Know

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It’s a good rule of thumb to always keep your resume updated and this includes right after you start a new job.

Generally, longer job experiences are preferred on a resume, but this isn’t possible with a new job.

This bears the question: should you include a new job that you just started on a resume? 

 

Should I Put a New Job on my Resume?

It is not advisable to include a job you just started on your resume. For jobs lasting shorter than one month, it is always best to leave them off. For jobs longer than one month, you could leave it on if it is relevant. Someone who is leaving a job so soon may be a red flag to a potential employer, so tread carefully.

If it has been a short time since you began your previous job and you are already looking for a new one, you should be aware how this may come off to a new employer.

Whether you should include this job you just started depends on your intentions and your reason for leaving the job.

One of the first questions you will be asked upon interview will be ‘why are you leaving your current job so soon?’, so be sure to have a suitable answer.

If the reason is easily understood such as better income opportunities, a new location due to moving, or a closer commute, you are probably safe to say so.

If your reasons are more complex such as not fitting in, not enjoying the work, or other less straightforward answers, it is usually best to not include that job on your resume at all. 

There are plenty of other things you can put on a resume that will impress an employer, so don’t feel forced to include a job you just started if things aren’t working out.

Here is an easy list of reasons for including the job, and reasons against:

For:

• You have an easily understood reason such as relocation, dislocation, or starting a family
• You do not have many work experiences to include
• The new job is very relevant to the desired job
• The new job is particularly impressive

Against:

• You have been working at the new job for one-month or shorter
• The job is irrelevant to the desired job
• You are leaving due to disagreements or misunderstandings at work
• You already have a robust working history

If you have a robust job history and can afford to leave the job off of the resume, the safest bet is to do so.

Temporary jobs on a resume or jobs that are very short term such as one-month jobs may insinuate that you have trouble fitting in to a workplace, which you want to avoid. 

On the other hand, if you do not have much working experience it is acceptable to include a new job on your resume. In this case, most types of “grey area” experiences can count as work experience on a resume.

Fill out your resume with whatever you can and replace weak experience with better experience once you’ve got it.

 

How long should you work at a job before including it on a resume?

You can update your resume with a new job as soon as you know the responsibilities well enough to write about it. As for how long to wait before giving this resume out to new employers, the minimum is typically two months or more. 

Any jobs which are shorter than a month or two do not reflect loyalty or dedication to a company.

A potential employer might worry that you will not stick around in their company either, so this could be a big negative on a resume. 

 

Is it okay to omit a job from a resume?

Omitting a job from a resume is fine in any case but be ready to explain significant gaps in your work history. Work history is typically written in reverse-chronological order, but you don’t have to include every job. It is best to omit short-term jobs, as they are red flags on a resume.

If your employment history has a short gap (usually 90 days or shorter) this is not unusual.

People tend to take their time job-hunting and looking for a good fit, and this is not something which an employer would fret too much about.

With the exception of contract work, it is usually best not to mention a short-term employment experience to an employer.

Simply omit it from your resume and tell a potential employer you were searching for a job which was the best fit during that time.

If omitting a job results in a 90 day gap or longer, then be ready to explain this to an employer in the interview.

A job which is irrelevant should be omitted, and a simple “it was x job which did not showcase my relevant skills” will be enough to expel an employer’s worries. 

 

How to include a job you just started on a resume

When including a job you just started on a resume, make sure that it is formatted in the same way as the other jobs in the experience section. Include the company name, job position, list the dates, and include your responsibilities as bullet points. 

You should not use the words “new job” anywhere in the description. If it is a job you’ve been at for a longer period (2-3 months+) you may include a small term that highlights the reason for leaving in order to ease an employer’s worries.

Any shorter than that, and you should not include this job if possible.

Only include reasons such as “leaving due to relocation”, “leaving due to family reasons”, “leaving due to company restructuring”, etc.

Never mention reasons such as disagreements or not fitting in, as these are worrying to someone outside of the situation. 

Let’s look at a few examples of including a new job on a resume, keeping in mind current job experiences can be written in either the past or present tense:

 

Experience

Harriet’s Hair Salon (5-2016) – (Present)

• Took appointments by phone as well as walk-in clients, maintaining the appointment book
• Cut and styled client’s hair as requested
• Maintained hygiene and cleanliness of all instruments and space within the studio

The above is a perfectly acceptable way to format a new job. If you decide to include a reason for leaving, it may be included in the date as follows:

Experience

Harriet’s Hair Salon (5-2016) – (Present) Reason for leaving: Relocation

You can also include it below the bullet points of the job as in the following example: