How to Navigate the ‘Blip’ on Your CV
Many people experience a ‘blip’ on their CV—a role taken with high hopes that, for various reasons, did not work out. This can lead to distress and a loss of confidence when interviewing for future positions. If not handled well, it may hinder securing the ideal role moving forward. Here are some suggestions on how best to manage ‘the blip’.
Understanding the Blip
Firstly, don’t panic; it happens. Even after a thorough interview process, the role you interviewed for can turn out to be quite different in practice. As long as it doesn’t become a habit, it is often best to leave and move on.
Be Honest
A simple explanation to a future employer will suffice. It is acceptable to say that the role wasn’t as advertised, expectations were radically different, or the corporate culture fit was not right. Prepare your answer and be succinct—no one wants to hear a monologue of complaints and negativity. Under no circumstances should you be overtly critical of your last or current employer. A future line manager may interpret your candidness as disloyalty and worry that you might say something similar about them in the future.
Turn a Negative Into a Positive
Career blips are a learning curve. It wasn’t right, and you are disappointed, but now you know that a particular setup, location, remit, or reporting line is not for you. Sometimes, it’s the things that go wrong that prove to be the most useful in figuring out what’s right for you, saving time and effort in your search for the right role. Articulating this with confidence will impress future employers as it shows judgment, acceptance, how you handle disappointments, and your ability to bounce back—all very useful attributes in the world of communications.
Managing Career Gaps
Sometimes blips in CVs lead to career gaps while you’re regrouping and figuring out your next step. This might include travel or a mini sabbatical break—all of which are fine as long as you account for this time with an indication of month/year. Many CVs just show years in relation to roles, which is less acceptable as employers have no idea whether you were employed from January or December of that year. Unaccountable gaps lead to questions.
Articulate Your Career Trajectory
As a communicator, you should be able to articulate your own career trajectory. Keep this in mind when writing, tweaking, or realigning your CV. Employers want to see and understand why you made the decisions you did, and as long as you can explain these, any blip is easily accommodated.
Read more of our blogs on LinkedIn.
