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put your reason for leaving a job on your resume.

Under each position held, describe your responsibilities using short statements that demonstrate success, practical experience related to your field, and the fact that you have good work habits. Bullet points work much better than long paragraphs, and each statement should begin with an action verb. When possible, quantify results (i.e., number of people supervised, size of project, etc.).

4. Education. Employers are interested in the highest educational level achieved, and the high school you attended should only be listed if you have not completed an undergraduate degree. List the schools attended (in reverse chronological order), the degree obtained, your major, and the month and year of graduation. You should also list any relevant certifications. If you are a recent college graduate with little work experience, list education before experience. Otherwise, experience should always be listed first.

There are also a few miscellaneous points to consider. Never include personal information such as race, religion, age, or marital status. It is illegal for employers to ask these questions and you should not volunteer it. Do not include references on your resume. The employer will request references if you advance in the interview process. Do not list hobbies; employers don't care if you build model trains while doing yoga. And finally, always use good quality, white or off-white paper and ensure that there are no errors in spelling or grammar.

I wrote earlier that there are two possible ways to describe your reason for leaving a job you've been fired from when filling out the company's employment application. The first is to put "will explain;" this sends up flags, but should give you the chance to tell your side of the story. The second is a little more risky, but will often work: simply put "seeking better opportunity." It's vague, certainly, but the fact is that when a company verifies employment with a previous employer these days, the previous employer will usually give very little information. Because they fear lawsuits by former employees, an HR department will typically only give the dates you were employed, what your salary was, and occasionally if you are eligible for rehire.

You may already know what information your former company will give, or you may be able to discover it yourself by simply having someone call and verify your employment. In the end, your firing may never even be revealed unless you yourself reveal it.

Learn more about this author, Bruno Somerset.
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