The Risks of Omitting a Job from Your Resume, Especially in Law Enforcement

For anyone in law-enforcement, especially those planning their careers, it's crucial to ensure a thorough and accurate resume. A common mistake job seekers make is omitting a past job that they left under unclear or suspicious circumstances. This can significantly harm your chances of landing the job, particularly in fields such as law enforcement where background checks are meticulous.

Hiding a job on your resume, especially if it concerns a specific job in WA police departments, can have severe repercussions. Employment security records in Washington State and similar systems across other states are designed to track and share employment histories. Omitted jobs can lead to discoveries during the hiring process, which can prompt further investigations and expose you to potential scrutiny.

Why Hiding Jobs is Detrimental to Your Career

From my perspective as someone who has hired hundreds of people and interviewed thousands, leaving a job off your resume guarantees that you won't get hired. The moment a potential employer notices the omission, the interview is all but over. Furthermore, I might even warn potential references about you, as integrity is a critical aspect of employment. If you can lie about past employment, it's likely you'll lie after being hired, thus putting your company's reputation at risk.

Implied Gaps and Suspicion

The implications of omitting a job can be far-reaching. One immediate and visible issue is the creation of a gap in your employment timeline. When employers find these gaps, they may speculate about your activities during that period. Common assumptions can be quite damaging. They might assume you were in jail, in a residential drug rehab program, or simply wasting time playing video games in a basement. These assumptions rarely enhance your professional image.

Employer Verification and Red Flags

Prospective employers can incredibly easily verify information related to your past employment. If you choose to omit a job, you'll create two primary issues for yourself:

Perceived Gaps in Employment Timeline: The hiring committee will wonder what you were doing during the omitted period, leading to assumptions that aren't in your favor. Questioning Referral Information: They may also question why a job you know about isn't listed as a reference, further increasing suspicion.

When the company discovers the omitted job, you will likely seem shady to them. They will be concerned about other aspects of your resume that you might have fudged, creating a situation where every missing piece of information contributes to a negative impression.

Best Practices for Job Applications

To avoid these risks, here are some best practices for job applications:

Be Honest: Provide a complete employment history, even if a job didn’t go as planned or ended abruptly. Address Gaps: If there are gaps in your employment history, provide a brief explanation. This can often be as simple as mentioning a short leave of absence or job search period. Intellectual Honesty: When discussing past jobs, be prepared to talk about them openly and intelligently, explaining what you could have done differently or what you learned from the experience.

By taking a transparent and honest approach, you can navigate the hiring process with greater ease, particularly in fields where background checks and employment history are closely scrutinized.