HACKER Q&A
📣 farblebrox

How to be honest on a resume/job interview with a poor job history?


I got a CS degree in 2011 and I've been trying get my CS career started since then. Unfortunately, my job history has been patchy to say the least. I average about 3 months per company with gaps in between. Obviously, this doesn't look great on a resume and I'm often asked why this is at job interviews. I don't really have a good answer for this. I just find work very overwhelming to the point where I quit. I try to grit my teeth and get through it as much as possible but I always feel like I'm at my ultimate limit. Is it worth coming clean about this in a job interview? How can I present this information without being dishonest?


  👤 PhilWright Accepted Answer ✓
I think you need to begin by understanding why you are having the problems that you are in job performance. Otherwise, you will just repeat the pattern with the next job and end up quitting fairly quickly. Is if a feeling of pressure, the tasks are too difficult, you are naturally an anxious person around new people etc. Then find a strategy for trying to work around the issue. I cannot recommend a strategy because we don't know the specifics of the source issue.

👤 phren0logy
To me the bigger question is why you would want (another) job that makes you feel this way? You could be honest or not, but do you even want the job?

👤 SeldomSoup
I don't think it does you any good to be honest here. The conclusion most employers would come to is that you're not cut out for CS work.