Dear Cindy – Omit Two Jobs Due to Harassment?

I was harassed at my last two jobs, and the harassment was connected. The new employer contacted the old employer after I was hired, and didn't bother to question me on the situation, but rather engaged in the same type of harassment as the first company, and worse, to a criminal extent. I believe that after I quit they were remorseful, and asked me to stay on. I refused. I cannot prove what happened, but it was very elaborate. I am afraid to put both of these companies on my résumé; I am sure the first company will give a bad reference as the CEO's last words to me were, "Bullies always win." If I don't include them, I will have a 1.5-year gap on my résumé and will have to lie to cover the timeframe. Is it possible for HR to verify employment through the Department of Labor, and is this something they typically do? I am in a hole and see no way around this.

Sincerely,

J

You shouldn't lie. Mistakes are made, and personality conflicts (and worse, as you've experienced) occur, and sometimes you're responsible, sometimes another person is responsible, and sometimes two parties share fault.

But lying is considered a character flaw, so in the mind of an employer, can be than worse than whatever may actually have happened, even in cases in which a situation was your fault. And one of the first things an employer thinks on discovering a lie is, "If J lied about this, how many other things is J lying about?"

And the lie may definitely be discovered. Surveys show that background checks are becoming increasingly popular with employers. So if the jobs which ended badly are discovered in a background check, such as through a credit check, which may include details about current and previous employers, or by a reference check of the job you were to claim was your last one (e.g., if the reference said something like, "J left us to go work at Company X" … which you don't list on your application), or simply because it can be a small world, you probably won't be hired. Indeed, one survey of hiring managers said that, on discovering a lie, 93% did not hire the applicant. And even if discovered later, the lie may be considered grounds for dismissal.

Your best bet is to include these jobs and, when asked, explain in a matter-of-fact way, without sounding accusatory, what happened, what you did to try to improve the situation, and how you decided to move on when things did not improve.

And "bullies always win" is not true, but if people believe it and do things to sabotage themselves, it can be.

Good luck to you in your job search!