I was laid off from two jobs within a year.

Anonymous

October 17,2023 at 4:09PM UTC

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I was laid off from two jobs within a year.

I was at my most recent job for eight months and was laid off because the Sr VP I supported quit in July and I was laid off in August because the company didn't feel they needed to keep on one other Exec. Assistant, even though I could have supported the rest of the team. I was at the prior job for over four years and was laid off "due to business reasons," as in the company was not doing well. My question is: Should I note I was laid off on my resume for these two positions since recruiters may assume I may be job hopping? If so, how should I word it? Any advice? Thanks!

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AnonymousOctober 17,2023 at 4:24PM UTC
If the job application asks why you left, yes, definitely reply "reduction in force". So, laid off with no implications about your performance.
I will caution that unless you are the type of Exec Assistant that goes so far as to deliver their boss's dry cleaning, you may want to look at other careers. Executives that need someone to schedule their meetings or airline flights are being weeded out. I used my exposure to spreadsheets to get into an entry-level Financial Analyst position.
Brenda DentonOctober 17,2023 at 5:55PM UTC
Thanks. Good for you that you got into another type of position.
Cheryl ScaliOctober 19,2023 at 3:38PM UTC
Not necessarily. They have been saying for over 20 years that Administrative Assistants and Executive Assistants are on the way out, but there are postings for them all over the place. Administrative work is always something that needs to be done and really busy executives will always need help with that.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistOctober 17,2023 at 4:35PM UTC
I would recommend you do. You can just list either Reduction in Force or Laid Off - your choice of verbiage - after the employment dates on your resume.
Brenda DentonOctober 17,2023 at 5:54PM UTC
Thank you, Joan. Much appreciated! Have a good day.
AnonymousOctober 18,2023 at 1:02PM UTC
I myself was laid off from a job for 14 years as the owner had his kids and family members now working there so if you no longer needed me and I got a job that was supposed to go full-time it was slower than slow and after three months got laid off I have not put that job on my résumé But now it looks like I’ve been out of work longer and I’m having issues finding a job. Any suggestions?
Debbie JamilOctober 18,2023 at 12:24PM UTC
Hinesty is the best policy.
AnonymousOctober 18,2023 at 12:25PM UTC
Because you were not at the last job that long you may want to consider leaving it off your resume
Pamela RosenOctober 18,2023 at 12:40PM UTC
Leave it on your resume for now, for the next job. Layoffs happen, and the people who are interviewing you have also been laid off in their lives. Because you were there for such a short tme, you can remove it the NEXT time you're looking for a job. Who knows? That could be years from now, and then, those few months won't matter a bit.
And remember this: you only lost two jobs in one year because you were valuable enough to GET two jobs in one year.
AnonymousOctober 18,2023 at 4:20PM UTC
I was laid off twice over the last year, so I know how you feel. I put (Impacted by company RIF) next to the company name and dates I worked there.
AnonymousOctober 19,2023 at 1:18PM UTC
Unfortunately layoffs are so common nowadays, you can say there was restructuring and downsizing in both organizations.
AnonymousOctober 19,2023 at 1:35PM UTC
It is up to you to list these layoffs. It may be easier to not metion the second layoff on your resume unless asked about it.
kathleen murphyOctober 19,2023 at 1:42PM UTC
Not necessary to ever list reason for leaving any company on a resume, cover letter or LInkedIn profile. On the resume, if you list year-year instead of mth/year-mth/year it smoothes your length of stay. Sounds like you have good reasons to leave both job, both those reasons are acceptable. The working might need a change, for the first job, begin by stating something positive you contributed, then state business case. For last job, (simple!), You were hired to support an SVP, when he left, your role was cut. Happens all the time. Tip: if you support an exec again and they leave, either trail them to the next job or leave immediately, because this is standard treatment of EAs, unfortunately.
G C HesseOctober 19,2023 at 1:44PM UTC
List it on your resume as a Contract position. There is no need to explain anything to the Headhunter, they don't care and don't need to know....remember you are a commodity to these people.
AnonymousOctober 19,2023 at 2:42PM UTC
This is unbelievably smart and I would never have thought of it. Kudos.
Melanie SOctober 19,2023 at 8:15PM UTC
Hi there, fellow EA here. I had something similar a few years ago when I was an EA at a startup and a month after I started, the only client pulled funding and the layoffs started. I was one of the last to be let go after 3 months. I keep the job on my resume because I did things there I like to highlight, but I noted "short tenure due to downsizing" on my resume. It happens a lot (with EAs quite a bit) and I've never had anything but sympathy when I've talked about my experience.
And to some recruiters, I may indeed look like a "job hopper" but people are getting more open minded about it, and just yesterday I met with a potential client who was fascinated with the breadth of my experience across a number of industries. I'm finding that quite a bit, and I make it a selling point, not a liability.