I started a new job in August after being laid off and out of work for 6 months. Now 5.5 months in.. this company isn’t a good fit (Toxic). My question is should I update my resume to show that I’ve been here or just completely omit it?

20 Comments

1. AnonymousFebruary 7,2025 at 3:45PM UTC

   Focus your energy in finding a new job. There are toxic places all over. No one is immune unfortunately. Keep plugging away at your job search then when you get an interview, and you will, see if you can get a temperature on the culture. We all can sustain a lot, and this is temporary, remember that. It's not your forever job, it's your paycheck. Go to HR yourself, but know they are in it for the company not you. Focus on better days ahead.

2. AnonymousFebruary 10,2025 at 1:17PM UTC

   Unfortunately if you leave it off you'll look like you've been out of work for almost a year. I think you have to leave it on. Perhaps you can say the job is not as advertised and you are looking for something that aligns with your goals. It sucks because you will definitely be judged for only beibg there 6 months. But keep looking.

3. AnonymousFebruary 10,2025 at 4:45PM UTC

   Suing is not the solution because you will likely have to drag through the muck in public and with lawyers and costs and all of the drama it will tear you up emotionally and be a further drain on your psyche and generally companies have a legal dept that will delay delay delay to not pay- if you have a case. Instead focus on looking for a new role. Make a list of the questions that you did not ask when you took this role that led you to this toxic second place. Perhaps speak to folks who have left these companies to truly find out the why they left and how the culture was/is. As you did not share what was directed toward you that others have reported it is hard to give further specific advice on how to cop until you can move on. If you think quitting is better than staying you can ask for a package out in exchange for not filing suit against them. When you interview elsewhere tell them the culture fit is not working and cite something specific that is not in line that their company does have. Don't bash or badmouth where you are leaving as that could backfire on you both legally and professionally. Step back and move on. And when you do leave be sure your exit document has a mutual non-disaparagement clause in it.

4. maria roseFebruary 10,2025 at 9:46PM UTC

   When you the OP calm down, you need to seriously dust off your resume and start working on searching for a new job that better fits your skill level. Also you need to strengthen your evaluation of the potential company workplace environment better when interviewing by asking in the hiring conversation. As you already proved to yourself, you should not judge the job by your perception of expectations but how you fit with your skills into potential workplaces. Like you said, the job you have at present is not what you thought it was ( perception) . You don’t create the job you are being hired for, the employer creates the job and you have to work doing the job as expected. Sell yourself by your true skills as a simple example, can type 20 words a minute instead of saying you can multitask when you need to do one task at a time. I only made that example as an exaggeration to not yes answer for a skill that you may not have. You may also need to get a job that doesn’t pressure you with time restraints that don’t place you in the spotlight as the teammate holding up the rest of the team. You may need to look for positions where your skill efforts are not affecting other’s performance.. Above all you feel comfortable being present and engaged with your job.

5. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 2:29PM UTC

   This is good advice, however to answer the OPs question, if your tenure at other jobs has been 1+ years and this is an aberration, leave it on. Also, make sure that whatever you do matches your LinkedIn

6. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 1:00PM UTC

   Hello, my suggestion would be to revise your resume and include the current position. I would ask a coworker you know and TRUST if they would mind being a professional reference on your resume. If interviewed and questioned about why you are looking to leave your company, I would keep it short and sweet, “I am looking for a company that has a positive work culture and I can showcase my skills to their fullest potential. I believe this position I’m interviewing for would be a better fit to do so.”. Best of luck!

7. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 1:22PM UTC

   since your current tenure is so short, you could leave it off, and if asked what you've been doing over the past year, say you've taken some temporary assignments from various companies and then tell them all about the work/ projects you've handled at this toxic job. An employer is interested in the skillset you bring to them, so showing them you had work will be important. If they ask for references from the "temp job," explain you'd need to check on that because you were a temp. Ask your friend to provide a reference and clue her or him into what you're doing. This is a white lie, not a full fib.

8. Jessica FerlandFebruary 11,2025 at 1:46PM UTC

   I'm so sorry that happened to you!

9. AyianFebruary 11,2025 at 2:04PM UTC

   Better to leave it off. Recruiters and AI are not favorable to a gap like that than a short tenure. An exception to this would be if you've done a lot of contract work that you could just fold into one employment heading.

10. Gee EmmFebruary 12,2025 at 9:10PM UTC

    "Recruiters and AI are not favorable to a gap like" This statement contradicts the described situation and the start of your comment to "leave it off".

11. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 2:06PM UTC

    I’m so sorry you went through that but glad u prioritized your mental health.

12. Candace AttawayFebruary 11,2025 at 2:33PM UTC

    I always tell candidates to leave a position on your resume if you were there for over a few months. You can easily explain why it wasn’t a good fit, obviously don’t go into personal feelings about the company, etc. but just explain it wasn’t a good fit for a,b, c reasons. If you leave the role off, you’ll run into the question of what you’ve been doing since you were laid off and then you’ll have to either lie (which is always risky bc you never know who knows who) or tell them you worked somewhere for a short period of time and explain why you left it off of your resume. Some employers may understand, some may see it as deceit.

13. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netFebruary 11,2025 at 2:46PM UTC

    I absolutely would not sue. Word gets around. Since this job is :toxic: and the job before was :toxic: maybe you should work on not letting that affect you so much. Although companies are bringing workers back to the office, maybe you should look for a remote job where you do not have to interface with others on this level. I would leave the current job on and depending how long you were at the previous job, i would say that it is not the positive work place that you were hoping it would be. If the previous job is also short term that is a different story.

14. Leader135412February 11,2025 at 4:43PM UTC

    It's difficult to sue when a lot of stuff that happens is hear say. And any witnesses won't testify out of fear of retaliation.

15. Tami L CannizzaroFebruary 11,2025 at 5:09PM UTC

    I'm sorry this job is not a good fit. Take a breath, then look at what you have learned/are learning and have accomplished in this short period of time. This is what you can use to craft your experience bullets for this company to add to your resume. As for moving forward, I agree with others who've said to focus on finding a job that aligns with your skills, if you haven't been doing that in the past. And to ask probing questions, paying attention to that voice in your head (intuition) during the interview process. Do you sense anything is off when you speak with interviewers? Ask what their favorite part of their job is; what they like most about working for the organization, etc. Also, something I've learned over the years is what I call the "3 month, 6 month, 9 month" rule of a new job. For the first 3 months, it's chaos and you think you've made a terrible mistake; you know nothing, everything is foreign, you have few (if any) friends/allies. By 6 months, there's a glimmer of something as you start to understand processes, the job itself, and a routine forms. By 9 months you've got a routine and confidence has emerged. You can handle what's thrown your way. Just sharing this with you (and others) as something that might help, either now or in the future. Wishing you the best!

16. TiffianyFebruary 11,2025 at 7:55PM UTC

    Yes, I would include the job on your resume. A five-month work experience is better than a five-month gap. Focus on securing a new job and moving forward. Lawsuits can be stressful, costly, and uncertain—there’s no guarantee of winning, and the process could take a toll on you. Unfortunately, the odds are often stacked against individuals in these situations. Choose your battles wisely; this may not be the one worth fighting. Wishing you the best and keeping you in my prayers.

17. AnonymousFebruary 12,2025 at 2:29AM UTC

    100% ^^

18. Leslie WoodFebruary 13,2025 at 4:28PM UTC

    Leave the position on your resume. If asked about the short tenure, you can always say you've been working a interim position while looking for your long term role

    As for the environment - have you approached HR and leadership yourself? If not, think about what you would need for this role to work for you and approach them with these ideas. Is it a weekly 1:1 with your manager to ensure your work is aligned with overall goals & deadlines? Is there a task that is owned by someone else, but perhaps not managed well, that fits within your role or goals and you could own? What would need to change to make this into your ideal role or at least more tolerable. Good luck!

19. AnonymousFebruary 13,2025 at 5:37PM UTC

    I’m in a very similar situation - was laid off and out of work for nearly a year… I took a job at 30% less pay and lower seniority bc I had to pay the bills. But 4 months in I’m realizing this company is also chaotic and the head of my department is toxic. Since joining, many people have left and they’ve lost several senior executives (one after only 2 weeks!).

    All that’s to say, I’m leaving this job on my resume. I’d rather explain why it wasn’t a good fit for me than have a +1 year gap. And knowing that it wasn’t a good fit only opens the door to make sure my future company IS a good fit.

    Best of luck with your search! I hope we both find something better!

20. AnonymousFebruary 14,2025 at 1:37PM UTC

    I'm in the same position as you. I started a job 7 months ago and I knew on the 2nd day it was not a good fit. I've been looking ever since. I've talked to several people about this exact topic and the answers are 50/50 on whether to add this job on your resume. I know for me I finally updated my resume with my current employer.

    As far as suing talk to an employee rights attorney. Best advice is HR is not your friend. They are there to

    protect the company.

    Good luck.