6 month stint - leave off resume / LinkedIn?
I worked 2 years in ER, 6 months in MM IB and now 1 year in corp dev. I hate my current job / company and I'm trying to get back to a real finance role - either an acquisitive corp dev role or buyside.
In recent interviews, I've gotten a lot of questions about the short IB stint (ie did you get fired, are you a flight risk, etc). In hindsight, I should have stayed for a full year or more, but I can't change that now.
Should I take the 6 month IB stint off my resume? I feel like I've been getting dinged because of it, and I'm not sure how additive it is to my story outside of flagging my resume when a machine is reading it because it says a key word like "investment banking" on it.
Would appreciate any advice that you guys might have related to short tenures and how to manage optics when interviewing for a new job.
6 months is a relatively normal gap on the resume. That is definitely not much of an issue. There is a good chance, depending on how you talk through your resume, that your interviewer won’t even notice
So you're thinking it makes sense to remove the experience?
Ah, the classic dilemma of the short stint on the resume. Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's a bunch of bananas... I mean, advice for you:
Transparency: If you decide to keep the 6-month IB role on your resume, be prepared to discuss it transparently. Have a clear and concise explanation for why you left so quickly. It's not uncommon for people to leave a role if it's not a good fit, but you need to reassure potential employers that you're not a flight risk.
Relevance: Consider how relevant the experience is to the roles you're applying for. If the skills and experiences you gained during those 6 months are directly applicable to the positions you're targeting, it might be worth keeping it on there.
Resume Flow: Think about the narrative your resume tells. If removing the 6-month stint creates a gap that raises more questions than it answers, it might be better to leave it in and explain why it was a brief role.
Highlight Achievements: If you do keep it on your resume, focus on any achievements or significant work you did during that time. Quantify your impact if possible to show that even in a short period, you made a difference.
LinkedIn Strategy: LinkedIn is a bit different from your resume. It's a comprehensive look at your professional history, so leaving off a position might raise questions if people from that job endorse you or if you have connections from that company.
Networking: Use your network to get referrals and introductions. Sometimes a good word from a mutual connection can alleviate concerns about job-hopping.
Future Considerations: In your next role, aim to stay for a longer period to balance out the short stint on your resume. This can demonstrate commitment and stability to future employers.
Remember, every banana has two ends. On one end, leaving it off might simplify your story, but on the other, it could provide valuable talking points about your diverse experience. It's all about peeling back the layers to what's most beneficial for your career trajectory. Good luck!
Sources: Quitting major Investment Bank in NYC after 2 months...?, Should I quit after 6 months on the job?, Making a jump after 5 months.. horrific boss.., 9 months off work before next gig - best use of time?, 7 Tips on Reneging
Kind of in the same boat and while I would never be able to leave it off I’m definitely planning for my current role being the central topic of my resume.
I spent just under six months in IB after graduating and transitioned out after being laid off. Now that I’ve been in a new role for a year it’s almost like the first job I had was a long internship. Any interviews I would almost exclusively talk about current gig because it’s much more relevant and honestly an awkward story. I would definitely pitch it as “left because other opp was too good to pass up” but people are definitely skeptical of a 6 month or less stint anywhere. I wouldn’t leave this place for at least another year so I can build up some credit.
Thanks man, appreciate the response. Why do you say that you would never be able to leave it off? Also, looks like you are in PE / on the buyside now - how did you spin your experience to get your current role?
I just think it’s too fundamental to my path. It was my junior summer analyst internship. I returned for full time and it was my first job out of college. If I leave it off, it’s a weird gap and my school doesn’t feed into PE.
If I told my story now I would absolutely focus on this PE shop but it would be difficult not to mention the bank because it’s a main reason I got the interview in the first place.
When I was laid off I interviewed at 25-30 mm and lmm banks and some small pe funds. Got lucky with 2 offers from 6 in-person super days. Three months between jobs. Honestly was quite stressful getting derailed from “the path” but the outcome was pretty serendipitous. Better role, better city, better pay.
is your current role that bad or is just because last year stunk for M&A?
The hours and comp are fine, but I'm unfortunately getting no deal experience. I took the role originally thinking it would be a good way to think critically about buying/integrating companies at a high growth pre-IPO company; however, my company is completely resistant to the idea of doing an add-on. Since joining almost a year ago, I've done maybe a month of diligence on one deal that ended up going nowhere, and that is not the experience I was looking for. The role is mainly strategy focused, which I've realized I'm not really interested in relative to the deal side.
It's probably best to take it off since you already have the ER and corp dev spots on your resume to give you a boost. Leaving before a year in IB (especially because you'd be applying for an analyst role) would give the employer flight risk concerns. If you do keep it on, make sure to have an air-tight reason why you left and why that doesn't apply to your position now. It's all about positioning yourself during the interview, but the resume could ding you before you get to the interview point
Thanks, I think you're probably right. I'm not really sure how to handle it on LinkedIn since that's public for everyone... Maybe deactivating LI while I'm recruiting?
I'll remove from my resume first and see how that affects interview response rates, and then will consider removing it from LinkedIn if the resume change clearly improves response rates.
I've found that MDs/Ds that are more inclined to make hiring decisions don't check linkedin for hires, so you might be able to get away with it, but HR and recruiters always check them. I think it's best to take it off there too
can we PM?
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