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I had a short 6 month legal job which I want to leave out from my CV. It was relatively short so don't think itd be a big deal. Thoughts?

Also when employers (After offer) conduct resume background check, what shows up? Does this 6 month gap show up? Will it matter?

An employer will probably ask about this no matter what you choose to do, unless it was a long time ago and/or your legal career has been long enough that 6 months is really not a big deal. If you leave it off, they'll ask what you were doing during that time. If you leave it on, they'll ask why you only stayed for 6 months.

The real issue seems to be how to explain this job. If you left due to a reason that would make an employer nervous (e.g., firing, performance issues), you need to come up with a convincing alternative story.

6 months isn't that short. Agree with the above.

Without knowing more, I also probably wouldn't omit it. A resume doesn't necessarily have to be exhaustive, but, if you are asked about the gap, it'll look like concealment when you disclose the job. Doubly so if, as was stated previously, you left under less-than-ideal circumstances. There might be situations where I'd conclude otherwise, but I think you'd be better served by trying to deal with it more head-on.

I generally disagree that you need to put it on your resume - the resume is you putting your best face forward, there's no obligation to include it. I do agree that depending on where it falls in your career and how obvious the gap is, employers may ask about it. I'm also not sure why you'd want to leave it off just because it was short - if you're afraid employers will think you were fired (were you fired?), the alternative is them thinking you were unemployed. If you're afraid an employer will contact someone from the job and that person will speak badly about you, you would likely have to disclose the job for conflicts purposes anyway. (If you get an offer you will probably have to fill out employment paperwork that lists all your previous employment and you will have to include it then.) So I guess the question is really what harm you think it poses to put it on your resume, and if there's any other way to avoid that harm.

In terms of the resume, I don’t see why a 6 month gap would be noticeable. Just leave months off the dates and only put years, and no one will know at all.

It may come up in the background check and you may need to disclose it in the conflict process, in which case maybe it’s more trouble than it was worth to leave it off your resume since it could look even stranger that you didn’t include it in the first place.

nixy wrote:I'm also not sure why you'd want to leave it off

It wasn't anything bad. I just moved on quickly when realized that job/firm wasn't the right fit.
I want to omit because with that in, it looks like ive been to too many jobs and it may look like i jump the ship quickly and may wrongly convey the impression that i wont stick around.

Anonymous User wrote:

nixy wrote:I'm also not sure why you'd want to leave it off

It wasn't anything bad. I just moved on quickly when realized that job/firm wasn't the right fit.
I want to omit because with that in, it looks like ive been to too many jobs and it may look like i jump the ship quickly and may wrongly convey the impression that i wont stick around.

If you want to leave it off, leave it off.

FND wrote: If you want to leave it off, leave it off.

What I want to know is how does background check work?
Can thd firm find out if i dont disclose it voluntarily?
Also would they typically really comb through the check that closely?

Anonymous User wrote:

FND wrote: If you want to leave it off, leave it off.

What I want to know is how does background check work?
Can thd firm find out if i dont disclose it voluntarily?
Also would they typically really comb through the check that closely?

I mean, you don't have to put it on your resume, but if you get hired, you will have to report all your legal employment and you will have to include it.

The partner isn’t running the background check. Someone in HR will outsource it to a third party and review the information you provided against what is in the search results. If you’re worried about the partner finding out, don’t. I highly doubt this is something anyone would notify the partner about.

nixy wrote: I mean, you don't have to put it on your resume, but if you get hired, you will have to report all your legal employment and you will have to include it.

Ok. So if you dont report , the firm can't find out?
Or is there a way these background checking firms find out somehow without you even disclosing it?

Anonymous User wrote:

nixy wrote: I mean, you don't have to put it on your resume, but if you get hired, you will have to report all your legal employment and you will have to include it.

Ok. So if you dont report , the firm can't find out?
Or is there a way these background checking firms find out somehow without you even disclosing it?

Don’t lie about your background by not disclosing it. Then biggest issue will be potential conflicts, and the potential downside outweighs any upside.

You seem way more eager to leave this off than “it wasn’t the right fit.” It is not that big a deal. If you’re a good candidate without the job, you’ll be a good candidate with the job.

Typically, most background checks will reveal previous employment, especially if it was a legal job and thus recorded (like, the employer withheld taxes and everything). I don't see why this would be an issue, unless OP plans on lying about what they did during the 6 months and doesn't want to be caught in the lie due to a background check.

Anonymous User wrote:I had a short 6 month legal job which I want to leave out from my CV. It was relatively short so don't think itd be a big deal. Thoughts?

Also when employers (After offer) conduct resume background check, what shows up? Does this 6 month gap show up? Will it matter?

Was this your first legal job? How long were you at your job after the 6 month stint?

I would just leave it on. Are you concerned about the length of your CV? 2 pages isn't a big deal. Plus it's better to have experience than have a 6 month gap, IMO.

lawfan2012 wrote:In terms of the resume, I don’t see why a 6 month gap would be noticeable. Just leave months off the dates and only put years, and no one will know at all.

It may come up in the background check and you may need to disclose it in the conflict process, in which case maybe it’s more trouble than it was worth to leave it off your resume since it could look even stranger that you didn’t include it in the first place.

Agree with this. I've omitted a disastrous three-month job with another solo and nobody notices or cares. I just use years.

Put your best foot forward. Omit the job and just use years.