Addressing job-hopping issues in an interview

Everyone knows that the first step key to getting the job you want is to send in a great CV. It can show a range of skills, including qualifications to do the job in question, experience, the ability to write and present and document and commitment. However, if you have had a number of jobs in the past and your time in each of them is short, then you will need to come up with an explanation, particularly if you are lucky enough to be called in for an interview.

Honesty is always the best policy. If you lie, you could be caught out at a later date. And that begins with your CV. Make sure that you list all your jobs in the order that you had them. If there are a lot, then you could highlight the ones that you feel show you have experience for the job for which you are applying. If any of them were temping jobs or work experience, then state that this is the case - then employers won't expect you to have stayed in the job for very long. Also if any of the jobs were short-term contracts, then make this clear - in the current economy, short-term contracts are common and often mean that there is no work for the employee once the contract is up.

When you are called in for interview, expect to be asked about the number of jobs you have had and think about how you should reply to put yourself in the best possible light. Rather than say, for example, that you get bored easily, say that you were unsure of what you wanted to do and rather than stay in a job that you didn't enjoy, you chose to move on and look for something else. Now you are sure what you want to do, you are prepared to commit yourself. Employers don't want to take anyone on who is then likely to leave after a couple of months; make sure you give the impression that it won't happen again - unless, of course, it is only a short-term job.

As with any interview, you should have done some research in advance. Use that to your advantage. If, for example, you are aware that the organisation provides training courses for new and old employees, state that you have been looking for a job that provides plenty of training because you are hungry for knowledge and want to progress in the job as quickly as possible. Don't make out that you left previous jobs because of the lack of training - panning previous employers is never a good move because potential employers may then see you as a trouble maker - but do emphasise the desire to move onwards and upwards.

If your job-hopping occurred because of personal reasons - perhaps your husband moved around a lot with his job, or you were forced to work around having and caring for your children, then make this clear, both in the cover letter when you apply for a job and when you go in for interview. Again though, it is all about how you present yourself. Be positive about your situation, making out that you enjoyed moving around because of the experience it gave you, and then be honest about your current situation. Ideally, you will be able to say that your life is now more stable, even if there is a possibility that you will move again in the near future - you can deal with any change at a later date when and if you get the job.

Again, before the interview, you should have sat down and thought about your attributes. Take particular care to consider how job-hopping could have built on any skills you have. For example, you will probably have dealt with a wide range of people, so stress your people skills. You will probably have also had to deal with different software systems, therefore making you highly computer literate and able to pick up new computer skills very quickly. You will also have had to fit in with different teams of people and so can emphasise your team spirit. An interview is your chance to shine - make sure you make the best of it by preparing in advance.

By being prepared and a little bit creative (without lying), you should be able to turn your job-hopping into a decided advantage over others who have stuck to previous jobs for years on end. It is all a matter of presenting the facts in a positive way. Good luck!