Should i mention layoff in cover letter

By continuing, you agree to Monster's privacy policy , terms of use and use of cookies. Search Career Advice. Job Termination and Your Resume No matter how you left, you need to present the best accomplishments you made at the job to prospective employers. Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert.

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Sign up to get job alerts relevant to your skills and experience. Enter Your Email Address Warning goes here. If so, draw attention to this when you discuss your layoff on a resume or cover letter—list these experiences like you would other roles or education. In any resume or cover letter, you should always highlight your achievements with concrete figures. Since , LiveCareer has been helping job seekers create resumes and cover letters via its free resume builder and cover letter builder tools.

Also available are collections of free, professionally written resume templates and resume samples , all of which are organized by industry and job title.

Hi—my name is Kaitlin. How often do you take this at face value? By: LiveCareer. Published: May 06, Show how you used layoff-related time off constructively If your unexpected exodus from your previous company left you unemployed for a while, how did you use this time? Getting laid off stinks.

I can guarantee hiring managers will understand your circumstances if you were laid off in the first half of Regardless, the resume is not the place to talk about a layoff — doing so takes up valuable real estate for listing your accomplishments and skills. Even if you held your last role for a short time due to a COVID layoff, make sure you focus on your achievements prior to the layoff. Show the hiring manager that even though you held the role for a short period, you got a lot done and left your mark.

Highlight results using metrics numbers speak volumes and keep everything positive. Your cover letter is the ideal place to explain any layoffs or short-term roles. This is your best opportunity to eliminate a potential red flag by briefly explaining the circumstances around your departure.

We will need an entirely different approach to that scenario and I will address it in another blog. For now, consider these points if you were laid off or furloughed:. Some job seekers can get away with not mentioning that they were laid off at all until the interview. If you decide to address a layoff in your cover letter, follow these guidelines:.

Mention the layoff briefly and early in a separate paragraph in the cover letter.