Comments on: I don't want to have to pay to find a job.

Question: I don't want to have to pay to find a job.

Epsilon-minus semi moron — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:25:09 -0800

I will be putting together a resume soon. However the exact dates and other details regarding some of my past jobs escape me. Is there a site that will give me my job history? Everything Google gives me requires payment/enrollment is some service. I want free and no attachments, is that doable? Subquestion, best resume putting together site/application/thing?

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:36:32 -0800

Google won't know your job history unless it has been indexed from a indexable website. If you need exact info, why not just call previous employers and ask them to verify your dates? If they no longer exist or otherwise are not contact friendly, then inexact dates might not be something to worry about if a prospective employer is doing their due diligence.

By: COD

COD — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:49:50 -0800

Your exact history is not that important. I worked at Company X from June 2002 to August 2005 is more than good enough for a resume. A resume is a sales document to sell yourself, not your authorized biography. The only caveat I would add is that if you need a govt security clearance you probably want to be exact on the dates. Otherwise, nobody is going to care if your last day was June 12 or June 19 at some particular job several years ago.

By: autojack

autojack — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:01:44 -0800

Also, depending on the type of work you do, most employers probably don't verify your job particulars back past the last one or two, depending on how long you worked at them.

By: meta_eli

meta_eli — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:12:36 -0800

You can order old tax returns from the IRS. I don't know if that includes the particulars of your W2s and 1099s, though.

Personally, I wouldn't sweat it. Just estimate.

By: aubilenon

aubilenon — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:23:33 -0800

I don't put months on my resume:

"1998-2000: VirtualLungfish.com. Software Engineer. Wrote, tuned, and debugged enterprise-quality lungfish simulation software using perl, MySql, and VRML"

Only once have I ever been asked what months I worked there. I think it would be okay to not remember or more general answers.

By: xammerboy

xammerboy — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:00:50 -0800

What COD said.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:49:08 -0800

I worked at Company X from June 2002 to August 2005 is more than good enough for a resume.

Company X (2002-2005) is enough for me, and I wouldn't really care if one of the years was wrong. You're making a resume, not an attendance report.

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:13:47 -0800

I do a lot of hiring, exact dates are not critical, I never check them (unless something seems very, very strange). Estimate.