How Do I Spin Job Hopping on My Resume?

I contribute to YahooAnswers!, which, by the way is a really fun way to drive traffic to your site - and help others out at the same time.

A job seeker sent in the following question:

Question: My last 5 jobs ended for reasons having nothing to do with me. Things like budget cuts, contracts ending and company overhauls have ended every job I've had over the past 3 years. ... How do I spin job hopping on my resume?

Note: This is one of the most frequently asked questions of the last decade, I'd venture to say. As we live in an ever-shifting economy, it is bound to only get "worse" as our global economy expands. But, it needn't be as troublesome as potential employees think. It's the way things are moving, in my opinion.

Answer: Following are two options to effectively address the "job hopping" situation.

1. One of the mistakes that many make is creating a chronological, instead of a functional, resume.

What's the difference: A chronological resume lists jobs by years, ie, listing the last five jobs you had by the year you held them.

A functional resume tends to address areas of speciality. Eg, if you waited tables at night while working during the day (your real job). Or, if you held two part-time jobs, one within your field, one out of your field (that you usually don't care for).

Here, you'd list the positions under a heading like "Relevant Experience" instead of just "Experience". Dates are less important here than experience gained.

So, if you have a chronological resume, this is one of the first things you can get rid of.You can create a functional resume based on a number of characteristics, eg, skill set, accomplishments, longevity in field, etc.

2. Provide a brief explanation beside each position, eg:

ABC Company: Los Angeles, CA 1999-2004
Administrative Assistant (laid off due to company-wide budget cuts)
**Duty 1
**Duty 1

Tip: Note I put, "company-wide." If this is the case, it is extremely important to say so. Why? Not only was your job cut, but many of your co-workers were let go as well. This signals to new employers that it wasn't personal.

In this way, potential employers can see at a glance why you've had so many positions.