Quick and semi-urgent question about job applications

billwill

I'm twenty years old and I've had a fairly full and varied list of job positions. I've worked at a bookstore, the election department, the airport, a retail store, and now phone support for Apple.

Except I really don't like what I have now so for the first time I'm looking to leave a job only a few months in (almost two, to be precise).

My question is, I'm going to drop off some applications at Barnes and Noble in a few hours, and I'm not sure if I should put the current job. Won't it look bad that I'm leaving so soon? And also, I would prefer them NOT contact my supervisor now in case the job doesn't pan out and then now my current boss has knowledge that I was searching in the first place. But I also assume it would look bad to circle the "no" and tell them they can't contact her.

The only issue I have with leaving this job off is that I have a seven month break since my last job that would be unaccounted for. Of course, I did it to focus on school and heavy load I was taking, but still.

Thoughts? I'll be dropping it off in a just a bit, but if you see this afterwards, insight is still appreciated.

EDIT: Heh. No real rush now. My car won't start. I'll be dropping these applications off tomorrow morning, then.

supabeast

Put it on there. Otherwise you’ll slip up and mention it and they might fire you as a matter of policy.

Luiane

Yeah especially since you have apparently worked at another bookstore beforehand. Be honest, say that you much prefer working at a book store than as at phone support. That explains why you want the job and why you want to leave the current one without making it look bad for your application.

Could even try spinning it into something positive for you current application, like "Working with phone support made me realize that I much prefer the face to face interaction of a retail job. And since I also love books, I wanted to apply here."

Reverend_Chaos

Put it on there. If you circle no, it's not really that big of a deal for most employerer's, or the HR guy doing the hiring. If they ask about it, just tell them that you have realized that it's just not quite the fit you were hoping for, and how the job you are applying for IS what you are looking for, for whatever reasons you can list. Be vague about why you want to leave and never talk bad about your current or previous employers. This shows you have tact, and anyone who does hiring for a living will appreciate this quality.

MichaelLC

Yeah, better to be actively employed than have a gap, and not to sound like a put-down, it won't matter as much with retail work.

Anyone who's ever applied for more than one job knows there's many reasons why it's not OK to contact current employer - yours being the most common. In lieu of that, I'd try to get some good references from your other places. If you're still on speaking terms with past bosses, give them a call and ask if it's OK they're contacted.