How should I address several months of contract work on my resume?

Q. I have worked at a few short-term contract positions in the past few months after being laid off by my previous employer. How should I present this information on my resume? Is it possible to consolidate this experience into just one entry? If so, how should I list the companies, dates, and locations? I don't want to give a future employer the impression that I was job-hopping, but this has happened considering the current state of the economy and the scarcity of opportunities.

A. I would call it what it is - short-term assignments. Don't try to consolidate the information. If your prospective employer calls one of the companies to verify your time at the company, you don't want their report to contradict the information on your resume. Most companies are very much in tune with the current marketplace. They understand that people have been laid off and some have not found work while others have been able to find part-time work in the interim. Take the experiences you gained in some of your short-term work and explain why those experiences make you a better candidate.

Good luck.

- Erisa Ojimba, Certified Compensation Professional for Salary.com