u/Ecstatic_Pattern6902

I'm a software engineer from Pakistan with around 2 years of experience, and I'm looking for advice from people familiar with the local hiring market.

My timeline looks like this:

• Worked at Company A for about 1.5 years.
• Left and joined Company B (a large corporation), but I was let go during my probation after a few months.
• About 2 months ago, I joined an early-stage startup where I'm building their MVP. I've been handling almost everything: backend, web app, mobile app, Azure deployment, authentication, APIs, and more.

Recently, a recruiter from a well-funded startup reached out to me for a Full Stack Software Engineer role.

Here's my dilemma.

I don't really want to mention Company B because I'm worried that being let go during probation could hurt my chances. The founders of my current startup trust me and have even offered to issue an experience letter showing I joined 3–4 months ago instead of 2 months ago. That would make it appear that I left Company A, joined the startup directly, and was later laid off because the startup couldn't secure funding.

I'm conflicted because it would make my resume look much cleaner, but I'm also concerned about background checks, future verification, and the ethical implications if this comes up later.

If you were in my position, what would you do?

• Leave Company B off my resume and explain the gap honestly?
• Include Company B and explain that it simply wasn't the right fit?
• Use the revised experience letter from the startup?
• Take a different approach altogether?

I'd especially appreciate advice from Pakistani hiring managers, recruiters, or software engineers who've dealt with similar situations or know how background checks typically work in Pakistan.

I'm a software engineer from Pakistan with around 2 years of experience, and I'm looking for advice from people familiar with the local hiring market.

My timeline looks like this:

• Worked at Company A for about 1.5 years.
• Left and joined Company B (a large corporation), but I was let go during my probation after a few months.
• About 2 months ago, I joined an early-stage startup where I'm building their MVP. I've been handling almost everything: backend, web app, mobile app, Azure deployment, authentication, APIs, and more.

Recently, a recruiter from a well-funded startup reached out to me for a Full Stack Software Engineer role.

Here's my dilemma.

I don't really want to mention Company B because I'm worried that being let go during probation could hurt my chances. The founders of my current startup trust me and have even offered to issue an experience letter showing I joined 3–4 months ago instead of 2 months ago. That would make it appear that I left Company A, joined the startup directly, and was later laid off because the startup couldn't secure funding.

I'm conflicted because it would make my resume look much cleaner, but I'm also concerned about background checks, future verification, and the ethical implications if this comes up later.

If you were in my position, what would you do?

• Leave Company B off my resume and explain the gap honestly?
• Include Company B and explain that it simply wasn't the right fit?
• Use the revised experience letter from the startup?
• Take a different approach altogether?

I'd especially appreciate advice from Pakistani hiring managers, recruiters, or software engineers who've dealt with similar situations or know how background checks typically work in Pakistan.