Do you have employment gaps on your resume? Candidates often wonder how to properly address employment gaps on their resume. They may be concerned gaps make them seem like a less than desirable employee.
In many cases, addressing a resume gap depends on the situation and what you did while you were unemployed. If you have been out of the workforce due to raising a family or looking after elderly parents, for example, it is relatively simple to explain. If it was due to layoffs, you will want to make sure to emphasize your performance and what you can do for the company.
Here are four tips to address employment gaps.
1. On Your Resume…
If you have a significant gap (more than a few months) on your resume, develop a resume that will clearly show your skills and strengths. Create a summary statement for the top of the resume. Develop a bulleted set of career highlights. You want your employer focusing on what you can bring to the table, not on a gap.
Do not highlight the gap itself. You can, for example, give just the inclusive years you were employed, rather than months if the gap was a few months. You can also group similar job titles and arrange your resume by similar positions, rather than by chronological order. This is an especially good idea if you have a number of contract positions that account for the gap.
Be sure, though, to include all your jobs.
2. In Your Cover Letter…
Because employers are likely to notice significant gaps, even in a resume designed to minimize them, address any significant gap in your cover letter. Remember, though, employers are primarily interested in what strengths and skills you can offer them, to help the company be productive. Do not dwell overly on the employment gap. You are addressing only to answer any questions they have about why a gap occurred, and to allay any concerns about your performance.
If you were looking after a family member, say so. Include any organizational or time management skills you developed in that period.
If the gap was due to layoffs, address that as well. Simply state, for example, you were part of a ten percent staff cut due to a restructuring. Then, immediately transition to the strengths and skills you developed on the job, and how they relate to the job at hand.
3. In the Interview…
You want to address any employment gap in the interview, as well. Remember, your cover letter and resume can be viewed as a type of sales brochure, presenting the strengths and skills you will sell in the interview. So, in the interview, you should briefly touch on the strengths and skills of past jobs or what you learned about organization while raising a family, for example, while briefly letting employers know why you were out of the workforce for a significant period of time.
If your employment gap was due to performance issues, use the interview to state how you have addressed the issues and become a better employee.
If your employment gap was significant, it is a good idea to get some training or do some volunteer work during the period of time you’re not working. Then, discuss how what you learned or did can benefit employers in your interview.
Do not be defensive or nervous when talking about any resume gap in an interview. It’s increasingly common to have these gaps. What matters is how you address it, not the fact of it.
How Nesco Resource Can Help
Are you looking for a job after a significant period of unemployment? We can help. We can give advice on resumes, cover letters, and interview techniques. Contact us today.
