Career gaps are one of the primary concerns that job seekers in the world have.
But, these are also not something that can be prevented easily for there are various occurrences in life that may force you to have that gap in your resume.
Nonetheless, it remains a main concern for most job-seekers for employees see career jobs as a negative thing.
The thing is that you really have nothing to worry about if you can address these gaps on your resume confidently.
But, you can only do that if you know how.
How?
Here are the right steps to take:
First Tip: Explain it in the Cover Letter
This is particularly required if you have an extensive gap on your resume. Basically, you have more room on your cover letter where you can further explain this concern than on your resume.
Use that space to let the employer know of the reason why you were out of work for some time. But focus on the positive of things.
Instead of saying “I went for 100 interviews and couldn’t get a job offer”, say “I am very certain of my career plan and is making sure my next job fits snugly into the plan.”
Most importantly, do not forget to include that you are now prepared to return.
For instance, you were out of work for a while because you went traveling. Even if you simply traveled somewhere else, it does not mean that you did not learn something along the way.
Point out the things you have learned along the way and how it can benefit as you resume to work.
Second Tip: Provide that Section with an Appropriate Title
That gap on your resume may mean that you did not receive any payment from the work you have during those employment gaps.
Hence, it is no longer proper to use Employment History as a title for that section.
Instead, refer to that section as your Work History. Using this title lets you include the non-paid work you did for that duration.
These non-paid works may include community or volunteer works. Yes, these activities may not have any relevance to your profession.
Still, it gave you experience and it highly reflects a strong character.
I had a client who wanted to make a switch from admin to events. She is very sure of that direction but is adamant she has no transferable skills to make that transition easier.
As we discuss further, I came to realize that she actually does a lot of volunteer work and one of her job role during volunteering is to assist in their fund raising events and manage the volunteers.
There it is! Events experience. Right under her nose.
Jobseekers tend to belittle the experience they gained and often falls into impostor syndrome mode.
If you believe you have this problem, have a good friend to provide you with inputs and validate your total experience objectively.
Third Tip: Date Format
It is best to use years instead of months when indicating the duration of period you spent on the activities you engaged during your employment gaps.
Using this date format makes this section of your history more reader friendly for employers.
Also, using such date format is also advantageous on your part. Through this, you eliminate the months-gap you have been out of work.
However do it only if the deviation (compared to months) is probably not more than 15%.
Eventually you have to fill up an application form given by the employer and many of them tend to ask you for the specific date down to the days.
If you put in 2011 – 2012 and only to show that it is 31 Dec 2011 – 1 Jan 2012, that isn’t going to get you the job interview any time soon.
Fourth Tip: Put in an Executive Summary
As the writer of your resume, you should write in a way to guide your reader to your emphasis. Just like how internet marketeers make use of landing pages to guide traffic to their call-to-action button.
To lessen emphasis on gaps, consider putting in a strong and sufficient executive summary. This might get the reader to focus more of their attention there.
Here is an example of a resume that is repackaged to emphasize more on the executive summary:
Image taken from http://www.resumewriter.sg
Importantly the executive summary helps to frame your application better to contextualize the rest of your content.
Just like how we tend to believe more credible experts, you want to use this window of opportunity to position yourself to be the domain expert.
It will give a heavier weight to every sentence you say.
Think about it. If someone on the street tells you that the job market is not good, you might just pass it off. But if that person happens to the the Minister of Manpower, you will stop playing with your iPhone and pay attention.
The same principle apply here.
Conclusion
The economy experienced such a significant downtime in the past years, making it more common to see job-seekers that have employment gaps on their resume.
Even if you are one of those, there is no reason to make that stop you from the going back to the workforce or lose hope from getting a job again.
Keep these tips in mind so you will know how to handle your employment gap effectively.
Best of all, show how eager you are to working again.
After all, your positive attitude is just among the many things you have that can land you a job again.