Career and Job Search Help Blog

   
                 (courtesy of: www.flazingo.com/creativecommons)                      
                  
Employment gaps are always a challenge to explain on a resume. Should you include these periods of unemployment on your resume? Will this hurt your chances of getting the job you want? Will potential employers judge you unfavourably during the hiring process?  These are some common concerns people have when constructing their resume.

With the unemployment rate hovering around 6.5%, the Bank of Canada said that the “average unemployment duration is lingering close to its post-crisis peak, at about 21 weeks.” These statistics clearly demonstrate that employment gaps are a common occurrence in today's current job market. 

There are many reasons why people have these employment gaps. Whether it is time off for personal reasons, caring for an elderly family member, starting a family, going back to school, emigrating to a new country, getting laid-off, or simply transitioning between jobs, job seekers should take some time to modify and carefully reconstruct a resume that reflect these employment gaps. Your goal is to make sure that you skillfully showcase your skills and accomplishments in a positive and favourable light.

But how do you effectively explain these temporary breaks on your resume so that it will not raise any red flags to prospective employers? Here are a few ways to address gaps in your employment:

• Resume Format – While hiring professionals prefer chronological resumes to functional, Sharon Graham says that recruiters generally prefer a reverse chronological resume format. This helps them to get a better picture of the candidate’s accomplishments. She also recommends that you include a strong “feature section” upfront that includes your best traits, personal career success and significant skills. Add your strongest accomplishments “early in the resume [then] add a career history section which includes “meaty” content under each job title.” 

If there is a gap, fill it by listing the years with that company instead of including the date. Make sure that the top third of your resume showcases your strengths and accomplishments. Customize your resume by tailoring it to the job that you are seeking. However, multiple resumes mean that you have to ensure that you proofread each one very carefully for specific content as well as, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. 

Martin Yate suggests using annual employment dates (e.g. Microsoft  2010-2014) to fill employment gaps instead of month and year dates because it downplays these gaps in your resume. Once in the interview, you can'then explain these gaps as honestly and concisely as you can without giving too much details about why you were off for a period of time. He cautions that you can't use the same strategy for all your employment gaps but rather adopt different strategies for the different periods.

• Cover Letter – A cover letter can convey how and why you would be a great asset to the organization. Because it is less rigid than the actual resume, you can briefly explain these employment gaps. Explaining the lapse honestly gives you the opportunity to remove any doubt about your capabilities while highlighting your strong points and this will in turn, remove any awkward questions during the interview process.

• Build Your Skills – List any volunteer experience, internships, retraining, freelance work, temporary assignments, or certification that you did during this transitioning period. Use this period to improve your skills and stay current with changes in your industry. This is an excellent way to show potential employers how productive and constructive you have been during this period.

An employment gap is not something to be ashamed about, however, how you acknowledge these gaps on your resume and to prospective employers is very important when it comes to your job hunting success.  

For help with preparing your resume and cover letter, borrow these title.