Do you have career gaps on your resume and feel they are preventing you from getting job interviews? If so, you are not alone. Many job candidates today have career gaps on their resume, and while they still deter potential employers from choosing you over someone who has none, they are not as scrutinized as they once were.
Your best course of action with a career gap is to explain it on the resume and cover letter. No, this does not mean to put in a paragraph on your resume explaining it in detail, but there are subtle ways you can handle the gap, which will give you a better chance of getting noticed for your other work and skills.
Hiring managers and recruiters think the worst when they see gaps on your resume. Did they get fired? Did they leave the job without notice? Were they hard to get along with? Too many concerns arise before they have even reviewed the rest of your resume. Here are a few ways you can bridge the gaps professionally, and ease the minds of potential employers:
- Resume Gaps - the best way to handle gaps on your resume is to remove the gap! For example, if you had 11 months between your last two jobs to stay at home and take care of your family, then list that as a job. Household manager - 11 months, and include your duties. By removing the gaps and replacing them with duties you completed during that time, the potential employer will have less concerns and will not jump to the wrong conclusion.
- Cover Letter - your cover letter is your chance to have a short conversation with your potential employer. It is also a great place to mention more details about your career gaps. Whether you had a medical issue, moved, or were raising your kids, the cover letter gives you the opportunity to explain. Highlight the skills you used during this time and how they relate to the job you are applying for.
When you can show a hiring manager or recruiter that your time away from your career was productive, added to your skills, or was meaningful, it typically will lessen their concerns. They then will see your resume for the skills and information that matters most, and not the gaps. If you have any career gaps on your resume, take the time now to replace them with relevant information.
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