How to Explain Gaps in Your Resume

Getting a good resume is important when one is searching for a new job. But what if you have such periods in your life when you do not have any job, or whose work is just not as involved as it used to be? There are such terms as employment gaps. Don’t worry! The implication here is that it is possible to justify these gaps in such a manner that will not hinder one from getting a job.

1. Use Your Time Off Wisely

Taking time off work is one of the luxuries that most people take for granted yet it is important to ensure that one gets to utilize the time off wisely. If you’re not working, try to do things that will help you get a job later. That is why, it is recommended to take classes to learn new skills. Accumulate certificates that will prove that you know some things relating to your job. Find and join groups of people in the kind of work you are engaged in. Volunteer, do minor jobs.

2. Which Occupations To Include

Employers do not expect you to list all the jobs that you have been applying for in your CV. If one has been serving in companies for many years, then the earlier jobs can be excluded particularly if the gap was made long ago. Concentrate on your last and most significant jobs.

3. Hide Small Gaps by Only Writing the Years

If you have small gaps between jobs (less than a year), you can make them less noticeable. Instead of writing the exact months you started and ended jobs, just write the years. For example:

Instead of: “August 2015 – January 2017” and “August 2017 – Present” Write: “2015 – 2017” and “2017 – Present”

This makes the gap less obvious. But be ready to explain if someone asks about exact dates in an interview.

4. Use a Different Resume Style

There are different ways to organize your resume. One way is called a “functional resume.” This type of resume focuses more on your skills and what you’ve achieved, rather than listing all your jobs in order. You can:

• Write a summary of your career at the top
• List your biggest accomplishments
• Put your work history at the end

This can help make gaps less noticeable.

5. Explain Long Gaps as Part of Your Work History

If you haven’t worked for more than a year, it’s better to explain why. You can list this time as if it were a job. For example:

“Full-time parent, Atlanta, GA, 2008 – 2011 Took time away from work to raise young children and take care of the home”

Keep it short, but honest about what you were doing.

6. Show How Your Time Off Relates to the Job

If you acquired or performed activities during your spare time that are relevant to the desired position, then explain them. For example, if you were a stay-at-home parent and you were applying for a job as a teacher’s role, you could write:

”Volunteered at local elementary school, coordinated fun learning activities for children, Oversaw the management of family’s household finances and family calendar”.

This proves that although you may not have been earning pay, you were occupied in activities that are beneficial for a specific job.

Just one thing to keep in mind – It’s quite normal that people are not working all the time. The thing is to prove that one utilized such extra time in a proper manner and that such a person is ready to work now. Just tell the truth and speak about what good things were done or what was learned during the time being off from work.