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You are here: Home / Blog / Employment Gaps: What’s Missing from Your Résumé?

Employment Gaps: What’s Missing from Your Résumé?

November 14, 2016 By Fran

 

Employment gap: The years 1966 through 1995 are blank because I was on tour with the Grateful Dead.? (Conde Nast TagID: cncartoons011656) [Photo via Conde Nast]

(Conde Nast TagID: cncartoons011656) [Photo via Conde Nast]

 Maybe your gap in employment wasn’t as bad as this fellow’s (I don’t think there’s much I can do for him)—but it’s an issue I very often encounter with my clients.

It may be an extended period of unemployment, a return to work from family leave, or a move from current employment back to an earlier career. Whatever the reason, well-constructed resumes can help to address gaps effectively.

Try these tips

Here are some quick tips from career experts, which I have used myself:

  • Create what’s called a “hybrid” résumé, which includes both your skills and your job history. Start out with the transferable skills you can offer a employer and examples of your most notable and relevant accomplishments, rather than with your chronological job history.
  • Use terms that are most relevant to the jobs you are applying for, not so much those of your past positions.
  • Describe volunteer or temp work, special projects, training courses, memberships or self-improvement during your “gap” period. This will reassure employers that you remained actively involved with professional pursuits during that time.
  • Format your resume to place more emphasis on your job titles and accomplishments than on date ranges. Consider abbreviating or deleting irrelevant experience, especially if it goes back many years.
  • In your cover letter, explain the gap in positive terms and to reinforce what you can contribute to the success of the prospective employer. Demonstrate what a great fit you would be for the organization.

Are you wondering if you should use what is called a “functional” résumé instead? These types of resumes only focus on your skills and accomplishments and do not list your jobs chronologically at all. I don’t advise using them, as recruiters (which I once was myself) just don’t like them and feel you may have something to hide by using one.

Professional career counselors and resume writers will listen and help you to best market your strong points … so you can keep on truckin’.

© 2016 Fran Fahey, Fran’s Fine Editing

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: business, business success, recruitment, resumes

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Fran's Fine Editing Fran Fahey, Owner 6 Cedarwood Avenue, Easthampton, MA  01027-1906 Tel (413) 529-1189  |    fran@fransfineediting.com     Save Save Save … [Read More...]

Fran Fahey

Fran Fahey

Fran Fahey is an editor and copywriter with over 30 years of experience in human resources, government and business. Since 2008, she has operated Fran’s Fine Editing, helping business owners perfect their web copy, brochures and other communications, and individuals with editing of resumes, books, articles, dissertations, etc. Fran has a BA in psychology, and her previous career was with the Massachusetts Human Resources Division, where she won a governor’s award for excellence. She is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, a board member of the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, and a member of various professional and networking organizations. Fran writes her blog “Free Association” to share ideas about her work and the challenges of operating a small business.

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