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February 2011 =

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CWR=20 Career = Zone

How=20 to deal with employment gaps on your resume=20
By=20 Terry Pile, = GCDF
=20 Exclusive for=20 The College World Reporter

=20

You took a break = from work=20 to raise a family, go back to school or spend = time=20 traveling. Perhaps you were laid off and = used the=20 opportunity to recharge emotionally before = looking for=20 another job. The time off was worth it, but now = you have=20 a glaring gap in your work history. How do = you=20 explain it on a resume? The answer depends = on two=20 factors - how long and how productive your = period of=20 unemployment has been.

How=20 did you use your time=20 off?

When employers see a large gap = in work=20 history on a resume, it is natural for them to = wonder=20 what the job candidate was doing during that = period of=20 time. Were you at home watching daytime = television=20 and eating bonbons? Were you doing time in = a=20 correctional facility? Were you = procrastinating on=20 your job search until your unemployment ran out? = Or were=20 you working on your personal and professional=20 development?

Employers = like to=20 know you were doing something productive to = enhance your=20 marketability during your absence from the=20 workplace. If you returned to school, say=20 so. If you did volunteer work while = raising your=20 family, document it. If you did any kind = of=20 freelance, temporary or contract work during = your time=20 off, call yourself a consultant and include it = on your=20 resume. If you prefer to be vague about a = gap in=20 employment, consider writing "On Sabbatical" or = "Special=20 Project." Just be sure you have a reasonable = response=20 prepared for the interview. For example on = sabbatical=20 could mean, "I had the opportunity to travel and = conduct=20 research for a novel I plan to write," or "I was = lucky=20 to have a generous severance package that = allowed me to=20 do volunteer work for a year. It enabled = me to=20 acquire valuable skills I'd like to offer your = company."=20

How=20 long was your time off?

In today's economy it is = taking job=20 seekers longer to find employment. A gap = of a year=20 is not unusual in an economy with a high = unemployment=20 rate and will probably go unnoticed. = However, if=20 your hiatus from work is pushing two years or = more, you=20 will want to address that gap on your resume. = Here are a=20 few suggestions:

Consider how=20 you represent dates=20

This is not permission to lie. = You never=20 want to put a falsehood on a resume. How = you use=20 dates on your resume is more about = perception. For=20 example, if you left a job in November 2009 and = it is=20 now March 2010 you will want to indicate the = month and=20 year of your separation from your last job -=20 11/2009. The employer will see you have = been=20 unemployed for just a few months. However, = if you=20 were laid off in January 2009 and it is = currently March=20 2010, you may want to leave off the month and = use only=20 the year 2009. In this case, the employer = will=20 have to speculate how long you have been away = from the=20 workplace. It could be anywhere from three = to 15=20 months. Be prepared to have a plausible response = if=20 asked.

Lead with=20 relevant work

Perhaps you are not = returning to the=20 same kind of job you held in your last = position. =20 For example, six years ago John worked in public = relations, but his last two positions were in=20 sales. He wants to return to the public = relations=20 field. In this case he could use the = headline=20 Relevant Employment and bring earlier public = relations=20 jobs to the top of his resume. After = listing=20 relevant jobs, he could add another headline = that is=20 titled Additional Employment. Under this = category he=20 could briefly summarize his sales jobs or other=20 employment.

Let's say=20 John's public relations jobs were 20 years = ago. He=20 may not want to advertise this fact. = Instead of=20 Relevant Experience, he could lead with the=20 headline,

Relevant=20 Accomplishments. In this case, he can = include=20 several bullets highlighting his public = relations=20 achievements and leave dates out all together.=20

By = leading with=20 the skills and accomplishments relevant to the = job being=20 advertised, you have taken your work history out = of=20 chronological context. If the employer is = impressed by=20 your qualifications related to the vacant = position,=20 he/she will be less inclined to care about dates = or the=20 order of you work history.

Focus=20 on the last ten years

Today most=20 employers are interested in what you have been = doing in=20 the last ten years. This is good news if = the gap=20 in your work history occurred more than a decade = ago. You can sum up your employment prior = to the=20 year 2000 by simply stating Previous Experience = includes=20 and briefly list employers and jobs you may want = to=20 highlight without going into detail. Leave dates = off. Not only will you be covering up = gaps, but=20 you will also avoid revealing your age, a vital=20 statistic employers should not be able to glean = from=20 your resume.

There are many ways to downplay = flaws in=20 your work history. Fortunately, there are = also=20 many good resume books on the market to help job = seekers=20 improve their marketability. Two books I = recommend are=20 Resume Empower: Shattering the Paper=20 Ceiling by Tom Washington (Mount = Vernon=20 Press, 2009) and

The Targeted Resume, by = Kate=20 Wendleton of The Five O'clock Club (Thomson = Delmar=20 Learning,=20 = 2006).

About=20 Terry = Pile

Terry=20 Pile is principal and senior consultant with = Career=20 Advisors. Terry has over twenty years of=20 experience in corporate, government, non-profit = and=20 entrepreneurial settings. Terry's areas of = effectiveness include working with individuals = to=20 identify their strengths and passions and = develop a=20 career destiny within their current company or = for=20 future employment. Terry has a Master's = degree in=20 Education from Indiana University and a = Certificate in=20 Career Development from the University of=20 Washington. She is certified by the Center = for=20 Credentialing and Education as a Global Career=20 Development Facilitator = (GCDF).

About=20 Career=20 = Advisors

Career Advisors is a=20 collaboration of skilled career development and = human=20 resources professionals who provide private = career=20 counseling to individuals in transition. = Career=20 Advisors also works with small and mid-size=20 companies who pride themselves on having a = fair and=20 compassionate approach to talent management, and = who=20 strive to be the employer of choice in their=20 field.

Career Advisors
Mercer = Island, WA=20

Phone: =20 206-236-5697
http://www.careeradvisorsonline.com/
= ;

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