There’s always a time when one has to take time off from working. It could be by choice; but in some cases, it’s beyond your control. So, how do you explain an employment gap in your resume? Your explanation depends on the circumstances and activities you were involved in while you were unemployed; but the point is, you have to justify these gaps in your resume.

Here are some tips on how to address these gaps:

1. For short-term employment gaps, leave out inclusive months when you write your work history. Just write down the inclusive years. Aside from making it easier to read, this covers up the apparent gaps. So instead of typing:

A Shop                   May 2005 – Feb 2006
Sales Manager
New York, NY

B Store                   Dec 2006 – May 2009
Account Executive
Sarasota, FL

Write it this way:

A Shop                   2005 – 2006
Sales Manager
New York, NY

B Store                   2006 – 2009
Account Executive
Sarasota, FL

2. Long-term employment gaps need more than just a simple tweak in the presentation; there has to be some explanation. If you are a nurse who wants to go back to work in a hospital after two years of taking care of your sick mother, you might want to state in your resume that you were primary health care provider for a sick relative for two years. This may even work to your advantage and count as experience and accomplishment.

If, on the other hand, the reason for your employment gap doesn’t have anything to do with your target job, just be honest. If you were out of work because you had to take care of your new-born daughter indicate in your resume that you were a full-time parent during that period. Other acceptable reasons could include; further studies (or completing a degree), additional training or helping out the family business.

3. Document all the things you did when you were out of work. Did you volunteer for something? Did you attend conferences or a short-term course? List down all these things in your resume as they are relevant and legitimate entries.

4. Format is important. Rather than highlight the dates when you were working, draw attention to your job title through making it bold or using bigger fonts. It’s also a lot smarter to highlight your achievements more, so that your future boss focuses on your work performance instead.

5. Most importantly, do not lie on your resume just to cover up a gap. Remember that employers always verify the work history of a job seeker. You’d run the risk of getting busted, and this can mess up your chances of getting an interview, much less the job. It only takes one wrong move to ruin your chances.

In the end, the key is to be honest and to assure the prospective employer that you are a dependable and productive candidate worthy of a shot.

Tags: how to write a resume, job history, job history in resume, Resume, resume help, resume review, resume tips, resume writing, top resume tips, write a resume

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 8:06 am and is filed under Applying for a Job, Resume, Resume Do's and Don'ts, Resume Help, how to write a resume. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.