Self - employment and other forms of freelance work are great additions to your resume, especially for anyone who's dealing with
employment gaps in their work history.
In my article Resumes for Returning Workers I talk about several ways to address
employment gaps in your work history.
How to Handle a Resume Gap Here's how to explain
an employment gap in your work history to a hiring manager..
If you can't easily account for
employment gaps in your work history using any of the above methods, then another completely different way (which is often not ideal and should be the last resort) to approach them is by using the functional rather than the chronological resume format.
You must also avoid hiding
employment gaps in your work history.
Not exact matches
Based on complete
work histories and extensive cognitive assessments among respondents to the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement
in Europe (SHARE)
in 13 countries, the research team examined how
employment gaps associated with unemployment, sickness, homemaking, training and maternity spells relate to cognitive function and aging - related cognitive decline at older age.
However, the challenge of going back to
work after retirement is that
gaps in your
employment history may appear undesirable to potential employers.
This style emphasizes your job
history and therefore
works best for those with no
employment gaps and who are following a traditional career path
in the guard industry.
If you have
gaps in your
employment history, hold little
work experience, or want to make a career change, you may benefit from using a skills - based CV layout.
Especially if you have
gaps in your
employment history or if your carer has taken an unconventional path, feel free to play around with this format to make it
work for you.
A functional resume is typically used by job seekers who are changing careers, who have
gaps in their
employment history, or who have limited
work experience.
Here are some details on what kind of information employers will check, and how to explain any
employment gaps or other «red flags» an employer might find
in your
work history.
An
employment gap or
gap in employment history is important because it raises red flags
in the eyes of a potential employer when the unemployed individual tries to return to
work.
If you're struggling to find
work, and feel that
gaps in your
employment history are to blame, always try and be proactive.
It is not a reflection of your
work, and many employers are often incredibly understanding when it comes to
gaps in employment history.
However, when you have recent
gaps in your
work history (within the past year or so), whether from being laid - off and out of
work, taking time out from the workplace to spend with your family, traveling, going back to school, or for any reason, your cover letter gives you an opportunity to explain an
employment gap.
For the same reasons, however, this format may not be suited for those who have little or no
work history, an inconsistent
work history,
gaps in employment, or a trend of job - hopping.
For those with a consistent
employment history without serious
gaps and those who are continuing to look for
work in their current field, this is your best choice.
Functional resumes
work best for people with
gaps in their
employment history, focusing more on the skills, functions, lessons, and learning rather than the specifics of their
work experience.
Those who have had
gaps in their
employment, who are changing careers or who have a long
work history may wish to consider using a functional CV format or one - page career summary to better outline their skills and experience.
Finally, by focusing more on your skills more than your
work history, a hybrid resume can lessen the negative impact of
gaps in your
employment or education.
If you're worried about having a huge
gap in your
employment history and have nothing to fill it
in with, get involved with some community / volunteer
work today.
In the
Work History section of your resume, explain any
employment gaps by inserting a «job title» (full - time parent, volunteer, student, independent study, travel abroad) that is relevant to your job objective, or at least says something positive about your character.
Don't leave obvious
gaps in your
employment history — use tricks such as functional formatting which focuses on listing relevant qualifications as opposed to
work experience
in a chronological order
A resume objective on the other hand
works for those with
gaps in employment history or minimal experience.
For those with little or no
work experience or those with large
gaps in their
employment history then the skills format is the best.
This popular format focuses on your marketable skills rather than highlight your
employment history completely, and is best for those who do not have a lot of
work experience, those who are switching careers or even people who are coming back into the workforce with some
gaps in work history.
These
gaps in employment history are highlighted when using the chronological resume format, which requires the listing of
work history in reverse chronological order.
The unfortunate fact is that a mother (or father) returning to
work with a three, six, or even 10 - year
gap in her
employment history will find it much more difficult to get a job than it would have been without that
gap.
I provide customized coaching targeted to your goals and needs, whether you are changing careers or re-entering your field after a long absence, concerned about age discrimination or
gaps in employment, or struggling with an unusual
work history that doesn't «fit the mold» of typical expectations.
Combination resumes are used for unique cases where people have big
gaps in their
work history or are transferring from something like the military to public
employment.
If there are any unexplained
gaps in your
employment history, employers will deduce that you were unemployed during that time — and there's really no point drawing more attention than necessary to the fact you were out of
work for X amount of weeks or months.
The functional resume format is a great choice for individuals with very little
work experience, or with significant
gaps in their
employment history.
Uncover unexplained
gaps in employment and undesirable behaviors
in your applicant's
work history.
This style
works to your advantage if you have a strong, stable
work history, with no significant
gaps in employment.
On the other side, if you have had many
gaps in employment or have frequently changed organizations, it's always better to throw light on your accounting skills rather than
work history.
There are those of us however who are just entering the job market, returning to the
employment market after some period of absence, have had unsteady careers or have
gaps in their
work histories.
Besides college graduates, those who have intermittent
work or long
gaps in their
employment history.
Employment Gap: A period of unemployment
in your
working history.
A Functional resume is good for someone with limited
work history or
gaps in employment.
Those who have had
gaps in their
employment, who are changing careers or who have a long
work history may wish to consider using a functional resume format or one - page career summary to better outline their skills and experience.
Alternatively, those who have had
gaps in their
employment, who are changing careers or who have a long
work history may wish to consider using a functional resume template format to better outline their skills and experience.
Other competitors might not want to
work with you if you have very little experience or
gaps in your
employment history.
For job seekers who need to overcome a
work history that has several jobs and / or
gaps in employment, there is the functional resume.
Candidate Plans on Leaving Check a candidate's resume for suspicious
work history, such as an inconsistent career path or
gaps in employment.
An
employment verification can uncover unexplained
gaps in employment and undesirable behaviors
in your applicant's
work history.
Employment Verification — Look for unexplained
gaps or undesirable patterns
in your applicant's
work history.
If you've been out of
work for some time, you may be concerned about the growing
gap in your
employment history.
Employment verifications uncover unexplained gaps in employment, and undesirable behavior patterns in the applicant's wor
Employment verifications uncover unexplained
gaps in employment, and undesirable behavior patterns in the applicant's wor
employment, and undesirable behavior patterns
in the applicant's
work history.
For functional format, you need to use it only if you have
gaps in employment, jumped around different jobs or have minimal
work history.