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How to explain gaps in your work history
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Moneyville
If you have gaps in your employment history, you’re not alone. It’s common for job seekers to leave a full-time job for a variety of reasons – education, starting a family, disability, illness, or travel – but many looking to re-enter the work force are unsure about how employers might view employment gaps when making interview selections.
In my six years of full-time work, I’ve had two employment gaps spanning 11 weeks, and six weeks. And while those gaps are short, I still had figure out a way to show prospective employers my abilities, instead of having them focus on why I was out of work.
Here are four things you can do:
Keep busy
If you find yourself unemployed, keep busy by turning your time off into an opportunity to learn.
Take a class . Check out your local college. It shows Showing initiative to better your skill-set will show employers that you are a well-rounded employee.
Expand your skillset . If you don’t have the money to take a course, learn a new skill at home. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to edit images in Photoshop, create a Twitter account, or start a blog. This article is about how social media can help you with your job search.
Choose something you could put on a resume, and start by researching basic tutorials online or finding a friend who is willing to teach you.
Volunteer . Most of us wish we could volunteer more often, “if only we had the time.” Since you can’t spend 24 hours a day searching for work, find an organization you believe in, and offer them your services. Even when the job doesn’t pay, a volunteering position can be just as intriguing as a full-time job to a prospective employer or job recruiter.
Look for freelance work . Freelancing will give you a flexible schedule so you can continue your job search, enable you to bring in extra income, and keep up-to-date with your skills and qualifications.
Create a functional resume
For the first five years of my career, instead of a chronological resume, I had a functional resume.
A chronological resume is one that lists your employment history in order, with the most recent position listed first. While it suits those with a steady job history, it might not be the best choice for new graduates, or those with employment gaps.
A functional resume focuses on your skills and experiences, rather than your work history. Because I was new to the work force and without a university degree, I listed my experience and education last, and instead chose to highlight my strengths – which were my relevant skills and key accomplishments.
Mention major employment gaps
Unless you can hide an employment gap through freelancing, volunteer work, or education, the best thing to do might be just to address the issue in either your cover letter or in the interview.
If you decide to mention your employment gap in the cover letter, the details are not important. Make sure that your explanation is brief and to the point – a couple of sentences at the most.
In a job interview, you should still keep your explanation brief. Explain any valuable work-related experiences you gained during your employment gap, and mention that you are excited to move onto the next phase of your life.
If a gap occurred a long time ago, there’s no point in mentioning it at all. Employers usually only care about your most recent work history.
Be honest
The worst thing you can do on a resume or in a job interview is to lie or stretch the truth. If you were let go from your previous job, don’t tell them that you left on your own. The same goes for freelancing during your employment gap. If you didn’t work with any clients while you were unemployed, you weren’t really freelancing. Employers will usually verify your resume and what you’ve said through reference checks.
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