Resume Gaps 3 Fixes for Employment Gaps - Your Career Intel

Resume Gaps 3 Fixes for Employment Gaps - Yur Career IntelDealing with resume gaps can be tricky. You never want to lie about your employment history, but a gap between jobs will certainly attract attention. How you handle a gap in your resume sets the tone for how a hiring manager will respond to that gap. While it may be tempting to gloss over the gap by stretching past employment dates, this approach can backfire, calling your credibility into question and causing you to lose the offer. Dont hide a gap explain it.Heres how to address three common employment gaps on your resumeExtended resume gapsIf youre re-entering the workforce after a long hiatus, use your stellungnahme at the top to succinctly summarize relevant skills and accomplishments. LINK TO RESUME OBJECTIVES Highlight recent credentials or continuing education youve completed that proves your skills are fresh and that youre on top of industry trends.Keep it serious. Whether the break was to be a stay-at-home parent, car e for a sick family member, or pursue a dream of world travel, trying to be humorous on the resume with your experience can backfire. Its great to be candid during the interview, but your resume isnt the place for phrases like adeptly managed family laundry piles. Instead, use this valuable space to emphasize that youve kept your skills fresh, whether thats through relevant volunteer work or freelance assignments.Short-term jobsDid you hold a short-term job (three months or less) in between two much longer-held orts? For example, perhaps you left a long-term position in April (Job 1), started a new position in June (Job 2), and then leave for a better position in neunter monat des jahres (Job 3)? At first glance, this job-hopping might raise a red flag, even if theres a perfectly good explanation (professional relocation, recruited to a new position, etc.) to explain your rapid changes. If Job 2 doesnt augment your skills, experience or leadership credentials, its okay to leave this position off. Just be prepared to be honest about the gap should an interviewer ask for details.Short gaps between jobsDid you lose your job in February only to spend the next six months job-hunting until you found a new position in September? If you list the months and dates you held positions, youll end up with a six-month gap that distracts from your main message. This is the one case where you may be better off listing years rather than specific start and end dates. Of course, if a hiring manager asks you how long it took to find your next position, you should always be honest. But in this case, theres no reason to broadcast a larger gap.If you have extended professional gaps or multiple career changes, dont rely on a resume alone to tell your story. Theres no time like the present to work your network and meet as many decision makers face-to-face as possible. The more practice you have discussing resume gaps, the more confident youll feel when questioned during a formal interv iew.For more recruiter resume secrets, be sure to check out our other blogsResume Skills Section 4 Dos and DontsHow to Include Internships on Your ResumeHow to List Education on Your ResumeResume Objectives or Summary Statement?Top 4 Resume Mistakes to Avoid