“Ask yourself what you have been doing during your gap,” said Swan. Swan additionally notes that it's wise to mitigate your employment gap by including any educational, volunteer or career-growth opportunities you pursued. Like Swan, she recommends that you keep your responses short and parallel to what’s written on your resume - and then redirect the conversation to the strengths you are bringing to a new position. Toffolo continues to stress the importance of maintaining your privacy in order to avoid any bias. “And if you are asked about a career gap - whether you took time off because of health issues or to raise a family - make sure that you are staying true to yourself and honoring your confidentiality.” “I wouldn't offer up an explanation unless you're asked,” said Toffolo. While you may feel the need to explain in detail why you have a gap on your resume, Swan advises you keep your explanation as brief as possible.įor example, if you were laid off in 2018 and are just now getting back into the job market (a four-year gap), your response to a hiring manager could be something as simple as, “I was caught up in COVID-19 restructuring, but I’m more inspired than ever to pursue my next career move.” If you have identified that you have an employment gap or are currently on a sabbatical, you may be wondering how to address this in your interview and job-search process. “For instance, if someone is a subject matter expert in Tableau, but Tableau has had four updates in the two years they haven’t worked, that person is going to need training.” “We're looking for those large gaps, especially in industries such as technology,” said Brittney Swan, executive recruiter and resume writer. Kamara Toffolo, LinkedIn Top Voice, executive resume writer and job search strategist, specifies that a gap in employment is when you're not working at all, and she generally considers anything over three months to be an employment gap. You may be wondering what exactly qualifies as a career gap and if that two months after graduation or few weeks before starting a new job qualify as a gap. “It demonstrates that they have self-awareness and time management skills.” He added that professionals returning from a gap are often “prepared to hit the professional world by storm and will be even more dedicated to the job.” What Is an Employment Gap? “Oftentimes, a resume gap happens when someone needs to prioritize something else over work temporarily, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Brian Donovan, CEO of Timeshatter, told Forbes. What isn’t always as clear is how you should address these several months (or years) and how a gap will be perceived by a potential employer. The first thing to know about employment gaps is that they are common. Have you ever had a job perfectly lined up after your time at another job ended? Or, have you, much like LinkedIn’s estimated two-thirds of the working population, had some kind of employment gap occur on your resume? Follow this guide to better understand how to explain this normal occurrence in employment history. How will you identify this period of time on your resume? Will employers understand? This is called an employment gap - and most professionals have them. You’re updating your resume and recall a period of time you were not working between graduation and your first job.
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