How To Explain Employment Gap In Your Resume

Job searching is such a pain in this depressed economy and it becomes more severe when you have gap in employment. Sometimes this employment gap makes you embarrassed, sometimes worried and sometimes stressed.

You always feel your resume worth less when you have employment gap but filling this gap is not difficult. You can easily show it as your skill rather then your weakness. All you need to be pro active and intelligent.

Let us move to  techniques of managing employment gap in resume.

Choose Resume Format Intelligently

Do you know? choosing a resume format is the first step of writing JOB-WINNING RESUME. So, you should choose a resume according to your experience level and skills. If you have employment gap then the best resume format for you is functional resume where you will highlight your skills first.

The functional resume will immediately let your recruiter know your skills and creates a positive image. By creating positive image through your skills, you can definitely de-emphasize your employment gap.

Let Your Achievements Dominant Your Resume

Your achievements are like your asset. It makes your resume key of successful career so, use it wisely and when you are facing trouble with employment gap, write all your achievements under one heading in highlighted slot.

Carefully Mention The Employment Periods.

If you do not have much larger employment gap and it can be calculated in months then omit months from your resume and only mention the year of your previous employment. For e.g in spite of writing august 2000 to march 2001, write 2000 to 2001.

 

Be Proactive

Never let your self rusted. If you have been searching a job then it is not a problem. The problem is, when you do not try to keep yourself in main stream. So, whenever you have a break with job, try to polish your skills by earning degree or volunteering or some updated short courses. It will always keep your self-esteem high.

Do Not Under Estimate Your Volunteer Or Part Time Work

Some of us do volunteer work to help others and don not consider it including in resume. This approach is totally wrong. Your volunteering always let you earn some experience and it also proves that you were not useless man.

Try to participate in some volunteer work and do mention it in your resume through strong words.

Know The Power Of Verbs

Job searching can be depressing but do not sound depressing in your resume. Try to use strong verbs in your resume and let recruiter know that how much you are skilled and how much you can be beneficial for them.

Honesty Is The Best Policy

If you have employment gap because of raising child or you had been busy in getting any degree or taking care of old parents then it is not unwise to mention your problem under the heading of PERSONAL PROFILE.