Applying for a job is a challenge, thus it is obligatory to submit a perfect resume. It does not mean it should be only flawless and grammatically correct. It must reveal your best talents, skills, and motivation. Showing how much you want to get an offered job position is also important, as well as providing a list of personal achievements. Every core element of a resume should be outlined. If you have gaps in employment history, there are great approaches to explain every gap and even make it your strong point. Many reasons can be count as logical and inevitable when dealing with employment history’s gaps.
Further education pursuing, additional training chasing, various health issues, freelance activity or a need for caring for a sick family member can be called good reasons having gaps in employment record. Putting up your reason for staying away from your career pursuing is important for providing a recruiter with all needed information that may help you in your applying process. Be attentive to details when explaining gaps in employment. The following advices and tips will help you to deal with this complex issue.
When explaining gaps in employment history, it is important to follow the next recommendations:
Nowadays, people keep improving professional skills and knowledge constantly. There is no problem in spending months or even years for an additional education or special training, if you have obtained a new useful knowledge and exceptional practical skills. Do not forget to mention it in your resume.
Various health issues can greatly affect your career path. If such an unpleasant situation occurred, do not try to explain it in the slightest details. Keep providing a gap explanation avoiding unserviceable description. Try to convince a recruiter in a few sentences that you have successfully solved your health issue and now can go straight to your working tasks. Focus on your personal talents, skills, working experience and a strong willingness to work. Never complain in your resume when explaining gaps in employment. Always show your great desire and motivation to work in order to fulfill companies’ top goals.
There is nothing special about how to explain gaps in employment if you were relocated. It is a common practice for people because of certain family or career reasons to move to another state or country and face a need to get a new job. Since a job seeking process is quite challengeable, especially in a foreign country, try to follow the next tips to provide good reasons for gaps in employment:
Many applicants think it is very easy to explain gaps in resume when you have been working on personal projects. In fact, solo projects are the reason itself of gap careers. However, employment gap explanation in case you were implementing your own projects requires a brief explanation of managed projects, their advanced importance and the value of skills you have gained while working solo on your previous job position. Please explain any gaps in employment if you were traveling a lot. Do not try to write down all the countries you have visited. Avoid details, but outline the knowledge and skills, or maybe personal worldview changes, you have obtained or faced.
Please explain any gaps in your employment history if you were taking care of a sick family member. As same as in a case with personal health issue explanation, avoid details and focus on skills or features you have gained. You even may outline how being a caring person greatly improves person’s attitudes and character.
In order to explain employment gaps on resume follow the next steps:
If you were building own business or developing a freelance career, write down your personal achievements and companies you have been working with (in case of freelance activity) to impress your recruiter. Simply writing about your business or freelance career development is not enough in order to explain gaps in employment. In case of personal business, try to describe briefly all the projects, services or products offered by your private company. Describe the place you have obtained on the market in a chosen niche. When working as a freelancer, provide a list of companies you have been working with and mark down your performed duties briefly.
If you were quite busy with a job searching, but have ended up in numerous failures, do not write it in your resume using a bunch of words. It is better to learn how to explain gap in employment in interview, since it will give you more chances to present your reasons correctly forcing a recruiter or employer to give you a chance to work with a company. No matter what reason of your gap is, try to explain everything briefly.
Getting a desired job is a challenge, thus always try to do your best when applying. Having gaps in your employment history does not mean you should quit on your desire to get a job of your dream. Putting up a good explanation will help you in your applying process. Always focus on your exceptional professional skills, personal talents and achievements to become a successful applicant!