Gap, What Gap?
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
You took time off to be with your children, and now you’ve decided you would like to go back to work. Your last employer laid you off, and you made up your mind to take some well-deserved R&R before you hit the job market again. You freelanced for a period, and discovered it just wasn’t your cup of tea, and now you’re trying to find a steady job in your field. Your aging parents needed help, and now you’re at the point where you can work again. You did your time in prison, and now you’re ready to get a job on the outside.
That Time Gap on the Resume
Whatever the reason, now you want to reenter the job market, but there’s that distressing gap in your resume, the one that employers eye with a mixture of wonder and disapproval. Or, even worse, you’ve worked in so many different jobs your resume looks like a shopping list. What can you do when you have a gap in your employment, or too many jobs for one person’s lifetime? How do you handle these unique situations in your resume? Luckily, there are ways to make your resume shine, even if your employment background is a little murky. We’ll show you just how you can cover those gaps in your employment quickly and professionally.
Two Types of Resumes
Employment professionals and resume writers agree that the best way to avoid the employment gap altogether is to write a “functional” resume rather than a “chronological” resume. Chronological resumes are the kind that most people use when they look for a job. They list your prior jobs, along with how long you worked there, and your professional objectives. Functional resumes instead list your skills, education, and experience in a non-traditional format, without the dates of employment. They are formatted differently, and look out of the ordinary to the reader. This can be a plus, and can make you and your resume stand out from the crowd.
While some human resource professionals don’t like functional resumes because they find them confusing, these resumes are the best choice for people reentering the job market. Because they spotlight professional skills, education, and experience, rather than time spent on each job, their focus is on what you can do for the employer, not what you did in the past. This can be a disadvantage if you spent a long time at your previous job, but otherwise, it is an excellent format for highlighting your special skills and knowledge. Functional resumes work well in these situations because many people have acquired skills while working that are very transferable. For example, if you have worked as a retail manager, chances are you were responsible for hiring, training, coaching, evaluating and handling employee relations issues.
You need to be aware that the functional resume does include some problems. The functional format has one downside. Some employers may be unfamiliar to the functional format, and they may become confused or even irritated by functional resumes. If you are worried about this, you can always add a simple chronological section at the bottom of your resume that just lists your job title, location and name of the employer, and your dates of employment.
The Freelancer Dilemma
If you’re a freelancer, you often face unique employment barriers. Employers may feel that if a better paying contract comes along, you will leave. While this may not be true, you need to overcome that idea if you hope to find a permanent job. You need to stress your longevity as a freelancer, and your integrity. Offering previous contract employers as references can help you, and a functional resume is a great asset. You can also be straightforward with the interviewer, and tell them while you enjoyed freelancing, you missed the interaction with others, and decided you would rather work full-time for someone else than yourself. With a functional resume, you can present your skills and experience, rather than the fact that you are a freelancer, or freelanced in the past.
The Circumstances
There are often extenuating circumstances revolving around your employment gap, such as prison, or other personal reasons you did not work for a while. Most prisoners work with special job developers when they are released, who can help them create effective resumes and search for work. However, if you have an employment gap for personal reasons, a functional resume, and some good interviewing skills, should get you past the gap and back in the workplace. Professionals agree that the resume does not get you the job, it simply opens the door so you can interview. It’s your answers to those tough interview questions that land you your position. The best advice is to be positive, and concentrate on what experience and knowledge you bring to the employer.
The Interview
Once your revamped resume gets you the interview, there are still some hurdles if you have a gap in your employment. Probably one of the first questions the interviewer will ask is “Why have you changed jobs so much?” or “Why did you leave your last employer?” While there are plenty of answers that might work here, a simple, honest answer is best. For example, if you switched jobs often because your spouse relocated every few years, tell the interviewer this, and add that your spouse is now in a permanent position, and you want to “root your career in this area.” This shows the interviewer you are dependable, and want to stay in one place.
On the other hand, you can mention that you took time to spend with your children, and enjoyed it immensely, but they are all in school now, and you would like to renew your career goals and ambitions. This gives the interviewer an acceptable reason for your absence in the career market, and a good reason you would like to reenter it.
Functional resumes are also good choices for someone who is making a career change after new training, has spent time at many different unrelated jobs, or is entering the job market for the first time. You can find several samples of functional resumes, and additional information on how to write them by visiting the links below.
