How to Deal With Work Gaps in Your Resume

Let's look at 3 common scenarios resulting in work gaps as well as effective solutions for each:

Work Gap Reason: "I took time off to raise a child/deal with family issues"

This is probably the single most common reason for a work gap in a candidate's resume. However, like all work gaps, it must be addressed within the resume to prevent it from becoming a negative. The trick is to think in terms of what you ACCOMPLISHED. How is your family better off now than before you took time off? What are you most proud of? Now create a 1-2 line "Career Note" that addresses this along the lines of:

Career Note: Strengthened family relationships, effectively managed household resources, and maintained current knowledge of industry trends and practices (Insert Dates Here)."

Avoid mentioning anything that might possibly be construed in a negative light. Also note the "maintaining current knowledge" portion of the Career Note. This is a signal to hiring agents that you didn't allow your time off to adversely affect your professional capabilities. This is important.

Work Gap Reason: "I took time off to take some classes and work on independent projects."

An entrepreneurial spirit is a valued attribute. The key is to craft a "Career Note" which demonstrates a clear purpose behind it, as opposed to randomly attempting a few classes and projects. Take a look at the following:

Career Note: Expanded technical proficiencies in AutoCAD, forged relationships with regional clients, and executed detailed drafting work resulting in positive feedback (Insert Dates Here).

Thinking in terms of how to dovetail the experience you gained during a work gap with your long-term career goals is the key to success here.

Work Gap Reason: "I took time off due to health issues."

Though common, this is one of the most difficult work gaps to address. The truth is, there's a limit to how forthcoming you should be on a resume, and talking about health issues definitely falls into the "excessive" category, as it can only be taken in a negative light. What I normally do for clients in this situation is to focus on other aspects, such as:

Career Note: Built lasting industry relationships and successfully expanded professional network (Insert Dates Here).

When in doubt, keep a Career Note brief and to-the-point. Remember that the ultimate goal here is to briefly address a work gap and allow a reader to move on to other positions you've held without it becoming an issue.

Best of luck in your job search!