The Interview Handbook

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Listing your professional experiences on your resume is not easy and you need to follow some basic steps, but it can be done!

Remember a resume is just a simple way of listing achievements and is normally consists of: job titles, time frames, key responsibilities, transferable skills, etc. The difficulty is when you have gaps in your work history. Your potential employer will have no way of knowing why there is a three and a half year gap in your professional experience just by reviewing your resume,

For example. The employer may wonder if you skipped over one of the jobs you held because it didn’t meet your career objective, or they may assume that you didn’t work at all during this period that is unaccounted for on your resume. Remember –

Any gaps in your employment history will need to be explained in writing; don’t fall into the trap of lying or skipping any information on purpose.

So here are a few general rules I suggest you follow:

Any unaccounted time that is shorter than three months doesn’t need to be explained. Having 60-90 days in between jobs is not too unusual, and often goes unnoticed within a resume. However, any gaps extending beyond three months should be addressed in your cover letter or e-mail. Whether you had personal or professional reasons for not working, the gaps in your employment history need to be explained as you don’t want to leave the employer to make their own assumptions.

Be honest! I can’t stress this enough. If you are honest with your potential employer, you will not have to worry about them checking your references, doing a background check, or surprising you with questions in an interview.

Don’t exclude months of your employment from the job listing. You are better off explaining the gaps in your resume than trying to cover them up. Honesty is really the best policy when it comes to your resume. If you have held jobs that are not applicable to your career objective, list them on your resume anyway.

Rather than create gaps in your resume, explain why you held jobs outside of your field in your covering letter or in your email. Again, whether the reasons are personal or professional, explain yourself honestly and don’t leave room for assumptions on the part of your potential employer.

Regardless of the reasons for the gaps in your professional history, it is important that the tone in your covering letter and your resume remains positive. Do not sound apologetic – life happens and you don’t need to be sorry for taking time off work. Be positive, and always show your potential employer that you never lost focus on your career.

While I agree life takes unexpected twists and turns and respect that there will be times when there are gaps in your resume, why not put that time to good use and use your experience in volunteer work, community projects, and consulting or freelance work.

Why not take a class at a community college or at the community centre that will improve your work-related skills and allows you to interact with other people with similar professional backgrounds.

Read about the new developments in your field. Get a subscription to a professional publication/magazine, or get the newly published books that discuss changes or improvements in your profession.

Most of all, be honest and stay positive. You can’t change your work history, so do your best to show your employer you are a perfect candidate for the job by focusing on your experience and your education, highlighting your achievements and your qualifications.