Gaps in your resume

Q:  I have several short-term gaps in my resume.  One is because of a company-wide layoff. The other is because I had a family illness, which required me to temporarily locate to the Midwest. The last one was years ago, and it was related to a health issue. Now my health is fine. I don’t want employers to think I am not qualified candidate because of the gaps. Any idea?

A: Gaps in employment are concerning, but not a showstopper. Many of us have been taught to treat a gap in employment as a yellow, or even a red flag. However, some of us have learned that life happens. A family member gets sick. Layoffs happen.

Here are some tips:

• Think about using years, not months and years on your resume. Instead of August, 2022 – January, 2023, consider using 2022-2023. The focus is then on the years versus highlighting the gap of five months.

• Prepare responses to explain any gaps in your work history. I can almost guarantee you will be asked. Preparation is key. Think about practicing your responses, until they sound natural and credible.

• Always, always, always be truthful. Do not fudge dates, ever.

• Avoid talking poorly about any former employer, even if you were fired or laid off.

A technique I often suggest is ANSWER and PIVOT. Answer the question but then pivot to a positive statement about your work history, qualifications or skills.  Do not dwell on the gap.

Examples:

Layoff –

“I was laid off in April, 2020 as part of a company-wide staff reduction, related to the pandemic. As I was job hunting, I was also able to complete an online certificate program, which strengthened my social media skills. These skills are aligned with one of the primary requirements of the Digital Marketing Associate role.” 

Family Illness –

“In 2018, I had a sick relative and temporarily moved to Cleveland to help her for a short time. Thankfully, I have an extended family, and others are now able to chip in to help with her care.  During that time, I learned I was able to complete quite a bit of research on ABC Company, as well as your competitors.  I think this information will be helpful when I am hired as an Inside Sales Representative.” 

Short-term health issue –

“I had some short-term health issues in 2015. I am grateful that those issues are behind me and have been for some time. You likely saw on my resume that I was able to return to work quickly in September, 2015. I then joined ABC Company and was promoted after just one year.”

You are smart to think about how to respond to these questions in advance.  Many candidates don’t prepare responses, and then are caught in a response where the focus is on the gap, the reason for the gap and sharing excessive details about a layoff, or an illness.  You want to take every opportunity to showcase your relevant skills and qualifications.