How can I handle a gap in my resume?

There are generally four reasons to have a gap in your resume:

1. Raised A Family

This is an entirely legitimate reason to have a gap so do not try to hide it and please do not try to embellish it by using silly titles like Household or Domestic Engineer. Just say you invested in providing a stable environment for a family of X.Your challenge in returning to the workforce is to indicate that your skills are fresh, so list the volunteer jobs you did with the school and community to showcase your organizational and other skills that support your theme.

If you are from a technical field like IT or Engineering then you might need to showcase skills refresher courses or recent certifications you might have gained.

2. Unemployed

Especially in these times, gaps due to unemployment are common and the need to enter information here is entirely dependent on how long you were unemployed. If you haven’t worked in a year or more, having an unexplained gap on the resume connotes that people chose not to hire you which is certainly not the impression you want to make.

If you took some temporary jobs, just bunch them under the heading Temporary Positions and indicate you selected to take some temporary roles while searching for the next appropriate job challenge.

You can also include volunteer roles here too. If you did some part-time consulting, then indicate that and list some projects and successful results you achieved.

3. Family Matters

Sometimes you just have to take time off to deal with ailing relatives and financial matters. Or perhaps you were ill and don’t want to go into the details. Dealing with this is simple. Just list Sabbatical and state, “Dealt with urgent family matters now fully resolved.”

When it comes up in an interview, just say something like, “I always give110% to my job and I knew I could not do that at this time, so I decided to take the time off. However, everything is resolved now and I am ready to hit the ground running.”

4. Furthering Education

No one can fault someone for furthering their knowledge and value, so just treat this like another job and put a notation that you were pursuing a XX degree/certification.

 

Especially in this economy, career gaps on your resume are typical. Employers generally view a gap in employment negatively, however, it does not have to be this way. In these cases, it’s important to indicate why you took the time off.

There are a lot of legitimate reasons for employment gaps and assuming you did not spend your time eating Bon-Bons and watching Oprah, you should not be afraid to state what they were.

Whether you chose to become a stay-at-home parent, to pursue your education further, to deal with ailing parents (or your own illness), or were just unsuccessful in gaining new employment, you need to help an employer understand the reasons for resume career gaps.

Note it’s not enough to just mention your reasons on a cover letter as the resume must be able to survive as a stand-alone document.

How To Handle Career Gaps On Your Resume

There are generally four reasons to have a gap in your resume:

1. RAISED A FAMILY

This is an entirely legitimate reason to have a gap so do not try to hide it and please do not try to embellish it by using silly titles like Household or Domestic Engineer. Just say you invested in providing a stable environment for a family of X.Your challenge in returning to the workforce is to indicate that your skills are fresh, so list the volunteer jobs you did with the school and community to showcase your organizational and other skills that support your theme.

If you are from a technical field like IT or Engineering then you might need to showcase skills refresher courses or recent certifications you might have gained.

2. UNEMPLOYED

Especially in these times, gaps due to unemployment are common and the need to enter information here is entirely dependent on how long you were unemployed. If you haven’t worked in a year or more, having an unexplained gap on the resume connotes that people chose not to hire you which is certainly not the impression you want to make.

If you took some temporary jobs, just bunch them under the heading Temporary Positions and indicate you selected to take some temporary roles while searching for the next appropriate job challenge.

You can also include volunteer roles here too. If you did some part-time consulting, then indicate that and list some projects and successful results you achieved.

3. FAMILY MATTERS

Sometimes you just have to take time off to deal with ailing relatives and financial matters. Or perhaps you were ill and don’t want to go into the details. Dealing with this is simple. Just list Sabbatical and state, “Dealt with urgent family matters now fully resolved.”

When it comes up in an interview, just say something like, “I always give110% to my job and I knew I could not do that at this time, so I decided to take the time off. However, everything is resolved now and I am ready to hit the ground running.”

4. FURTHERING EDUCATION

No one can fault someone for furthering their knowledge and value, so just treat this like another job and put a notation that you were pursuing a XX degree/certification.

Never leave a gap in your CV.  Write the dates as you would if you had been working, and write a sentence or so explaining what you were doing.  Don't give away any personal secrets but be as honest as you can.  If you were waiting for a visa approval just say so.

 

Don't worry about the gaps in your CV.............. You have solid reasons to justify your position........... 

 

Just focus on your skills and capabilities, once you will be able to convince the employer with your expertise, it will overcome all the gaps. 

agree with mr emad

............................................................

Well, Rana it depends on your field. some fields are impacted by gaps more than others. 

 

You are a web developer, which is a creative profession that I believe can be done from any where, even home. but long gaps are bad due to the short life cycle of the industry's products and trends.

 

If that stands correct, all you have to do is to show that you are still capable and up to date. To do so, you may include and emphasize some of your most recent and creative works for example.

 

wish you all the best.

I don't think it is or should be thought of or taken as a negative or shameful thing to have a gap in one's employment history. There can be so many legitimate and good reasons for a gap. The gap in itself is not a problem or a "sin"! The problem is really in NOT being honest or truthful about the reasons behind it.

Plenty of professionals have employment gaps on their resumes. Maybe they spent time traveling between gigs. Perhaps they're due to poor health or a lengthy job search. Whatever the reason, these people dread being asked about the periods when they weren't working, says serial entrepreneur James Caan in a recent LinkedIn post. Caan says there can be a tendency among some employers to overlook candidates who have extensive periods of unemployment. "I am always more interested in the abilities and characteristics of an individual — if they haven't been in work for a while but have the quality my company needs, I will hire them," he says. However, job seekers should always be prepared to answer questions about any gaps on their resumes. Here are three tips for explaining an employment gap: Be honest and upfront. "Trying to lie or bluff your way through isn't the way to do things, and to be perfectly honest, most good hiring managers will see straight through you," Caan says. Explain the circumstances of the gap in an honest and straightforward manner. Think outside the box. If you're between jobs and you're worried it'll end up being an extended gap, consider doing voluntary work. This will give you something recent to put on your resume. You should also consider taking relevant courses, Caan suggests. "This shows you are an ambitious individual who is always looking to improve their skill set." Explain the skills you picked up while you were out of employment. "Many people think that offices and classrooms are the only place where you learn things, but this simply isn't true," he says. For example, if you've spent time away from the workforce looking after your children, focus on the strengths you needed, such as discipline, organization, and the ability to multitask.

Write the truth

 Do not try to add to your resume

 

Things do not they speak

In the one hand there is what to mention on your resumee, like unemployed as an instance, to be very honest, and in the other hand how you can really handle a gap, is start doing something, study on your own, take a course, network with other professionals and keep your skills and knowledge up to date.

As experts advice, when you have a gap in your resume, just mention the period and type "unemployed". it will reflect reality and honesty in your resume if you were called for an interview. Good Luck