Embracing Employment Gaps and Career Changes in Your Résumé

Embracing Employment Gaps and Career Changes in Your Résumé Embracing Employment Gaps and Career Changes in Your Résumé Working for one company for a long period of time or having gaps  in employment history  does  not  have to be  a deal breaker  when seeking a new job  or career change.  People move in and out of the workforce for many reasons. It does not mean you  can’t jump back  in  or  leap over to another employer; just  make sure that  your  résumé  tells  the  story.       I recently held a Job Search Master Class ®  webinar  where  I received a lot of questions  from attendees  about how to handle gaps in  their  résumé  and how to diversify  their  experience if  they  worked for the same employer for many years.  So, I know it’s on the minds of many job seekers today.     To start, it’s important to note that all résumés should follow three major principles of résumé excellence. While these principles apply to all résumés, those re-entering the workforce or seeking to break out of a long career trajectory, will need them to rise to the top.     Searchabilityâ€"Optimize  the  key word  search,  to be  found by  the robots (e.g.,  applicant tracking systems, email systems, job boards,  résumé  databases, social media and web search engines).  Find out the key words and key phrases that trigger you to be found in your  desired  job  area.     Easy to Readâ€"Ensure  the  résumé  is well-formatted online and in print so it reads clearly. Make sure you have a lot of white space, bulleted text, and easy-to-scan headings. Use  a limited number of fonts-no more than two.     Quantitativeâ€"Insert numbers  or percentages  and quantify experiences wherever  possible.  Quantification can mean how close you were to  top managers or what percentage of code you wrote  this year over last year.     The following highlights scenarios for  job seekers who have had the same employer for many years  or have gaps in employment.     Scenario:    Same employer for many years       When the majority of your  job  experience comes from one employer, break out your  experiences  and  job  responsibilities  as separate activities.   If you changed positions within the company,  list  the different  titles  and  break out experiences  as bullets  underneath.     One of my clients  sought a  new job after 22 years with  the same  employer.  She  landed a CFO position at a new  company because she was able to represent her  years of experience  independently.  She  broke out her specific skills and  used  the important  keywords  for her new job on  her  résumé.     Scenario:  Gaps in employment       Gaps in  employment history are  very common.  I work with many  military spouses who have huge gaps because they have been overseas  and  could not work.  Sometimes, they  have been raising kids  or caring for older parents  for  years.     Taking time off from work to pursue education creates an employment gap.  There are many  life  circumstances that lead to  gaps.     Treat the reason for your gap as the job description. Describe the activities you  did as  caregiving  for  a child or parent,  returning to  school for a graduate degree,  or  travelling the world. Be sure to list any and all volunteer work,  whether it’s helping out at your child’s school,  working with seniors at  community center,  or volunteering at the  library or food bank;  volunteer tasks can translate well to job qualifications.     I  recently  helped a client  who raised three children for 18 years  and who  didnt think  she would qualify for  a job.  We  included the skills she has as a result  of caregiving,  volunteering and her hobby of photography  on her  résumé. She landed a  job  as  a college recruiter  for a  big company, where she didn’t need technical skills  to start.     You don’t  need to  call them gaps, either!   There are many  jobs and  positions where your background will shine,  and  where your skills and experience are perfect for the right employer. Create a résumé that shows how you  embrace  your life chapters and aren’t afraid to  get back into the workforce or  start  over  at a new company.     Join Dana Manciagli’s  Job Search Master Class ®  now  and get the most comprehensive job search system available!