Handy Resume Writing Tips to Explain Gaps in Your Employment

If you have ever felt that you were particularly unlucky for having to deal with the problem of writing a resume with gaps in employment, you really should know that there are few people out there who aren't in the same situation you are in. People often get laid off, they have to take time out to take care of a new baby in the family, and sometimes they just take time out to find themselves and travel. Taking time out feels fine at the time; it isn't until you try to put it down in a resume that it begins to look a little dodgy. Here are a few resume writing tips on how to work around a gap in your work life.

In your resume and at your interview, you want to be truthful about the reason you had to stay away from having a job. But you don't want to labor the issue either. If for example, you had to stay out of work to take care of a child with a learning disability, you want to quickly mention this in a sentence and not take it up again. If for instance you were fired from a job, that of course could be a bit difficult to explain. You could try to mention quickly that you made a mistake in spite of your best intentions, and you have learned from the experience.

What does look bad on a resume is time spent away from work that a candidate completely stayed out of touch in. One of the most important resume writing tips to explain gaps in employment can have has to do with explaining adequately how you stayed in touch through your time away from employment. You need to be able to say that you attended conferences to do with your profession, that you took an online course, that you worked as a consultant or as a temporary worker, and so on. In other words, a gap in your employment history isn't as bad as you think unless it has been a gap unrelieved by periods of engagement in professional activities.

And finally in our set of resume writing tips to explain gaps in your employment, try your best to spin it positively to bring out how they were skills you learned in your time away that might still be useful yet. For instance, if you took time out to help a sick mother for three years, you can use that to show them how helping those who are elderly and sick can require a great deal of patience, a great deal of tact and a wonderful bedside manner. This can be of great use in any kind of work that requires people skills. If in that time, you helped manage a book club for your child or something, it could be particularly useful.

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How to Explain a Layoff on Your Resume

If you are on the hunt for a new job thanks to a layoff you may be wondering how you should explain that layoff on your resume. While layoffs are never a good thing when they happen to individuals, in the turbulent world of business, they are somewhat the norm. Therefore, most potential employers will not view your layoff as a negative when they are considering hiring you.

Keep in mind that there is a big difference between being part of a layoff, which is typically due to a financial reason, and being fired, which can result for a number of reasons. However, in either case, this can cause an employment gap in your resume which may not look so good. While you should try to shore up any gaps as quickly as you can, you may or may not want to include the reasons that you left any job on your resume.

If you do decide to explain on your resume that you were in fact laid off then you should do so in the following manner:

? Truthfully: Never lie on any portion of your resume, including any explanations you give for a layoff. You never know who knows who in today's tight knit business world and if you lie about the circumstances of your layoff, you are likely to be caught. In the end, lying looks much worse than being laid off.

? Concisely: If you feel that you want to explain your layoff, so in a clear and concise manner. Don't write a book, just a sentence or two to explain the circumstances.

? Accurately: Be sure that you give accurate dates and details if you choose to explain your layoff. As with any other information on your resume, it is important to get all the details right. This will avoid you looking like a fool due to inaccuracies on your resume.

? Professionally: Save the 'woe is me' and simply state what happened. If you try to make it seem like the world is against you, a likely result will be a potential employer who is turned off.

You can also take the approach of explaining the employment gap in your resume. Instead of just explaining the reasons behind your layoff, explain what you have done in the meantime. Maybe you went back to school or maybe you increased your volunteer work. By putting down what you have done since the layoff, the potential employer can see that you have not simply been sitting around stagnant while awaiting another job opportunity to pop up.

What is most important is to be able to explain thoroughly what happened in regards to the layoff when you do in fact go in for a job interview. Therefore, you need to be sure that whatever you write down as far as an explanation goes on your resume, that your story inside the interview matches it. Keep in mind though, potential employers understand that layoffs are part of the business world game and as long as you explain yourself in a professional manner, everything will likely be fine.

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