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Disability & Work: Effectively Explaining Gaps in Employment to an
Employer
When it comes down to business, employers want to hire reliable people committed
to their jobs. For this reason, most employers will check to see if there is a
progressive path between education and work. Gaps of time in a resume, while it
is becoming more and more common, may be cause for concern by an employer. If
these gaps aren’t explained in some way, some employers may assume the worst or
skip to the next resume in the pile. By offering positive explanations of the
time spent away from work, when it’s appropriate, a job seeker may turn a gap
into an asset and reassure an employer of their reliability and skill.
How
a job seeker decides to explain gaps in his or her resume depends, to a large
degree, on the reason behind the gap. The key, however, is to keep it as simple
and as positive as possible.
Keep in mind that not all gaps need to be mentioned. These include gaps that
lasted for a few months or occurred a long time ago. In this situation, it’s
often easier to provide the years worked (e.g. 2002-2005) versus the year and
month of a job seekers worker history. If the gap in employment was used
constructively, the job seeker may consider including it in his or her resume.
Often, time taken out to travel, study or pursue a dream could be used to a job
seekers advantage. Many people have gaps in their employment due to maternity or
paternity leave. These details can also be mentioned and it may be helpful to
reassure employers that childcare arrangements have been made in preparation for
the return to work.
Some gaps are trickier to explain. These include periods of unemployment, which
may or may not be related to disability or illness. If the mentioning of gaps
can’t be avoided, an explanation is preferable to simply ignoring it, leaving
employers to draw their own conclusions. Even if time away from work was related
to an unexpected and negative event, a job seeker may still be able to turn this
into a positive by reflecting on lessons learned and how these could be helpful
in the workplace.
A
job seeker can explain gaps in the main body of a resume, if it’s appropriate,
or in a cover letter. If a cover letter is used, a job seeker should be sure to
keep it positive and to maintain a positive attitude. There is no "one size fits
all" answer on how a particular absence should be explained. You’ll need to work
with your job seekers to determine what makes the most sense.
Job
seekers can also change the format of their resume to emphasize their skills and
abilities while placing less emphasis on a detailed career history. A
"functional resume" format does not outline a career in reverse chronological
order, but groups experience under appropriate skill sets. Examples of skill
sets includes marketing/sales, budget/finance etc. A functional resume can also
be combined with a regular reverse chronological resume, the preferred resume
format by employers. By using this hybrid format, a job seeker will first draw
the attention of the employer to their skills. A chronological account of his or
her career will follow only after the employer has already been impressed by
their ability.
If
good work experience can be demonstrated, gaps in a resume may become less of an
issue. This is also true of volunteer experience, even if it’s not related to
the specific field in which the job seeker is applying. If a job seeker is
unemployed for an extended period of time, which is becoming more and more
common, it might be a good idea to volunteer in order to gain valuable
experience to share with an employer.
For
service providers, scheduling practice interviews could boost a job seeker’s
confidence and ability to answer difficult questions with poise and confidence.
Videotaping these interviews is an excellent way to give visual feedback to help
improve their demeanor and communication skills.
Always remember that there is a thin line between making a good impression and
deceiving an employer. Job seekers should never extend the length of time they
were employed or add fictitious educational experience to cover a gap in their
resume. Having been on the employer side of interviewing, the consequences of
misrepresentation could mean losing a job or not getting called back for a
second interview. The best advice is to be positive, using proactive terminology
to ensure the job seeker comes across as enthusiastic and ready to start work.
Would you like to reprint this article?
You may as long as you include this blurb in its entirety:
Lisa Jordan
is a disability and workforce development expert. Lisa uses her keen ability to
identify challenges and develop solutions so
that workforce development professionals can increase their comfort level,
productivity and effectiveness when working with a diverse clientele. Download
Lisa’s White Paper on 5 Easy Disability Tips to Immediately Increase Agency
Accessibility by visiting
http://www.human-solutions.net.
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