July 23, 2018 Leave a Comment

Strategies for Overcoming Gaps in your Resume

Close up a eyeglasses sitting atop a resume One of the biggest challenges a job seeker can face is a large and growing gap in a resume. You may find yourself out of work for a long stretch of time for many reasons that are often beyond your control, including childcare, caring for an ill family member, or dealing with your own health challenges. Sometimes, people choose to opt out of the job market to travel, go to school, or even immigrate to a new country. Getting back into the workforce after a long absence is often more difficult than you expect it to be, and it is stressful to watch the gap on your resume keep growing.

So how do you deal with the recent gap on your resume?

In the interview

First, think through what you will tell the employer in the interview. Generally, it is better to be as truthful as possible. Employers will often be impressed by an honest explanation, simply told. However, you obviously do not need to disclose personal information that might be prejudicial, such as a health issue, or your family situation. Often the explanation can be told in broad strokes: “I took time off to attend to a family/health issue”. It’s also helpful to mention that the issue was temporary, otherwise the employer might worry that the issue might be an ongoing concern that could impact on your ability or availability to work: “the issue is now resolved and I am ready and excited to get back to work”.

On your resume

Remember that you don’t have to explain every gap. One way to minimize gaps is to eliminate the months from the dates of your jobs and simply list the years. You should be prepared to specify the months in the interview, though, if asked. Also, if the gap isn’t recent, you don’t really need to explain it – employers tend to be more concerned about your recent work history, than what you did more than 5 years ago.

If the gap is recent and longer than a couple of years, consider explaining it briefly. Some people insert a line such as “temporary leave of absence to resolve a personal issue”, “family responsibilities”, or “immigration and resettlement”, with the dates (e.g. 2015-2018). It helps to insert an end date, so that it is clear that you are ready to move on to the next stage of your career.

When you start job searching

Start thinking of what you will tell potential employers, network contacts, and your references regarding your absence. Also, as soon as you can, start getting involved in various activities that you might be able to add to your resume:

Volunteering can be an effective way to fill resume gaps and get yourself back into the routine of work. Any volunteering in the community or at your child’s school can be included in your resume and social media profiles as part of your experience. Add it to your list of jobs on your resume (make sure to specify that it was volunteer work, though – you don’t want to misrepresent your experience). Describe the skills and qualifications that you learned while volunteering, such as “Participated in a planning committee for a fundraising event”, or “set up classrooms and prepared materials”. Ideally, try to find volunteer work in a position or in an organization that is related to your ultimate job goal; that way you can keep your resume and experience fresh, as well as build your professional network. You could also use draw on your volunteer supervisors as a source of references, which is another challenge often facing job seekers with a gap in their resume.

Rebuild your professional network. Most jobs are found through contacts. Once potential employers have met you and been impressed by you (or been told about your assets by a referral), they will be less concerned with your resume gap. Use social media and information interviews to seek out and meet successful fellow professionals in your field. Identify the professional associations, conferences, trade magazines, organizations and events relevant to your career goal. Participate in their activities. Consider seeking out former colleagues, and reconnect with them on LinkedIn (or even Facebook).

Research the labour market. In some sense, you are in the same boat as a new graduate. Learn as much as you can about your field and profession as well as its leaders, the requirements, the shortages and the education required. Assess whether you need to update your skills, recertify or learn new technical skills. Identify target companies where you would like to work, visit their websites, analyze the job openings and speak to as many professionals in your field as possible.

Explore training options. Adding recent education or training to your resume can be a highly effective resume filler. It does not have to even be full time education – you can do it on a part time basis (it isn’t necessary to specify whether a course is full or part time on the resume). Courses may be online, at community centres, local colleges or continuing education courses at the local community college.

A growing resume gap isn’t an unsurmountable barrier. The sooner you realize that there’s a potential gap growing in your work history, start planning your strategies for addressing it. Take initiative to start filling the gap, and think through what you want to tell employers in interviews, on resumes and on your LinkedIn profile.

August 7, 2017 Leave a Comment

Lying on your resume: is it worth it?

Search for the term “resume lies” on the Internet and you’ll find studies saying that between a third to over half of resumes include misrepresentations of some kind. Worst of all, it seems that many employers expect candidates to not be telling the whole truth; many invest time and money gathering information from references and researching candidates on social media. This means that there’s a high chance of being caught in a resume lie, big or small, and that employers are not very forgiving of these lies.

Why do people lie?

My experience working with job seekers has shown me that people don’t necessarily misrepresent themselves out of greed, laziness or a lack of morality. I have met many job seekers who have been struggling to find work over a long period of time, and have become worn down, fearful and desperate to do whatever it takes to get back in the workplace. They’ve often tried unsuccessfully to be totally honest.

Many of the job seekers I meet have a lot to offer a job, but fear being overlooked because of difficulties over which they did not have control, which might include:

work history gaps (due to a health problem or family reasons, for example)
lack of specific experience (for example, an employer wants five years, but the candidate only has three years of experience)
being over or under qualified (for example, an internationally trained doctor who wants to work as a medical assistant)
having a specific skill at a certain level (the difference between intermediate and advanced Excel skills, for example)

Is it worthwhile to lie on a resume?

Probably not. Putting aside all moral claims about lying for a moment — it’s not even practical to do so. More than ever, employers have access to a number of tools to help them verify the validity of a resume. These include thorough reference checking, surveying social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter), criminal and other background checks (e.g. checking membership in professional association, verifying accreditation with licensing bodies, utilizing services such as HireRight). The result of being caught in a lie can be dire, with candidates taking the risk of developing a reputation of dishonesty that might affect future positions with other employers.

So, what is the best way to overcome resume problems without lying?

The best way to overcome resume challenges is tackle each one directly. For example, the impact of a gap in recent work history can be reduced by doing volunteer work or taking a course. Specific skills and experience can also be gained through volunteer work.

Some ideas:

Work history gaps:

Include all volunteer and course work on your resume in chronological order; if you are presently doing a course or have recently completed one, list your education before your employment
Always list dates, though not necessarily months: list the years in which you did each job
Rather than lying or ignoring the truth, try to explain the gaps in simple unapologetic language either on the resume or the cover letter

Spotty work history (multiple short-term jobs):

If you worked for an agency, list the contracts together under one title; for example “Office Administrator, various contracts via ABC Agency, 2014-2017”
If you cannot combine the jobs, label them as “contracts” [Office Administration (contract), XYZ Company, 2013-2014″]
Leave out the very short jobs — no need to include everything
Consider a Functional Resume, though it’s not always recommended for all sectors

Irrelevant work history (career change):

Identify the skills you need to showcase and highlight them under each job
A Functional Resume allows for candidates to showcase their transferable skills
If you have completed a recent course that gave you the training and certification for the your new career, list them ahead of your work history

Finally, probably the most effective way to deal with problems on a resume is to make sure that the employer hears about you, or — even better — meets you before reading your resume. That way, you can make the first impression and explain your background, rather than that two-page piece of paper that is your resume.

February 1, 2016 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Resume Gaps

Dear Joanna,

I’ve been a stay-at-home mom and out of the workforce for about 15 years. Now I need a job for financial reasons. Do you have any suggestions as to how to overcome this gap in my work history?

Signed: Returning To Work (RTW)

Dear RTW

Let’s start with your resume. According to JVS Employment Counsellors, if your gap covers two or more calendar years, you need to explain this absence from the workforce.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Consider volunteer work as relevant experience.

If you volunteered in the community and/or at your kid’s school, this should be included in your resume and social media profiles. This experience is valid and you can add this in your resume under “Professional Experience” or “Experience”. Articulate the skills and qualifications that you learned and acquired in volunteering. For example, I am sure that you have been managing your home and multiple projects (programs) that involved your kids over the past few years. This could be translated into program or project management skills.

2. Volunteering.

It is always a great idea to continue volunteering in a position (if possible) or in an organization that is related to your ultimate job goal. This is a great way to keep your resume and experience fresh as well as build your professional network.

3. Gap coverage.

Create a section in your resume and LinkedIn profile entitled “Other Experience” after your “Relevant Professional Experience”. In your case, you might include phrases with the dates such as “Full-Time Parent”, “Home Management”, “Family Management”, and “Family Financial Management”.

4. Build your professional network.

Most jobs are found through contacts. Use social media and information interviews to meet successful leaders in your field. Identify the professional associations, conferences, trade magazines, organizations and events relevant to your career goal. Participate in these activities. You may even find your long lost colleagues. Try to reconnect with them on LinkedIn (or even Facebook might work for your situation).

5. Research the labour market.

You are in the same boat as a new graduate or newcomer to Canada, in the sense that you are starting a new career. Learn as much as you can about your field and profession as well as its leaders, the requirements, the shortages and the education required. You may need to requalify, recertify or learn new technical skills. Target companies where you would like to work, visit their websites, analyze the job openings and speak to as many professionals in your field as possible.