How to Handle Gaps in Employment

Summary

The speaker addresses common concerns about employment gaps, offering advice for those re-entering the workforce or currently in a gap. They recommend networking, training, volunteering, part-time jobs, and job sharing to stay engaged and skills sharp. The speaker advises against using a functional resume, which can signal dishonesty, and emphasizes the importance of a clear written explanation for any gap. They also stress the need to control the narrative on resumes and to be straightforward about gaps during interviews.

Takeaways

• 🔍 When facing employment gaps, consider various strategies to fill the gap, such as volunteering, consulting, or part-time work.
• 💼 For stay-at-home parents re-entering the workforce, leverage networking, training, and volunteering to enhance your profile.
• 🏆 Highlight relevant skills and experiences gained during employment gaps, such as certifications or project work, on your resume.
• 📚 If you've been out of work or changed careers, consider moving your education or certifications to the top of your resume to emphasize recent achievements.
• 💡 Networking is crucial; utilize job search boot camps, career courses, and live office hours to build professional relationships.
• 🙅‍♀️ Avoid using a functional resume as it can signal to recruiters that you're hiding something.
• 🚫 Do not put non-work activities, like volunteering, at the top of your resume unless it's directly related to your job search.
• 💬 Be prepared to provide a clear, written explanation for your employment gap in cover letters and emails.
• 🗣️ In interviews, be straightforward about your employment gap and focus on the skills and experiences you gained during that time.
• 🛠️ Tailor your resume and interview approach to control the narrative and highlight the most relevant aspects of your career.

Q & A

What are some common reasons for employment gaps?

Common reasons for employment gaps include being a stay-at-home parent, caring for elderly parents, consulting, working on projects, or simply being out of work for an extended period.

What is the speaker's advice for those currently in an employment gap?

The speaker recommends networking, training, volunteering in relevant fields, considering part-time jobs or consulting, and exploring job shares to stay engaged and gain relevant skills.

Why is networking important for those in an employment gap?

Networking is important as it can help individuals in an employment gap to make connections in their field, find job opportunities, and build professional relationships.

What does the speaker suggest about taking classes or certifications during a gap?

The speaker suggests that taking classes or obtaining certifications can be beneficial, as it shows employers that the individual is proactive in updating their skills and knowledge.

How can volunteering help someone in an employment gap?

Volunteering can help by providing relevant experience in the desired field, building connections, and demonstrating commitment and initiative to potential employers.

What is the speaker's opinion on functional resumes for those with employment gaps?

The speaker strongly advises against using functional resumes, as they can be seen as a way to hide information and are not favored by recruiters.

Why should someone avoid putting volunteer work at the top of their resume if it's not a job?

Volunteer work should not be misrepresented as a job on a resume. It should be clearly identified as volunteer work unless it is a job where the individual is not receiving payment.

What is the speaker's advice for addressing employment gaps in cover letters and emails?

The speaker advises to provide a clear and straightforward written explanation of the gap, without making it a big deal, as recruiters often understand and expect such situations.

How should employment gaps be addressed in a resume?

The speaker suggests using a career profile and highlights section to accentuate relevant skills and experiences, and possibly moving education or certifications to the top if they are recent and relevant.

What should be the approach when discussing employment gaps in an interview?

In an interview, one should simply and honestly explain the reason for the gap without making it a significant issue, as most interviewers are understanding and interested in the candidate's qualifications.

Why is it important to control the narrative when discussing employment gaps?

Controlling the narrative is important to ensure that the focus is on the individual's skills, experiences, and qualifications, rather than on the gap itself.

Outlines

00:00

🔄 Navigating Employment Gaps

The speaker addresses the topic of employment gaps, discussing various scenarios that might lead to such gaps, including being a stay-at-home parent, caring for elderly parents, or being out of work for an extended period. They offer six recommendations for individuals currently in a gap, such as networking, training, volunteering, considering part-time jobs or consulting, and job sharing. The emphasis is on staying engaged and gaining relevant skills during the gap period to enhance one's return to the workforce.

05:01

📝 Avoiding Resume Pitfalls

The speaker strongly advises against using a functional resume format, as it can be interpreted as an attempt to hide employment gaps. They recommend being transparent about one's employment status and not placing volunteer work or stay-at-home parent roles at the top of a resume unless it's a paid position. The speaker also suggests providing a written explanation for the gap, either in emails or cover letters, and emphasizes the importance of controlling the narrative on one's resume to highlight relevant skills and experiences.

10:03

📈 Strategies for Resume and Interview Success

The speaker provides strategies for individuals with employment gaps to present themselves effectively in resumes and interviews. They recommend creating a career profile and highlighting career highlights to control the narrative. For those returning to the workforce or changing careers, they suggest moving education or certifications to the top of the resume. In interviews, they advise being straightforward about the gap and not making it a significant issue, as most recruiters are understanding and focused on the candidate's qualifications and fit for the role.

Keywords

💡Employment Gap

An employment gap refers to a period of time during which an individual is not engaged in any form of paid work. In the video's context, it is a central theme as the speaker discusses strategies for individuals who are currently in a gap or have had gaps in their employment history. Examples include stay-at-home parents, those caring for elderly parents, or people who have been out of work for an extended period.

💡Re-entering the Workforce

Re-entering the workforce is the process of returning to paid employment after an absence. The video emphasizes this concept, offering advice for individuals who are resuming their careers after a gap, such as stay-at-home parents or those who have been caring for family members.

💡Networking

Networking is the act of building and maintaining professional relationships. The speaker stresses the importance of leveraging one's network to find job opportunities and mentions resources like job search boot camps and career courses that cover networking strategies.

💡Training

Training in this context refers to acquiring new skills or knowledge through classes or certifications. The speaker suggests that engaging in training can help bridge employment gaps and make one a more attractive candidate during interviews and job applications.

💡Volunteering

Volunteering is the act of offering one's time and effort for free to help others or support a cause. The video mentions volunteering as a way to gain experience and stay engaged with a field of interest, which can be beneficial when re-entering the workforce or seeking employment.

💡Part-Time Job

A part-time job is a form of employment where an individual works fewer hours than a full-time position. The speaker encourages considering part-time jobs as a way to gain relevant skills or experience during employment gaps.

💡Job Shares

Job sharing is an employment arrangement where two people share the responsibilities and working hours of a single full-time job. The video mentions job sharing as an innovative way to engage in professional work while potentially managing other commitments.

💡Functional Resume

A functional resume is a type of resume format that focuses on skills and accomplishments rather than chronological work history. The speaker strongly advises against using a functional resume when there is a gap in employment, as it can imply that the job seeker is trying to hide something.

💡Career Profile

A career profile is a section of a resume that highlights an individual's career objectives, skills, and strengths. The speaker recommends using a career profile to control the narrative of one's resume, especially when there are gaps in employment history.

💡Written Explanation

A written explanation is a clear and concise statement provided in writing to address a particular situation or question. In the context of the video, the speaker advises job seekers with employment gaps to provide a written explanation in cover letters or emails to potential employers.

💡Interview

An interview is a meeting where a potential employer assesses a candidate's suitability for a job. The video discusses how to address employment gaps during interviews, emphasizing the importance of honesty and providing a straightforward explanation of the gap.

Highlights

Discussing the various types of employment gaps and strategies for addressing them.

Recommendation for individuals in a gap to network effectively for job opportunities.

Emphasizing the importance of training and certifications during employment gaps.

Advocating for volunteering as a means to gain relevant experience and align with career goals.

Encouraging the exploration of part-time jobs or consulting to maintain skills and capabilities.

Highlighting the benefits of job sharing for professionals looking to re-enter the workforce.

Providing a list of six recommended actions for those currently in a gap to enhance their job prospects.

Stressing the avoidance of functional resumes as they can signal dishonesty to recruiters.

Cautioning against listing non-work activities at the top of a resume unless they are actual jobs.

Suggesting the use of a career profile and highlights section to control the narrative of a resume.

Recommending the placement of relevant education or certifications at the top of a resume if returning to the workforce.

Discussing the importance of providing a written explanation for gaps in cover letters and emails.

Advising on how to address employment gaps in interviews with honesty and without making it a big deal.

Reminding job seekers that being invited to an interview indicates qualification, regardless of employment gaps.

Offering reassurance that skilled recruiters will understand and work with candidates to uncover their potential.

Providing actionable advice for stay-at-home parents, caregivers, and those with extended periods of unemployment.

Detailing the process of revamping a resume to better reflect current skills and potential, despite gaps.

Transcripts

People are asking me about gaps and employments and there are many different

types of ways that you could have this gap. You might be currently in a gap or

you might have had gaps throughout I want to go through kind of three four

different facets of this so let's talk about let's talk about the gaps in

employment I'm getting I'm getting this one a lot

can you see I don't do anything small even my coffee cups bigger than my head okay

so I know some of you are you you are in a gap or you are a stay-at-home parent

returning in the workforce some of you have elderly parents you've

been caring for some of you were just out of have been out of work for an

extended period of time and you've been you know searching some

of you've been consulting some of you been doing projects got all kinds of

stuff so I want to try to and I'm not gonna be able to go through every single

permutation and combination of this but I'm gonna hit a lot of them we certainly

that's we got the qa4 but now if you are in a gap at the moment or meaning you

know you were stay-at-home parent you're re-entering the workforce

whatever whatever reason there are six things that I recommend that you do to

kind of not on us a supercharged basically really give yourself a leg up

in returning and I'm gonna go through these very quickly but I just wanna I

wanna I want you to have this list so it can stimulate your thinking the first

one being you got a network so most of you have access to either the job search

boot camp program or my ultimate career course or I've got some even some free

live office hours videos where I talk about this session three of the boot

camp we go into this heavy in the ultimate career course there's there's

videos that go into this heavy and I even have a live office hours session

out there about why your jobs are just taking so long where I talk about

networking and I have a video out that's public business networking how to build

professional relationships but really take advantage of your network and

that's that's that's certainly an obvious one um but

as we get into some of these less obvious ones there's there's the

training aspect one of the things that we're gonna talk about when we get

really prescriptive here in a bit about what you have to do in your interviews

and in your cover letters and even on your resume is employers always want

explanations now if you are training training could be taking classes some of

you've gone we had a number of paralegals that has some people have

gone to nursing school we get a lot of this some of you are just taken

certifications we've got one guy I don't know if he's in here Daniel has taken

the Salesforce a Salesforce administrator certification so things

like that are absolutely fantastic if you're if you're currently in a gap

another thing is and I always like this one but violent volunteering so anything

that you can do that volunteers you in the direction of where you want to go so

all volunteering is good for the soul all of it is anytime you expend your

time which is your most valuable asset and and your time and attention is the

best thing you could ever give anybody but if you are trying to expend your

time wisely from a volunteer standpoint you want to make sure that you are doing

something in alignment with where you want to go if you're in the arts

volunteer in a museum I don't care if you're the hostess or the coat checker

or whatever but there are things that you can do and you would be amazed and

how many even even me for example how many enquiries that I got from kids in

college or recent college graduates that just wanted to intern with me and mile

walk to get some experience and I was glad to do that and I paid them a little

bit where I could or treated them to other things but that's a really good

way to to get something on your resume and by the way if you are volunteering

and you are actually working you don't have to say that it was you know and

unpaid I mean if you were volunteer and you were getting work experience that's

to me is as good as working there so that's something that you want to think

of another thing that you should not be afraid of it's never been easier than

ever to open up some type of small business that could

be consulting it could be projects it could be organizing people's closets I

don't care what it is don't be afraid to take a part-time job so one of the

things that I always stress is if there's a part even part whether it's

part-time volunteering part-time pay whatever it might be but try to do

something where you're gaining either the skills or the capabilities that you

need for what you are doing and the other one and I kick it over I don't get

this question right and I can't get over why not but there are a lot of wonderful

professionals out there who do job shares we actually care and I used to

work with a couple of awesome ladies super smart

program managers project managers and business analysts that's that was their

kind of area of expertise they they actually split a job 20 hours a week at

at a technology company which was which was really kind of cool so I thought I

think you know these are things that you might even you know to kind of open up

your possibilities to keep yourself engaged because if you're currently in a

GAMP you want to make sure that you are staying sharp now let's talk about K so

that was kind of leading up and giving yourself a better runway or starting to

rev up the engine so you could take off but those are kind of six or so things

that I would recommend that you look at if you are in a situation where you know

you're a stay-at-home parent you're working to re-enter the workforce or

you're in between jobs and there are things that you can do from a consulting

standpoint or whatever but I would I would try to look at those and think

creatively about how to stay engaged because when we get to the part of the

talk about how you gotta explain the stuff that stuff's gonna be paramount

now if you've had a gap in your past what's done is done I wouldn't I

wouldn't make a big deal out of that but for folks who are going through that

right now I would keep that in mind let's talk about some stuff that I

absolutely would not do and these are pretty strong recommendations if you

know what I mean number one do not under any circumstance ever put a functional

resume together that is code for when recruiting you

that is code for I'm hiding something code for I'm hiding something most of

them do not want to see those I've talked about this at length I've talked

about it in the resume course I've talked about it in her mouth Lee

coaching I've talked about it in my public stuff I've talked about it my

public recorded videos in my live office hours everywhere you can find me I am

Telling You do not put a functional resume together they give recruiters

headaches they want to know where you are now if you are not working that's

okay I will give you the formula for how to address that but don't don't

whatever you do use a functional resume they're terrible don't put up top non

work stuff so if you are volunteering and it's truly volunteering and you're

doing it in the PTO or you're helping you know Feed My Starving Children or

you're doing whatever do not make that appear as though it is your is your

current job unless it is actually a job and you're volunteering because you're

not getting paid that's okay but don't put stuff up there

and if you're stay-at-home dad or stay-at-home mom don't put stay-at-home

mom stay-at-home dad up at the top don't do that on the resume the resume is not

you do not need to explain it there so I just speaking of I do not want you to

explain it in your resume it is what it is if the last time you worked was 2011

then the last time you worked was 2011 just leave it there just leave it there

but there are some things that you can do on your resume if I did this

yesterday with somebody I don't know if she's here but I did her resume review

actually I'd be interested to see I'm just glancing I don't think she's here

oh wait she is here Debbie's here okay but I did a resume review yesterday and

and and and it looked pretty good it so Debbie looked pretty good and and and

she had a gap she's returning to work after after a layoff and she's done some

really good things and let's talk about how you might be able to address that in

the resume so the one thing that you do have to realize is you need a written

explanation so you are going in some way shape or form more or less let's call it

90 the time I mean except for the situation

where you meet somebody or you know somebody who watched in to an interview

and they say to their partners or their co-workers or the HR person or whoever

hey you know Jane Smith is awesome she hasn't worked in the last five years

she's coming back because she had her first two kids I know her well interview

her and they do obviously there's not a lot of explaining you need to do at that

moment but but you are for the most part most of you going to have to explain

this in the written form okay so what do I mean by that so I'm talking about in

your emails in your cover letters those kinds of things it's okay to say I am

returning to the workforce after an 11 year layoff I'm you know the

stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home dad or took care of my elderly parents which

require two years of you know me moving to a different city or whatever it's

okay just explain it it's life it happens I know a lot of you feel as

though you're anemic situation this stuff happens a lot a lot recruiters are

are you have to think about what recruiters see they see lots of resumes

and inquiries on a daily basis they see lots of people coming off these these

types of issues and that are getting their themselves back on track

so you want to make sure that you just simply clarify it this is what the

situation was I you know I was stay at homeland for five years and I'm going

back and I'm sure I'll shit up my hurry and whatever so just you need some kind

of written explanation the next thing that you need to do in your resume so if

you got a gap in your resume whether it's your current it whether it's a

current gap or whether it's a gap somewhere else if it's a current gap

it's a little tougher but what I always recommend is and we talk about this a

lot you have a career profile you have a career highlight section and then you

have your work history that's for most of you most of you will will go that

route you can pull forward up to the top whatever you want to put the accent on

so you know in in in in Debbie's case we you know she's done a lot of loan

related work escrow officers other things of that

nature while she did that earlier in her career she did a lot of it for a number

of years we just pulled that off for to the top and and and highlighted that in

the career profile and in highlights or whatever that is important you can pull

that forward the other thing that you can do is and I know some of you've gone

back to school or if you're getting heavy-duty certifications you can pull

all that up so there's nothing wrong if you are returning to the workforce or

making a career change by pulling your education toward the top this is the one

exception that I would say it's okay to keep move the education from the bottom

to the top because you want a high like that we I have up like the Hat we had

like at the last two months we're like a half a dozen paralegals who were either

making switch at legal secretaries too or legal administrators to paralegal or

they were coming back from a laughs and had gone to paralegal school or whatever

you can move that education up to the top I still would recommend having your

career profile up top and if you are getting certifications then even in the

profile you can put you know about to complete certification I'm gonna have

this certification by recently completed certification of and so on all of that

stuff is cool so remember we are the terms that I use are controlling the

narrative you were you are making me as a review or see what you want me to see

regardless of what has happened to you most recently it's the one kind of fair

Shack that you get to adjust the way that I look at your resume so we're a

functional resume is code for lying putting it in the highlights in the in

the career profile is not so I would I would do that I would take advantage of

that and then the other thing is in the interview I always could ask well how do

I explain it just explain it I'm I was a stay-at-home mom or I was taking care of

my elderly parents or I left my company a year and a half ago and I've been

consulting ever since and I've been working on these ventures and all that

good stuff whatever it is just say it and don't make it big don't make a big

deal out of it if you make a big deal out of it they're gonna make a big deal

out of it and in most cases people will on

understand that what most of them will be interested I know I certainly am when

I'm faced with situations where people are in those predicaments I want to get

to the goods okay if you say that I will take it at face value I really will I

mean it because I have more faith in my ability in my training in my experience

to be able to elicit the information that I want to know about you to

determine if you're gonna be a good fit for my company and for this role

spending more time talking about that is going to give me a better indication

rather than me spending a lot of time trying to figure out what you did for

the last 18 months so so keep that in mind most most skilled recruiters will

do that so in an interview just explain what it is if you know if they say you

know what have you been doing for the last year just explain it five years

whatever it is so don't don't don't it's not as big a deal as you think I mean if

you are in an interview they they think pretty highly of you at least on paper

anyway even if you haven't been working you have to remember that right what do

I always say if you're in the interview you're qualified that's what the

employer is saying otherwise they're not gonna take the time to talk to you so I

hope that helps

you