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Taking time away from work is common, for both personal and professional reasons, so it isn’t necessarily an automatic red flag to hiring managers if you have gaps on your resume. However, you do need to be ready to address it so you can alleviate any potential concerns and show that you’re qualified for the job. Here’s how you can explain gaps on your resume and land a new job: 

Prepare a Response

This is definitely not an interview question that you want to answer off the top of your head, as a poorly worded explanation could leave the hiring manager unconvinced about taking a chance on you over candidates with more recent work history. Take time before your interview to decide what you want to say, and then practice your key points until it becomes natural and you can respond quickly without much effort – even accounting for interview nerves! 

Be Upfront

The worst strategy for resume gaps is attempting to undermine them or being anything less than completely straightforward. If you’re overly vague, it can make the hiring manager wonder what you’re hiding and question your integrity. Instead, be upfront about your resume gaps and briefly state the reason why you haven’t been working (i.e., you were laid off or being a primary caretaker) in a confident tone.  

Highlight Your Skills

Hiring managers may hesitate when they see gaps in your employment history because of the concern that your professional skills are not up-to-date. No matter what the reason is behind your resume gap, it’s very likely you were able to keep some skills sharp, such as time management or learning new technology if you were helping kids with virtual school. Even better is if you can show you have actively kept your skills sharp, such as taking an online course or gaining a certification.  

Fill in Gaps 

If your resume gaps seem to be holding you back no matter how you try to explain them, there’s only one solution: fill them. Think outside the box beyond a steady job and consider other ways to gain more recent work history, such as temporary employment, freelance, gig work, or volunteering. Even if it’s not the type of work you’re interested in long-term, it shows that you have work ethic and recent experience in the workforce.  

We Can Help You Re-Enter the Workforce 

Get back into the workforce with the help of PrideStaff Akron. We work with area employers to match them with top candidates for their open positions, from temporary to permanent. Search our current available jobs to get started.  

 

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