Resume & Interview Tips: Employment Gaps

There may be one reason or another why you have an employment gap on your resume. Maybe it is from a leave of absence because of health issues, loss of a job, or natural disaster. I have an employment gap on my resume due to Hurricane Katrina – something I could not help and something which created an employment breech on my resume. If you find yourself with gaps on your resume there are a few things you can do to smooth over those blemishes. Below are a few tips of which I believe are the best.

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1. Do not worry so much about the gap on your actual resume. Most potential employers will let you explain periods of unemployment on you resume in an interview so the chances of not getting the interview because of the gap are unlikely.

2. Do not bring it up. Do not bring up the gap in employment unless the potential employer does. Some things are better left unsaid.




3. If the employer does ask about the gaps on your resume explain them truthfully and nine times out of ten all will be well by the end of the interview.

4. Time off. We have all needed to take time off from time to time and often there is a very good explanation of why we needed a break. Certain professions have designated breaks (professors take sabbaticals and high-stress jobs often offer time off as well). Explain breaks and be honest on your resume and in interviews.

5. Medical Leave. If you took a medical leave for any reason it is your personal business and can often be explained by telling your potential employer that you took a leave of absence because of medical issues.

6. You were fired. Truthfully, it is never good to be fired from a job. Things do happen and the best way to explain unintended termination is to be honest. Being fired can lead to low self-esteem and the feeling that you will never find a job as good as the one you had, but there is life after being fired. Almost everyone has been fired at least once in their life either to no fault of their own or perhaps the firing was their fault. Either way, things have a way of working out for the best.

7. You were laid off. With the state of the current economy you may find yourself laid off from a job. If this is the case, again, honesty is again the best policy. Lay offs have become a way of life today with the sad state of economy we are in.

There are many reasons why a potential employee has gaps on their resume. The best way to handle the subject is to be honest and to the point with employment breeches. Current and future employees will appreciate your truthfulness and straightforward nature. To find out more on handling gaps in employment and the best career advice on the web go to www.hound.com.

See the following articles for more information:

• 21 Major Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
  
• The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews
  
• How to Talk About Other Interviews in Your Interviews
  
• How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
  
• How to Answer the Do You Have Any Questions for Me Interview Question

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