Explaining Employment Gaps

The Plain Dealer (June 2008)

People with a solid work history take time off from work for a number of reasons. Some lose a job due to a lay off or corporate downsizing. Some decide to stay at home full time to raise a family. Others simply want to take a break to travel, want to volunteer for a favorite cause, or want to take a long-deserved hiatus from working.

Regardless of the reason for an extensive or even a relatively short time spent out of the workforce, deciding how to explain the job gap might be tricky. How will it be perceived by potential employers? Do you explain it in a cover letter or on the resume itself? Do you wait until it comes up in a job interview?

If you have been out of work for a while, the best advice is to fully disclose the reason for it and do so as soon as possible. If it is a matter of a few months between jobs, then it most likely won't be noticeable on a resume if you list previous jobs only by the year. Wait until an interview is scheduled to talk about it, but do plan on bringing it up.

If the gap is obvious and not explained on the resume, it could be a cause for alarm for a recruiter or hiring manager, said Bobette Poussart, human resources director for The Reserves Network. Put an explanation on the resume, not on the cover letter, she advised.

Despite conventional wisdom that says otherwise, most recruiters don't have time to read cover letters.

"They are really just looking at the resume, so if they see a gap, it is going to make them nervous. If it's not acknowledged, they will move on to the next resume," Poussart said.

It is best to explain a gap in person. But if you don't even acknowledge the gap, then there most likely won't be an interview in the first place, Poussart said. Most recruiters realize that with today's economy, people are going to have gaps in employment.

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to explaining job loss or gaps in employment. It also helps if you can explain what else you were doing during the time you were not working. The more value you can show in what you did, the easier it is for a hiring manager to understand and appreciate the time you spent out of work.

"When someone acknowledges that they were raising a family, I find it impressive that he or she could manage the financials to be able to do so. That's a really hard thing to do these days," Poussart explained. "If you are a stay-at-home parent, you are generally going to be involved in other activities, as well, such as being a Boy Scout leader, PTA volunteer, or helping at the school library."

Searching for a job is also a reasonable explanation for a job gap if it is relatively short-lived. There's no need to go into details, but it does explain how you filled your time. If terminated, a simple comment about the circumstances surrounding the loss of the job is all that is necessary during an interview. Be careful to keep the tone positive and do not belittle a former employer.

Closing the gap

Let's face it. If you have taken a lengthy bit of time away from the job market, you have some catching up to do. In today's competitive environment, looking for a job when you haven't worked in five, eight or 10 years is difficult. Hopefully, you have kept somewhat active and your skills updated.

Stop wondering why hiring companies are not pursuing you and figure out exactly what you need to do to make yourself more marketable, said Randy Samsel, executive recruiter with eSearch, Inc., and chapter president of the Cleveland Society for Human Resource Management.

"It's not a matter of whether you can do the job. It is a matter of you in comparison to the other available candidates. If I'm a hiring manager looking to fill a particular position and I have 10 resumes with only one from a person who is reentering the workforce after eight years away, it's a simple process of elimination," Samsel said.

Instead convince the hiring manager that you are not only a viable candidate but a better candidate, Samsel said.

"An experienced candidate with strong skills who is willing to start at an entry-level position or a position or a salary lower than what they had before they left the job market, is appealing to hiring managers."

For additional information on The Reserves Network and its affiliates,  please contact: Brandon Thimke, communications manager, at bthimke@thereservesnetwork.com.