Writing Your Resume with a Career Gap
Jan 06, 2024
Career gaps happen for so many reasons. I can’t tell you how many clients I have assisted with their resume in this situation. Medical leave, taking time off to stay home with children, taking care of sick or aging family, unemployment…they can all leave a “gap” on your resume work history.
Let me share my own story with you. In 2018, I had my third baby in less than 4 years (surprise!). As you can imagine, it was nearly impossible to go back to work and afford childcare for 3 at one time. So, I did what so many parents do in this situation. I decided to stay home. I had been working in public relations for over 6 years and swore I would never stop my career for motherhood. Life has a way of humbling you. And changing you.
This stage of my life was when my resume business turned from a hobby into a source of income. I remember sharing a post on a Facebook group that I wanted to build my business and was offering resume makeovers for $30. I can’t type that now without giving myself a face palm. I obviously got a TON of business from that offer. (please, never under-value yourself like that)
I eventually started to figure out what my time and services were worth. Over three years, I worked a lot of resumé magic and took on some small short term contracts doing social media content and some graphic design. None of that felt exciting to put on a resumé when my last full time job title was “VP of Marketing & Communications".
In early 2021, an opportunity was shared for a role that sounded really interesting to me. It was getting to the point where two of my kids would be in school, and I’d only have daycare costs for one. It felt like good timing to try and get back into the work world.
However, the thought of opening up my old resumé file made my stomach turn. Sure, I had very relevant work experience and accomplishments. But, that was years ago. How do I write what I’ve done for the last 3 years? Like this?
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Changed 6 million diapers
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Potty trained two kids
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Wrote some resumés while making pb&js
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Designed a couple social media posts with Bluey playing on the TV
I told so many clients how normal work gaps were and exactly how to market themselves. I had to give myself the same pep talk and advice. So, here is what I did:
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Studied the job posting so intensely, that I had practically memorized it.
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Carefully worded my Profile section so that it would be obvious that I met the key qualifications.
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Highlighted my skills word for word to match the keywords in the job description. I thought through examples of how I used each skill, in case I was asked.
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Wrote a compelling cover letter sharing why I was excited to apply, a brief synopsis of the timeline of my work history (and explained the gap without getting overly personal), why I was ready to take on this role now, and what I could bring to the table.
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Asked a trusted friend to read through the job description and then my resumé and share their feedback. I implemented the suggested changes that felt right to me.
Here's what I sent them. (I know you're curious what a resume writer's resume looks like - I was able to go with a more heavily designed resume for this because it was being sent directly to an employer)
Did I get an interview? Yes! I made it to the final round and decided to remove myself from the running because it was not the right fit for me and what I needed out of a role. While I was a little disappointed, in hindsight, the timing was all wrong. The next opportunity that came my way was absolutely perfect, and I had a great connection from that first organization that got my name to the top of the list. I will forever be thankful that I put myself out there again and followed my own advice.
If you are in a gap right now, I have some more practical suggestions for you...
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Find somewhere to volunteer. Bonus points if you get to use your skills. You can list this on your resume under your work experience. Just denote it as volunteer work.
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Try to find some consulting/contract work. Even if you’re part-time or as needed, this will help fill the gap with something! You can even add a direct sales position if you word it well.
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Use years instead of Month/Year format on your work experience. That way, if you have a few months of an employment gap, no one will know!
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Do not stress over a gap in the past couple years. Covid caused so many changes in employment and there is a lot more grace for that in current times.
Know you need a complete overhaul of your resume? Check out my step by step course, Resume Roadmap.
