Need to know how to conquer the employment gap on your career documents? There are many reasons why people may have employment gaps on their resume and LinkedIn profile. Some may be by choice and others based on circumstances.
Some reasons for an employment gap could include COVID, elder care, foster care, child care, raising a family, medical or health, mental health, relocation, natural disasters, education or training, downsized, termination, resignation, travel pursuits, starting a business, career pivot, personal project(s), and more.
No matter the reason, it’s best to be upfront and include the gap information concisely on the resume and LinkedIn. Depending on the cause, hopefully, the listed gap answers the question before it is asked.
You must position it as though it was a thing of the past and will not interfere with your future forward.
So what can you call it?
Family Sabbatical, Elder Care Sabbatical, Elder Care & Estate Sabbatical, Personal Sabbatical, Education Sabbatical, or other appropriate descriptor.
During an interview, you must also prepare how you will answer the question of “why did you leave your last job?” Here’s an article that answers the top ten interview questions and another for behavioral interview questions.
You may have heard that it is easier to get a job while you have a job. On LinkedIn, it is better to have a (date – present) job than to have a job that has an end date. Read this article and that article.
As a nonprofit leader, we always welcome volunteers to share their expertise and fill those employment gaps for a Win-Win! Let us know how we can help each other! Read more here.
NEXT STEPS
- Subscribe to my newsletter on LinkedIn for bright ideas to manage your career.
- Join as a member at https://greatcareers.org/membership of the #1 business networking association on the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Book of Lists three years in a row!
- If you need a resume or LinkedIn profile to get you to your next step, book a call to chat!
- Follow #GreatCareersPHL
AUTHOR BIO
Lynne M. Williams is the Executive Director of the Great Careers Network, a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides career development and networking connections for 1) job seekers in career transition, including veterans, and 2) employed and self-employed for career management.
Aside from writing keyword-focused content for ATS resumes and LinkedIn profiles, Lynne is currently writing her doctoral dissertation on LinkedIn for Job Seekers. She is a contributing author on “Applying to Positions” in Find Your Fit: A Practical Guide to Landing the Job You Love, along with the late Dick Bolles, the author of What Color is Your Parachute?, and is also a speaker on career topics.
This article is also published on: vista.today, montco.today, delco.today, bucksco.today, and in the author’s LinkedIn newsletter. A list of articles can also be found in a Google doc.
