Ask Deb: How do you explain a resume gap? I have a 4-year gap due to a car accident and I am not sure how to explain it.

Ask Deb Question: “How do you explain a resume gap? I have a 4-year gap due to a car accident and I am not sure how to explain it.“

Ask Deb’s Answer.

I am sorry you went through this experience. Recovering from a car accident is tough enough. I am sure that reliving it every time you interview has been difficult.

Know that you are not alone in your question.?

Many clients have said to me:

·?????“I have this gap on my resume.”

·?????“1, 2, 3, 5?years or more.”

·?????“Am I unemployable now?”

You are absolutely employable.

Career breaks are common. Life happens and that’s OK. (19) was also a big cause for resume gaps as it resulted in many breaks for many people.

It’s not what happens to your career that defines you; it’s how you handle it. Hold your head up high when talking about your time away from employment. You have nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

Explain what happened. Calmly. Then, move on from the question.

Keep this in mind…

If you've done something, it means something.??

Show them what you've done.

Add a section to your resume called “Professional & Personal Development”

Put everything into this section. Put books you’ve read, classes you've taken. Anything you've done during your “so-called” gap.?

For example:

Let's say, you helped a friend or a family member run something.

Let's say you're a mom and you ran the PTO.

If you've done something, it means something.??

Put everything into this section. Even if you think it’s small and doesn’t matter. It matters.

This way, you are showing potential employers how what you did even though it may not be paid work is still relevant to your next role.

IDEA #2: #LinkedIn introduced a “Career Breaks” section that you can add to your profile. They understood the gap issue and wanted to help job seekers better capture their life experiences. Whether it was taken for full-time parenting, bereavement, caregiving, a gap year, layoff, or other life needs or experiences. This is another way of handling it.

HOW WOULD YOU HAVE ANSWERED THIS QUESTION?

#askdeb #jobinterviews #resumegap #career #careergoals #careergoalsguru

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