Which is worse: Showing a 4-year gap or including non-career roles on your resume?

Dear Sam: I have a question about approaching a career gap on my resume. The last job I included on my resume was through the first summer of the pandemic. After that, I held a couple of short-term jobs, but I haven't included them on my resume as they didn't work out, and I left them to pursue full-time work. Of course, not including them leaves me with a 4-year gap in my work history from 2020-2024. I would like to know if the gap will hinder me from finding work or if it would be better to include those short-term roles unrelated to my career. On top of that, I also don't remember how long or when I worked those jobs. – H.L.

Dear H.L.: Great question. A gap of that significance raises questions about what you did during those four years. It is better to include your short-term, part-time roles and focus on the transferability of those experiences versus leaving 2020-2024 void of any content.

I would revisit end-of-year tax forms to jog your memory of past employer time frames. You do not have to present months for your experiences, so remembering the years you were engaged in those roles would be fine. Here are some considerations when adding those roles:

1)???? How do they relate to your current career target? Your resume shows that most of your experience has been in sales and customer service. If those short-term roles had customer-facing responsibilities, highlight the relevance of the functions you performed. Employers will be much more interested in the fact that you continued to be engaged professionally during the past four years than they would be in the specifics of a non-career position. Hence, present the transferable aspects of your experience, but don't feel like you have to write a novel for a short-term role.

2)???? Being honest is the best approach. After you have presented your experiences on your resume, I would take the time to explain the transitions in your cover letter. Employers want to hear the narrative of your story and professional choices as it helps them understand your journey. Be sure to explain that you engaged in some short-term roles while searching for your next career opportunity; also, prepare a succinct explanation for an interview.

3)???? Show how you grew. Even if you were not continuing in the capacity of your chosen career, I am sure there would be skills you developed during these short-term roles. Did they add to your resilience, demonstrate your work ethic, or show a different skillset altogether? Consider how they may have added value to your candidacy despite not being career-related or long-term.

It’s more important to show that you didn’t simply exit the workforce for four years and, instead, show that despite not finding work in your career field, you continued to be engaged professionally, develop new skills, and show a commitment to finding a long-term career position based on your choices.

I hope this helps you develop a more powerful resume.

Samantha Nolan is an Advanced Personal Branding Strategist and Career Expert, founder and CEO of Nolan Branding. Do you have a resume, career, or job search question for Dear Sam? Reach Samantha at [email protected]. For information on Nolan Branding’s services, visit www.nolanbranding.com or call 614-570-3442.