Tackling the glaring gap in your resume

You are applying for a role that you think you would do very well. There’s only one problem -- you have a gaping hole in your resume because you took some time out to try your hand at business, or you decided to stay home and raise your children. How do you explain this gap? Or should you just ignore it and hope that the recruiter does not bring it up?

Gaps in resumes are more common than you think. In an age where layoffs and retrenchments are the norms, the key is in figuring out how to play up your skills, as opposed to how to pretend the gaps in your CV are non-existent. However, you’re likely to get more anxious if you are away from the workplace for long.

A 2016 survey found that the concern most recruiters had with someone who had been away from the workplace was ‘are their skills current enough?’ so what do you do when you are called at a workplace:

Don’t lie, and don’t Obscure-as tempting as it may be, don’t lie about the gap in your resume. Set yourself up as someone who has integrity and who is willing to tackle the difficult questions. You are not the first person who is bouncing back after a lay off -- what is more important is how you have grown as an individual despite being out of the workplace.

Rehearse your Answers-be prepared for the conversation around the gap in your resume. If you stammer through explaining why you have been away for a year, it will seem as if you are trying to be dishonest, even if you are not. Look at your time away from every perspective -- what books did you read, events you attended, projects you were involved in - and identify which important skills you gathered that could be of use in your new role. Even more importantly, did you find that you acquire a resilience that you previously did not have -- the drive to not give up no matter how hard things got? Or did you become very adaptable to being in unfamiliar situations and circumstances? What kind of networks did you make and how would this be invaluable to you in your new role?

Stay Positive-attitude is half the story. Saying that you are resilient and showing enthusiasm and a positive mindset have a different effect. Even if you feel as if your interviewers are penalizing you for the time you spent away from the workforce, stay confident in your value as a team member with unique skills. Also, you need to ensure that while you are out of the workforce you are keeping up to date with the skills you need in the 21st-century workplace. Take a free online course and ensure you are in touch with and growing your networks.