One of the common fears that candidates have when developing a resume-or when having one professionally prepared-is how to address employment gaps. First of all, however, we must determine what really constitutes a gap in employment.

What is an Employment Gap?

Some people believe any time at all between one position and the next defines a gap in employment. Although this may technically be the case, it is not practically so for the purpose of creating a resume. When preparing a resume, a job seeker should list years only, no months. Although it is not a hard-and-fast rule, including months really doesn't add a whole lot of value. It can, however, be very distracting if the months are included and made a point of emphasis. Remember, you want the reader to focus on your work history and accomplishments, not how many months or weeks it took you to start you new job after you finished working at the old one.

Using this strategy, an employment gap on a resume will be anything in which a full calendar year goes by with no activity. For example, if you ended employment with ABC Company in May of 2002 and started with XYZ, Inc. in October of 2003, there would not be an apparent gap, other than at least one month, which is no problem. However, if the employment with ABC Company ended in December of 2001, a full year-plus gap would exist from at least the end of 2001 all the way through 2002 and into 2003.

Is an Employment Gap a Major Problem?

Bluntly speaking, yes, an employment can be a major issue for some employers. Consider how human resource representatives often review resumes very quickly for red flags to weed out candidates they classify as unsuitable. The fastest way is for them to identify job seekers with employments gaps or who have a history of frequent job hopping-having seven jobs, not in consulting or on a contract basis, in the past eight years.

How Do I Overcome a Gap?

To help overcome the issue of an employment gap that leaves a full calendar year unexplained, candidates have a few options. Unfortunately, most attempt to create a functional-style resume by listing accomplishments from all of their work history in one section without any mention of company names. They then simply list company names and position titles with no reference to dates or just a listing of how many years they spent in each position. Again, HR representatives and hiring managers like to see chronological resumes. They feel like candidates with a functional resume are hiding something. And in this case, they are right!

Another alternative, and the one I strongly advocate, is to retain the chronological resume style and to address the gap directly by listing the reason for the professional "inactivity" with the years in the same format you list your other positions. For example, if you were a stay-at-home parent, had a medical issue, or needed to care for a family member, an entry that reads "Family Sabbatical, 2001-2003" would be appropriate. If you attended college or graduate school, list the institution and program name along with the dates (i.e., "University of Maryland, Full-Time MBA Program, 2001-2003"). This tactic avoids the quick dismissal from HR representatives just eliminating candidates because of gaps and provides a logical sequence for the hiring manager when it gets in front of them.

In addition, because you have addressed an issue that most candidates are sensitive about directly, you need not be nervous about the employer uncovering it during the interview. Instead, you can go to the interview prepared to address any questions related to the gap in a confident manner.

So who am I anyway? Why do I think my advice is so valuable?

My name is Stephen Van Vreede. My company is called No Stone Unturned, and I have been in the career consulting business since 2002 with 8 years of hiring experience prior to that. You can check out my website that offers tools such as the No Nonsense Job Search Strategy guide and other Job Search Tips. http://sites.google.com/a/nononsensejobsearch.com/info/

The short story is that I have an MBA in Marketing from Villanova University and a dual B.S. degree in Finance & Logistics from the University of Maryland. I am a certified professional rsum writer (CPRW) and a member of the Professional Association of Rsum Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC). As I mentioned, I paid my dues in the corporate world eventually running a large-scale call center for a major truck rental company, and I have spent the past 6 years with No Stone Unturned, assisting job seekers in achieving their goals.

I know that my products will work for you because they are based on commonsense principles leveraged with good, solid expertise and knowledge of the job search process. After working with countless job seekers, I have become more and more convinced that most of them do not properly prepare for a job search and rely way too much on online sites and trendy articles to tell them what to do. Thus, they waste a lot of time, money, and energy.

If you still aren't sure whether our services are right for you, feel free to give me a call toll-free at 1-866-755-9800 or e-mail me at steve(at)nononsensejobsearch.com