One of my closest friends got laid off from her job because they were downsizing and it took her a little over two years to find a full-time job. In between that time, she was working a few jobs here and there just to pay the bills and have food. While the small jobs gave her some kind of financial peace, they were definitely too small in her opinion to put on her resume.
Because of that, the longer it took for her to find a full-time job, the wider her employment gap looked on her resume. This caused hiring managers to throw major side-eyes at her application and it affected her confidence when she did earn an interview.
Giphy
Just like my friend, because the job search market is so crowded and competition is real, it's not uncommon for you to have that awkward gap in your work history. If you're struggling with this, keep reading for ways you can explain the gap on your resume in your next interview. But first, before you dig into the gems, one quick note:
Don't stress about every single employment gap that you have! Many people don't really understand what an employment gap is and often their confusion results in self-sabotage. Typically, if you've only been unemployed for six months or less, it is generally OK for it to reflect that way on your resume. Hiring managers will instead safely assume that you were just job searching at the time.
Also, how long ago is the employment gap that you're stressing about on your resume? Is it over seven years old? If so, I wouldn't sweat it. If you've had ample job experience since then, it may not be worth discussing on your resume.
How To Explain A Gap In Employment History To An Interviewer
1.Tell the truth, but not the whole truth.
When listing dates on your resume, you can opt-out listing the month/year if you were in a position for over a year. For example, you could say "2017-2019" (instead of July 2017-September 2019) for a position. Then, if your next job began in September 2019, you can list it as "2019-Present". This type of formatting will make your employment gap less obvious.
2.Focus on the positive.
Yes, I get it sis; during the time you were unemployed, your bank account dwindled but maybe other things blossomed during this period.
While you weren't working full-time, did you learn new skills, take on some freelancing gigs, or help a friend out with his or her business? Whatever you did, list that on your resume as either work or volunteer experience. Even though it wasn't full-time work, it shows that you stayed busy in spite of your unemployment and that you didn't let your situation bring you down or keep you from growing professionally.
3.Be honest.
For some recruiters, it's easy to spot when someone isn't being honest, so instead of letting that keep you from your next, big thing, just tell your truth.
Without oversharing (because you don't want to keep the focus on your unemployment), be open and if you're asked, tell the hiring manager why you took the time off. While you're doing so, emphasize on what skills you learned and what experiences you gained during your employment gap. If you can, make sure that the skills and experiences you discuss are applicable to the job that you're applying for.
4.Be confident.
When you're talking about your employment gap, it's critical that you are 100% confident and don't show uncertainty or feelings of despair. If you come off as hesitant or diffident, it'll only project those same feelings about you onto the hiring manager. Before you interview, gain your confidence by verbally practicing your explanation, and perfecting your pitch as much as you need to.
While gaps in employment can be challenging to discuss and stressful to think about, if you practice your pitch, are confident and honest, it'll ease your stress. In return, it'll also effectively turn the conversation with the hiring manager to more about what makes you amazing and less about your time of unemployment.
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Featured image by Shutterstock.
- 7 Tips for Explaining Gaps in Employment to Employers | Masterson ›
- How to: Explain a gap in your CV | reed.co.uk ›
- How to Explain Employment Gaps in an Interview | Indeed.com ›
- How To Explain Resume Gaps | Monster.com ›
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Answers have been edited for context and length.
xoNecole: How did the pandemic lead to you leaving the cubicle?
Randi: I was becoming stagnant. I was working in mortgage and banking but I felt like my personality was too big for that job! From there, I transitioned to radio but was laid off during the pandemic. That’s what made me go full throttle with entrepreneurship.
Gabrielle: I moved around a lot for work. Five times over a span of seven years. I knew I needed a break because I had experienced so much. So, I just quit one day. Effective immediately. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew I needed a break and to just regroup.
Lisa-Gaye: I was working in recruiting at a university and my dream job just kind of fell into my lap! But, I never got to fully enjoy it before the world shut down in March [2020] and I was laid off. On top of that, I was stuck in Miami because Jamaica had closed its borders due to the pandemic before I was able to return.
Randi O
xoN: Tell us about your journey after leaving Corporate America.
Randi: I do it all now! I have a podcast, I’m an on-air talent, I act, and I own a public relations company that focuses on social media engagement. It’s all from my network. When you go out and start a business, you can’t just say, “Okay I’m done with Corporate America,” and “Let me do my own thing.” If you don’t build community, if you don’t build a network it's going to be very hard to sustain.
Gabrielle: I realized in New York, there was not a lot to do for Black lesbians and queer folks. We don’t really have dedicated bars and spaces so I started doing events and it took off. I started focusing on my brand, Raw Honey. I opened a co-working space, and I was able to host an NYC Pride event in front of 100,000 people. I hit the ground running with Raw Honey. My events were all women coming to find community and come together with other lesbians and queer folks. I found my purpose in that.
Lisa-Gaye: After being laid off, I wrote out all of my passions and that’s how I came up with [my company] Shakespeare Agency. It was all of the things that I loved to do under one umbrella. The pandemic pulled that out of me. I had a very large social media following, so I pitched to hotels that I would feature them on my blog and social media. This reignited my passion for travel. I took the rest of the year to refocus my brand to focus solely on being a content creator within the travel space.
Gabrielle
xoN: What have you learned about yourself during your time as an entrepreneur?
Randi: [I learned] the importance of my network and community that I created. When I was laid off I was still keeping those relationships with people that I used to work with. So it was easy for me to transition into social media management and I didn’t have to start from scratch.
Gabrielle: The biggest thing I learned about myself was my own personal identity as a Black lesbian and how much I had assimilated into straight and corporate culture and not being myself. Now, I feel comfortable and confident being my authentic self. Now, I'm not sacrificing anything else for my career. I have a full life. I have friends. I have a social life. And when you are happy and have a full quality of life, I feel like [I] can have more longevity in my career.
Lisa-Gaye: [I'm doing] the best that I've ever done. The discipline that I’m building within myself. Nobody is saying, ‘Oh you have to be at work at this time.’ There’s no boss saying, ‘Why are you late?’ But, if I’m laying in bed at 10 a.m. then it's me saying [to myself], 'Okay, Lisa, get up, it's time for you to start working!’ That’s all on me.
xoNecole: What mistakes do you want to help people avoid when leaving Corporate America?
Randi: You have to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. You have a fast season and a slow season and I started to learn that when you're self-employed the latter season hits hard. Don't get caught up on the lows, just keep going and don't stop. I’m glad I did.
Gabrielle: I think everyone should quit their job and just figure it out for a second. You will discover so much about yourself when you take a second to just focus on you. Your skill set will always be there. You can’t be afraid of what will happen when you bet on yourself.
Lisa-Gaye: When it comes to being an influencer the field is saturated and a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome. There is nothing wrong with being an imposter but find out how to make it yours, how to make it better. If you go to the store, you see 10 million different brands of bread! But you are choosing the brand that you like because you like that particular flavor.
So be an imposter, but be the best imposter of yourself and add your own flair, your own flavor. Make the better bread. The bread that you want.
Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
xoNecole: Will you ever return to your 9 to 5?
Randi: I wouldn’t go back to Corporate America. But I don’t mind working under someone. A lot of people try to get into this business saying, “I can't work under anyone.” That’s not necessarily the reason to start a business because you're always going to answer to somebody. Clients, brands, there’s always someone else involved.
Gabrielle: I went back! I really needed a break and I gave myself that. But, I realized I’m a corporate girl, [and] I enjoy the work that I do. I’m good at it and I really missed that side of myself. I have different sides of me and my whole identity is not Raw Honey or my queerness. A big side of me is business and that’s why I love having my career. Now I feel like my best self.
Lisa-Gaye: I really don’t. For right now, I love working for myself. It's gratifying, it's challenging, it's exciting. It’s a big deal for me to say I own my own business. That I am my own boss, and I'm a Black woman doing it.
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Featured image courtesy of Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
Originally published on February 6, 2023