Three-Year Gap on Resume

Question
I was employed last in August of 2005. At that time, with no warning, I was given my walking papers. I was completely stunned. No warning, nothing. I asked why and the supervisor said I wasn't doing my job, which was completely untrue. I was a good employee for their company. They refused unemployment and so I filed an appeal and won, getting six months of unemployment insurance.

Shortly after this happened, my mother-in-law got sick and we took her in to stay with us. She has now left, and I am actively pursuing work in an administrative capacity. What about the gap on my resume and what about the job application that asks, "Have you ever been discharged and why?"
--Carol

Answer
Here's how to handle the three-year gap in employment on your resume. If you did any volunteer work that involved paperwork while taking care of your mother-in-law, list that as your most current "job title." (There's no need to say that if you were not paid for your work). It might look like this:

2005-present, Fundraiser, ABC Organization, City, State
- Managed administrative records as part of an active fundraising team. Typed and mailed donor solicitation and acknowledgement letters, and updated donor database.

If you didn't do any volunteer work but provided financial management for your mother-in-law as part of your care giving, you could put that on your resume. It might look something like this:

2005-present, Full-time Caregiver to Parent
- Handled financial matters, including insurance claims, trust administration, and accounts payable, in addition to providing home nursing.

If you did both, then list it like this:

2005-present, Fundraiser, ABC Organization, City, State
while serving as Full-time Caregiver to Parent
- Managed administrative records as part of an active fundraising team. Typed and mailed donor solicitation and acknowledgement letters, and updated donor database.
- Handled financial matters for parent, including insurance claims, trust administration, and accounts payable.

On your job application you will have to say "yes" to the question about having been discharged. Your explanation should be something brief, such as, "Misunderstanding." Then be prepared to talk about it in your job interview.

Best of luck with your job search!

Medical Work Gap on Resume

Question
My daughter recently stopped working for 3 months to recover from surgery. She now needs to find a new job. How does she acknowledge the employment gap and the fact that she is currently working temporary jobs while searching for a full time position?
-- Debra

Answer



Dear Debra,
Because the gap in employment is only three months long, and those three month are all within the same year your daughter left her last full-time job, there's no need to even mention the time off. Just be sure to list only years -- no months -- in the work history on the resume, like this:

20xx-2008, Job Title, ABC Company

Don't refer to the temporary jobs she's held most recently. She'll have to list those jobs on her job application form, but she doesn't need to list them on her resume.

Best of luck with the job search!

Employment Gap Because of School

Question
I left a job in 2005 to finish college. I worked at the job from 95-05. My question is how should I fill the gap on my resume under job experience between 2005 and now? I hate to leave a blank space even though I am graduating from college in May.

Answer
by Bob McDonald, Director of Career Services

Sometimes, gaps in your work history are impossible to avoid. But you felt that your education was more important to your well-being than trying to juggle both work and school, and that’s something to be proud of. And you’re not alone. I’m currently working with individuals who made the same decision in their lives.

But how to fill the gap? First, and most important, view your education as a positive and play up the benefit it will bring you in the workforce. This can be put into your cover letter, where you can spend a paragraph describing what items you learned and how they can best be used in the job you are applying for.

As for your resume, because you have such an extensive work history prior to returning to school, I would suggest utilizing a Combination or Analytical Resume, which combines the most usable attributes of both the functional and chronological resumes.

With this resume format, you will want to break out your skill set categories. I generally recommend three or four bullet points per skill category. Always remember to keep your bullets in phrase format. After that, outline the achievements and accomplishments you attained while you were still working.

Another suggestion would be to think of any activities (volunteering, consulting, freelance work, etc.) that you did while in school. If this applies, mention those as well. It’s another way to fill in the gap.

Bob McDonald works with IT and health services vocational students at the Cleveland, Ohio campus of TechSkills.

Susan Ireland’s Two Cents
Following Bob’s advice above, know that in the combination resume format you can list your current schooling as your most recent “job” in the body of your resume. It might look something like this:

2005-pres., Student, Business Administration Program, (graduation May 2007)
ABC University, City, State

Also, check out CollegeGrad.com’s blog, where there a lot of Q&As about college graduates and their job searches.