Given the dot-com meltdown, frequent corporate downsizing,
family situations, and the never-ending parade of mergers
and acquisitions, more leadership professionals than ever
are presenting a gap in between jobs to their next employer.
If this situation applies to you, remember that you are in
good company! I would estimate that nearly a third of my
clients have experienced a period of unemployment at one
time or another.
Your best bet in this case is to meet the challenge head-on
by preparing to address the gaps directly. This will make
it much easier to market your skills for an executive or
management role.
I have compiled three highly effective tips you can use
when presenting an interruption in your work history to a
potential employer:
1) Remember that hiring authorities see gaps all the
time... but they will also expect to see career
progression, PLUS an explanation. This is a critical point!
In order to deflect questions about short-term gaps, ensure
that your resume shows some strong areas of growth
throughout your professional history. This can make the gap
seem more like a blip in your career.
Also, be prepared to explain the gap itself by pointing to
an activity that filled it, such as volunteer work, caring
for an ill family member, or launching a business, in order
to explain time in between jobs.
2) If possible, give a name to the gap itself. Give readers
of your resume an idea of what you did to fill your time by
using a between-jobs "title" such as Consulting,
Sabbatical, Leave of Absence, or Family Management.
But what if the gap was short enough that you were merely
searching for work? You can just leave it "as is," while
still preparing your explanation. This leads to the next
tip, which is...
3) Don't point out a gap that you can't name. Essentially,
your best strategy when dealing with any potentially
negative information is this: focus more on the RESULTS
you can bring to your next employer than anything else.
In other words, if you don't have a plausible explanation
for being out of work, then simply move on to communicating
your unique value--and save your explanation for an
interview.
My personal philosophy is that everyone has something
POSITIVE to offer their next employer. The more focus you
put on your strongest contributions for a six-figure
position, the less you--and hiring managers--will need to
emphasize any shortcomings in your career history.
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A unique six-figure resume authority, Laura Smith-Proulx of
An Expert Resume creates cutting-edge documents access jobs
at prestigious corporations. Known as "The Career Champion"
with a 98% interview success rate, Laura effectively
captures leadership talents for a successful job search.
For her free e-course, "The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That
Can Keep You From a $100K+ Job," visit
http://www.AnExpertResume.com .
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