Welcome to the latest edition of our job hunting series. Over the past month, we’ve shared tips on landing entry-level jobs, changing careers, and landing remote roles. Today we’re talking about how to frame career gaps.
But first, a short announcement: We’re launching a promotion for new Coursera Plus subscribers! You can get your first month of Coursera Plus for $1 through November 24th. Search on the linked page
(Re)shaping your career gap
Career gaps or employment gaps are periods of time between jobs when you are not working in a traditional job. You may have a career gap if, for example, you decided to stop working while raising children or caring for another family member, took sick leave, went back to school, or simply couldn’t find the right role for you.
Career gaps are normal and common. Life takes each of us in different directions, sometimes calling us to step back from our careers – but that doesn’t mean your growth and development stops during that gap.
Ultimately, as a job seeker, what you gain from a career gap is more important than why you took a career break.
Think about the skills you’ve learned or practiced in the time since you stepped away from your last role, and embrace your career gap as time well spent. For example, while raising children, you may have learned to maintain schedules, delegate tasks, and manage resources—all useful project management skills. While traveling to different countries, you may have improved your language skills and cultural diplomacy, which can come in handy when working for a global company or running an international business.
Then, proudly display those skills on your resume, either by inserting them in a dedicated skills section or by giving yourself a job title and listing your responsibilities in your experience section. Here’s an example for a stay-at-home parent:
A stay at home mom
Self-employed, 2018—present (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Managing the schedule for two children under the age of 10, organizing competition dates and activities
- Oversaw the weekly grocery budget, reducing overall spending by 8% over two years
- Created a local parenting group on Facebook that currently has over 60 members; scheduled meetings and gathered resources and tools to present each week
Think about how you can discuss this time period during the interview. The goal here is to maintain control over your career gap story. See this as an opportunity to highlight the skills you’ve acquired—especially ones you might not otherwise have been exposed to—and how those skills have shaped you into the high-quality job candidate you are today.
Keep growing
Sharpen your resume with SUNY Online’s project-based course, How to Write a Resume.
Gain perspective on shaping your work-life balance with a specialization in achieving personal and professional success from the University of Pennsylvania.
Formalize your new skill set with industry-leading professional certification that aligns with your new skills.
This concludes our job search series, but the conversation continues in the comments. Leave your questions, tips and encouragement below – we’d love to cheer you on!