October 26, 2006 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Q. After three years at my last job, which was great, I followed my husband when his job was relocated to another state. But in the new city, I had no luck finding a new position. After five months, we’ve decided to return home. How do I explain the gap in my résumé to prospective new employers?
A. Many people have a hard time answering this question, says Scott Silverman, founder of Second Chance, a nonprofit organization in San Diego that helps the homeless and recently- released prisoners get and keep jobs. But honesty is the best policy, says Mr. Silverman, who notes that the majority of his clients have long gaps in their work experience much more difficult to explain than yours.
“You were simply taking care of family obligations,” he says. “Turn this gap into a positive by explaining to the prospective employer that you are ready, willing, and able to get back to work.”
In fact, your situation is the easiest type of gap to handle, says Karen Alphonse, a recruiter for nonprofit clients at execSearches.com, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “A carefully crafted cover letter, explaining the facts and circumstances, will usually suffice,” she says. “Life happens. Most prospective employers understand that.”
In your situation, it is important to reassure potential bosses in your cover letter that you are not likely to up and quit again if your husband switches jobs, says Ms. Alphonse.
“Say something like, ‘In addition to my core skills, I have a track record of loyalty and consistency; through my professional life I have worked with two, or a few, employers and my average tenure, except for unusual recent circumstances, has been five years.’ This kind of language and pre-emptive explanation should dispel any employer’s potential fears.”
In addition, Ms. Alphonse recommends that you ask your references to describe the current circumstance as “unusual” while underscoring your overall reliability.
Had your résumé gap resulted from a layoff, you would have to do more damage control. In such cases, you should explicitly mention any honors, awards, or other accolades in your cover letter to dispel the notion that performance was an issue in your previous position, says Ms. Alphonse.
Being fired outright, however, is a much more difficult scenario to explain to an employer. In that case, Ms. Alphonse would recommend analyzing your skills and repackaging yourself, then deciding how to tactfully explain the failed situation without seeming bitter or blaming your previous employer.
Although she would not recommend describing the situation at length in a cover letter, you might allude to “lessons learned” or find some other positive way to sum up the unhappy experience.
Another approach is to use the time off to engage in intensive professional development. Says Ms. Alphonse: “By investing your own time and money in the process of enhancing your skills, you give your résumé a boost and acquire the knowledge which will allow you to navigate similar situations better in the future.”
