Are you the victim of a layoff or downsizing? Periodically, I write about layoffs and downsizing because I expect layoffs will continue for the next couple of years.
With sales down, companies continue to cut expenses, and people are losing their jobs. (I hope some of the companies doing layoffs are reading my recommendations; they make a bad experience more palatable for all.) In this employment market, however, replacing a good job is difficult and time consuming. But, don't give up your job search during the long holiday season. (I get to talk about the holidays since the stores are full of red and Santas and a friend has already begun her holiday decorating.)
Employment Gaps
If you are returning to work from an extended time off for reasons such as parenting or a longer-than-expected job search following a layoff, you want to minimize and explain any employment gap. (If you're considering an extended period of unemployment, for whatever reason, you'll want to read these employment gap tips now, not when you attempt to re-enter the job market.)
About.com's Alison Doyle offers additional tips on crafting resumes and application materials for people who have been unemployed for periods of time.
Why Employment Gaps Matter
You should be concerned about employment gaps when you consider the bad experiences some employers have had when they take a chance on people with a gap in their employment history. A client company hired an individual who claimed her several year employment gap was a result of caring for her dying mom and building a new home.
Once hired, she took several months to report to work (lots of reasons - long story) and was injured day two on the job. I figured it was a workers' compensation scam until she begged the company not to file a claim. Intrigued, we talked to the rep and discovered the employee had actually been employed at five companies during her "supposed" employment gap. She had filed a workers' compensation claim at each of them for "supposed" injuries. How odd is that?
We never figured out why she didn't want us to file a claim. Scared she had too many? Liked our job? Really injured? We'll never know. But, the next employee who tells my client that she can't report to work because she is repairing tornado damage done to her newly built home while she was nursing her dying mother in Florida will certainly be regarded with skepticism. We, of course, reported the injury and later fired her for failure to return to work.
So, do take your employment gap seriously. Many employers have had bad experiences that somewhat jade their thinking. Minimize the employment gap if you can. Use some of the advice in the article above to stay employable and use the time wisely while you are laid off or taking time off from work
I'll bet you have employment gap stories, too. Share them.
Image Copyright Sheryl Griffin
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I enjoyed your advice. I am presently in Canada and experiencing the challenges of unemployment. I have started my own blog to gather and share tips and resources for those experiencing unemployment. I appreciate your wisdom.
Sometimes the “employment gaps” are temporary jobs. How do you list those, or do you, on a job app?
I fill the occasional employment gaps by writing articles. They can then be listed on my resume as Published Work
I have had a lot of employment gaps as I worked for several temporary agencies while attending school and after graduating. When they laid me off of that job and didn’t have another for me I drew unemployment. Currently I have been unemployed for 6 months as I am working on a Master’s degree in Human Resource Development. Am I going to have problems with a resume and getting accepted?
Penny,
Follow the advice in the article while you still have a chance. Then, have a plausible explanation for each gap. Sounds as if you are using them to improve yourself and your career.