Not all of us are the stable type, in terms of career.While some of us might be happy sticking to one job for years together, others will find it difficult to continue at the same place beyond a stipulated time.
In this case, not all employees move to another job, or make a career shift.
At times, some unforseen circumstances might force us to take a break from work. There might be several reasons for this, say, you want to go on a long vacation, like a European tour, or you want to pursue a work of art, something that you have always been passionate about, but could not afford to allocate the time for it.
In other cases, the situation might be grim. You have fallen sick, and need to be in rest till recovery, or worst case scenario- you have been issued the pink slip by your firm.
In these circumstances too, one will be forced to take a break from work, or in shorter terms, an employment gap.While this is not a career-destroying issue, as perceived by many, it is certainly a point of focus for potential recruiters, who might want clarity on the long absence.
No firm would understandably want an employee who is seen unstable in his work. So how does one address this?
According to industry experts, the key is to address these employment gaps with the help of your cover letter, the first step towards approaching an employer.
A cover letter, that is usually sent with the resume, explains the contents of the same in a concise manner, thus making the reader’s job easy. As said earlier, the trick is to fill these gaps in the cover letter, using certain specific techniques. Here are some of these:
First, you need to be clear on the amount of time spent in each company. This can be done with the help of years worked and not days or months worked.
Next, if the absence from work was due to a personal issue, you can always choose to skip mentioning this in the cover letter.
Do not worry, your rights to privacy in this regard are completely protected by law. You can just mention family-related or personal in the space and get away with it. However, when a question related to this comes up during the interview process, then you need to give this a miss, and shift attention towards your experience and skills.
If the break from work is due to a non-personal issue, then you need to specify it clearly. Reasons like quitting the job for an overseas travel, or for pursuing higher studies, or best case, if you had put your papers to start your own venture, and put this across to your potential employer, you certainly have an edge over others.
This is because, you will be seen as an enthusiastic person, who is not afraid to take risks.
Another case is the long break you faced, when you made a career shift. In this situation, you need to work around your cover letter, based on this. But make sure, that all the details regarding your jump from one career to the others, are specified with clarity.
Also make sure, that you explain the reasons as to why you choose to take the big step, and why it did not work out, if it was a failure.
Now comes the most tricky part. What would you do, if you were fired from your previous workplace? In this case, try not to mention the employment gap in your application.
However, if questioned on the same, be truthful to the interviewer.
Courtesy: blog.livecareer.com
