"What's wrong with a few gaps in my work history?" you might ask. "Isn't everyone entitled to a little time off?" Many responsible professionals have taken breaks in their careers to travel, take care of ill parents, recover from illness, and a myriad of other legitimate projects.

But for some reason, employers don't like to see gaps in your work history. They would rather see the unemployed time explained, especially if the explanation in any way connects with your job objective, or at least shows strength of character.

A void in your work history may cause the reader to think, "This person is hiding something" or "Here's someone who might have a problem (such as substance abuse, incarceration, laziness, or instability)." To gain the employer's trust, it's important to justify your employment gaps.

If you have a period of unemployment in your history, here are some ways of dealing with it:

1. Use only years, not months, when referring to spans of time in your work history. This makes it quicker for the reader to grasp the length of time, and can eliminate the need to explain some gaps that occurred within two calendar years.

Notice the gap in this presentation:
12/95-3/99 Manager Friendly's Ice Cream Parlor, Trenton, NJ
2/92-1/94 Manager Lyon's Restaurant, Milbrae, CA

Without the months, there is no apparent gap:
1995-1999 Manager Friendly's Ice Cream Parlor, Trenton, NJ
1992-1994 Manager Lyon's Restaurant, Milbrae, CA

2. If your unemployment covers two calendar years or more, you need to explain the void. Consider all the things you were doing (volunteer work, school activities, internships, schooling, and travel) during that time and present them in terms that are relevant to your job objective if possible.

Someone looking for a medical sales position who took care of an ill parent for two years might say:
1998-2000 Home Care Provider for terminally ill relative

An applicant for a travel agent position could refer to their vacation:
1998-1999 Independent Travel: Europe, Asia, and South America

A reentry mother wanting to be a teacher's aide might put:
1988-1999 Full-time Parent and PTA Volunteer, St. John's Academy

3. If your gap has no apparent relevance to your job objective, explain the gap honestly and with dignity. References to illness, unemployment (even if it is clearly due to a recession), and rehabilitation raise red flags in most cases, so avoid those at all cost. Speak about something else that you were doing during that time, even if it doesn't relate to your job objective. Suggested "job titles":

• Full-time Parent
  
• Home Management
  
• Family Management
  
• Family Financial Management
  
• Independent Study
  
• Personal Travel
• Adventure Travel
  
• Travels to .....
  

4. If you use unpaid experience in your work history, be sure that you entitle the section either "Work History" or "History," not "Employment History" or "Professional History," since "employment" and "professional" both imply that you were paid.

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