Employment Gaps

Employment Gaps are those time periods when job applicants appear to be unemployed, or absent from the work environment.  These employment gaps may be intentional, such as going back to school, or unintentional, such as the time spent between jobs or otherwise unemployed.  Recruiters and potential employers are often suspicious of job hunters that have unexplained employment gaps appearing on their resume.

These gaps in employment history are highlighted when using a resume style that requires the listing of work history, such as the chronological resume.  When significant employment gaps exist, the applicant should consider using a functional resume format.  If the gap is short in duration, the combination resume format can be used effectively.