Don't Let Gaps in Your Resume Hold You Back!

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Even if gaps in the resume make many an applicant sweat: The gaps alone are by no means a dealbreaker. The key is not to fill the gaps in your resume with inconsistencies and lies, but to be clear, concise and honest about them. After all, you made the most of them. Even Steve Jobs' career didn't follow a straight line.

Even Steve Jobs had breaks in his resume ...

... which obviously didn't hurt his career. In 1985, he turned his back on Apple. After fierce internal power struggles, he had to leave the company. This extreme break was very valuable for his personal development. It was only because of this distance that he was able to realign himself and Apple and make it one of the most successful companies in the world. Ergo: A resume with gaps is nothing unusual and is rather seen as something positive by many recruiters.

Gaps in the resume are by no means knock-out criteria!

An application with gaps in the resume usually testifies to unpleasant events. Be they of a personal nature, such as time off for health reasons, unemployment, an above-average length of study ... all things that an applicant would prefer not to bring up. But it is indeed the case that mastered crises testify to a strong personality. And it is precisely this that is more interesting for personnel managers than a resume without any gaps. However, it is of absolute importance not to justify the long studies or the gaps in the resume with flimsy explanations, but to stick to the truth. Overcoming a deep crisis is an important life experience. Human resources managers see it as a sign of willpower and discipline. BUT: The applicant should not go into detail about this. This can be perceived as "whiny" or "tearful." Only briefly outline what triggered your difficult situation. In contrast, focus on your successful overcoming of the difficulties.

At what point is a gap in a resume a gap?

The answer to this question is relatively simple: anything beyond a two-month time frame that is not explained in the resume is considered a veritable gap. As a rule, recruiters start asking about a break of two months or more. As soon as a period is not documented by permanent employment, vocational training, studies, further training or an internship, the recruiter assumes that the person is unemployed. Of course, he wants to know the reasons for this.

Absolute no-go: Filling the patchwork biography with lies

Every day, HR staff process countless applications, conduct numerous job interviews, and are up to all kinds of tricks in this regard. Personal time off, travel, illness, unemployment - these can all happen and tend to arouse curiosity in the HR department and give room for speculation. But as soon as these breaks in the resume are concealed with half-truths, the chances of finding a new job quickly go down the drain. Personnel experts know the tricks that applicants use to fill in gaps in their resumes. Lying on a resume is not worth it; honesty always wins out in the end.

One classic way of retouching gaps in a resume is to give inaccurate time spans. Instead of stating employment relationships with month and year, it says, for example, "2014 - employed at company ABC" or "2013 - business studies degree and internship at XYZ-GmbH". Also, relying on imprecise information in the experience profile often makes recruiters skeptical. "4 years department manager at ABC, 2 years field service experience in the IT sector, ...".

Proactively address breaks in the resume

It is best to take the first step yourself. The cover letter already offers the opportunity to draw attention to any gaps in the resume. It is important to use this opportunity positively! The causes or motivational reasons behind the gaps in the CV should be briefly and concisely highlighted. You can highlight the change in direction as exactly the benefit it ultimately was:

• What experiences did it bring?
• How did the "sabbatical" affect your personality?
• The "sabbatical year" has broadened the horizon, taught tolerance, consolidated language skills and shown where the professional path should now go.
• It has become clear why exactly this job is so important for one.

As already mentioned several times, it is important not to be too harsh here. A short, honest explanation is perfectly sufficient. Then, if more information about the resume gaps is desired at the interview, you can go into more detail.

Job interview: A resume with gaps requires good preparation

If you are invited to a job interview, you have already overcome the first hurdle. It must be clear that the applicant was rated as "interesting" for the company from the application documents alone - despite the application with gaps in the resume. However, the fact that these gaps in the resume will come up is as certain as the Amen in the church. It is therefore important to prepare accordingly. Again, the answers should be short and to the point. The explanation of the gaps in the resume emphasize the positive personal changes from which the company can subsequently also benefit.

Today, it is almost commonplace for specialists and managers to have gaps in their resumes. This is by no means considered a flaw. Such breaks in the resume often testify to courage, a willingness to change, a wealth of experience and a certain willingness to take risks.