A resume is a great opportunity to put your best foot forward. The resume is essentially “you” in a single page for others to quickly see. Employers like to see a resume during some course of the hiring process. This allows them the employer the opportunity to see vitally important information about the applicant. They can see where the person went to school, any college major and all relevant work experience. The employer can also see the resume to see if the applicant’s skills fit in with the qualifications necessary to do the job they need filled right now. Sometimes, people may have a less than ideal resume. Perhaps they have years of gaps that could be hard to explain. Fortunately, while such gaps may appear to be a problem, they can actually work in the job hunter’s favor.
Educational Diversity
Keep in mind that companies today are looking for employees who bring many varied types of experiences to the table. They are searching for employees who have lots of different kinds of educational experiences that make them ready for the demands of the world. The world of work is diverse so employers want a diverse workforce in turn. Taking a gap year is one way that students have found to help bridge the end of high school and the start of the mature demands of college. Students who take a gap year are students who understand that they may not be quite ready to make that transition. They know they may need more time to leap into adult life. Instead, they give their minds a chance to grow even further. A candidate with such a gap is a great asset to any company. Mature students with more years of experience have more to offer their peers and coworkers.
A Mother’s Resume
Women often take time off to have a family. Moms may worry that this gap will work against them when they want to return to paid employment. A mom should make sure that the employer knows what they’ve been doing and why. This is also an opportunity to show off her soft skills and demonstrate how they can be applied to the world of work. This is also the time for her to illustrate how she can cope with the challenges of parenthood. For example, moms need to investigate important issues related to raising a baby such as sleep schedules and feeding the baby. Moms also need to cope with rapid changes as the baby continues to grow up. A mom can and should show off what she’s learned to any potential employer as part of her time out of the paid workforce. She should also list any volunteer work.
Open to New Ideas
A gap in the resume may also be because of other circumstances. Sometimes, people get laid off or may cope with an unexpected illness that makes it hard for them to hold down a job temporarily. All potential employees can play this up by showing how they faced with such challenges and worked to overcome them. For example, an employee who may have been laid off for a few weeks, they may have done other things that are worthy of notice during this period. This may have included starting a small business of their own or attending additional classes that were designed to help them increase their specific understanding of a given and related field. This shows they are open to new ideas of all kinds. Employers love seeing people who are flexible and capable of responding to new ideas even in the face of a problem such as a serious life change.
Conclusion
A well crafted resume is not only a piece of paper. It’s an opportunity to make a fabulous first impression. A resume gap can only serve to further showcase the applicant’s many impressive modern work qualifications.
