Returning To The Workforce Post-COVID: Explaining Your Gap in Employment
There are many reasons to feel apprehensive about returning to the workforce post-COVID. For many people, part of this apprehension will include worrying about how to best position a gap in employment.
If you are returning to the workforce post-COVID, there are many ways to positively explain your gap in employment to potential employers. With a little work and know-how, you can still land your dream job.
So take a deep breath, know you’re not alone, and let’s explore how to cover your COVID-related employment gap (or any gap, for that matter) when seeking new work.
Explaining Your COVID-Related Gap in Employment: Stay Confident
The first thing to remember about your gap in employment is that you are far from alone. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs during the pandemic. Rest assured that in all likelihood, your fellow applicants may also have gaps in their employment.
Remember, the pandemic affected everyone, including recruiters. Everyone understands the havoc it wreaked on our day-to-day lives, so try not to let your employment gap affect your confidence.
2. Highlight Your Accomplishments
Now is not the time to be humble. Like we explained in our 32 Resume Tips & Tricks, it’s important to highlight your juiciest bits of your information in the top third of your resume. This way you can grab the hiring manager’s attention right away and keep them wanting to read more.
So be sure to highlight your accomplishments, and to quantify them as well. Include any particular successes in your former positions, as clearly as possible.
3. Use the Functional Resume Format
Similarly, since you want to focus on your accomplishments and not your recent employment gap, consider using a functional resume format.
In this type of resume, you highlight your relevant skills and accomplishments first before you get into your ‘jobs held’ section. Consider the skills needed for the position you’re applying for and use your top section to demonstrate your relevant accomplishments in this field.
The great thing about this resume format is that it allows you to pull your accomplishments from across multiple positions and relate them to the new position you’re applying for. It takes the focus away from your COVID-related employment gap and puts it squarely onto why you’re still the perfect candidate for the job.
Learn more about the functional resume format and other current resume trends here.
4. Include Education and Learning Experiences
Many of us have taken the pandemic to better ourselves through online courses and other learning opportunities. If you’ve taken the time to improve your skill set, be sure to take the time to include it on your resume, too.
We’ve recommended more budget-friendly ways to improve your skill set (outside the workforce) here.
5. Don’t Dwell On It
Feel free to share your excitement about returning to the workforce in your cover letter or email, but don’t dwell on your gap or provide too many excuses for it.
For example, here are two casual yet professional ways to explain your gap:
“After taking time to focus on my family during the COVID-19 pandemic, I am excited to return to driving results within my role.”
“After taking the time off to hone my skills in XYZ over the last several months, I believe I can contribute to the team in the following ways ...”
In these examples, the applicant isn’t hiding their gap, but they also aren’t letting it define them or colour their application in a negative light.
At Resume Ninjas, we’ve been there ourselves, and we understand how challenging the job application process can be. That’s why we love helping clients who might lack confidence and need a little push. If you could use a little push returning to the workforce post-COVID, remember that we offer comprehensive packages and a 90-day money back guarantee. Contact us to learn more or get started.