Your resume is usually the first thing job recruiters see and you need to leave a good impression from the start. But it’s not always easy to do when you don’t have a consistent job history. US News tackles the problem of a long unemployment history by suggesting you fill that void with something productive.
Image: Elliott P.
If you’ve been unemployed for a while, you likely have a massive gap between your jobs. To a lot of hiring managers this looks like a bad thing. However, you can make that gap less of a red flag, as the following article on US News explains:
Even in this economy, some hiring managers look at long-term unemployed candidates and wonder if there’s a reason that other employers haven’t hired them. Fortunately, many employers do understand that it can take time for even good candidates to find work in this market — but it’s important to show that you’ve been spending your time volunteering, building your skills, or something other than a year-long job search.
If you’ve been unemployed for a while, talk about what you’re doing to keep your skills in order. Perhaps you’re volunteering and teaching people your skill set, or you took a class to get yourself up to date. It’s even worth putting down that you’re freelancing for a little extra cash. Gaps in your resume are always red flags, so any way you can fill that void is going to increase your chances at an actual interview. While you’re cleaning that resume up, don’t forget to get rid of any other items that might be killing your chances.
6 Red Flags Employers See in Your Job History [U.S. News via Wall Street Journal]
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