Is a Gap a Red Flag on a Candidate’s Resume?
The article explains that while employment gaps on resumes have traditionally been viewed as red flags indicating potential issues like job instability or concealment of undesirable work history, the widespread occurrence of such gaps—especially post-pandemic—means hiring managers should instead approach them with empathy and curiosity to understand the logical or beneficial reasons behind them rather than dismiss candidates outright.
A resume can only reveal the smallest slice of a job seeker’s life story. After the pandemic’s upheaval on the job market, people’s resumes may look a bit different than in decades past. Employment gaps are becoming a more common occurrence, but they’re not necessarily cause for alarm. Hiring managers who approach a candidate’s employment gap with empathy and curiosity may find that the reason reveals something logical or even beneficial. Read on to help you determine if an employment gap is a red flag in a potential hire.
What Is an Employment or Resume Gap?
An employment gap refers to an extended period of time, perhaps multiple months or years, where the applicant has no recorded work history on their resume.
Traditionally, hiring managers would read a resume and expect to see a continuous employment history with no long gaps between jobs. This has long been viewed as a marker of a dedicated and committed worker who hasn’t taken “breaks” from the workforce. Resume gaps could also be attempting to hide jobs an applicant isn’t proud of.
But the truth is that 68 percent of workers “have experienced a gap in their employment.” Since so many members of the workforce are in this boat, it’s worth looking further into the individual and their experience.
Why Are Employment Gaps Seen as Red Flags?
At first glance, employment gaps may look like the applicant is trying to hide something that would eliminate them from consideration. Conventional recruiting wisdom says someone should never leave a job without another opportunity lined up. Being fired or unexpectedly let go can often lead to an employment gap while the person starts the process of searching, which can easily take months depending on the field. A hiring manager may see being fired as a red flag.
Employment gaps on a resume can also be used to hide a short-lived job that the candidate would prefer not to list. A person’s job history may include a series of short-term jobs that could, to some recruiters, make a candidate look irresponsible or unreliable.
Chances are, jumping to these somewhat outdated conclusions won’t serve your business or the candidate in front of you. In some sectors, company buy-outs can affect a huge percentage of a company’s employees through no fault of their own. Companies go out of business unexpectedly, department managers are fired and their whole staff is let go, and new leadership changes the focus of business so a person’s skills no longer fit. And there are many personal reasons someone may spend time away from the workforce.
Rather than dismissing those resumes right away, it might be worth giving an otherwise interesting candidate the opportunity to explain their experiences in the next phase of the hiring process.
Common Reasons for Resume Gaps
Workers have a wide variety of reasons for a resume gap. Some common ones may include:
- Giving birth to a child and/or providing full-time care for children
- Caring for a sick or aging family member
- Health concern or long illness
- Mental health issues
- Employer went out of business
- Training for new skills
- Classes for certification or a degree
- Exploring new hobbies
- Freelance work
- Widespread unemployment in a particular sector, such as food service during the pandemic
- Travel
- Relocation
Providing the candidate the opportunity to explain these or any other employment gaps may reveal characteristics that recommend them for hire. Someone who spent time traveling may have saved money for the trip which shows a forward-thinking mindset. A caregiving role could show that person has empathy, multi-tasking, and problem-solving skills. Freelance work can show initiative and time-management skills. Coping with mental health challenges can demonstrate strength and resolve.
How Resume Gaps May Appear on a Resume
Some job candidates might choose to add sections to their resume that describe the reasons for the gaps. A new parent might highlight the time spent on maternity leave with the dates they chose to spend providing full-time child care. Someone who spent some time traveling around in an RV might put those dates with a short description of the places they visited.
A person who did freelance writing or sold handmade goods could describe those months or years as self-employed or independent. A caregiver for an ill family member could highlight those months or years of unpaid labor as an important period in their personal development. Some candidates may choose to simply describe it as a “career break” with no further details.
A hiring manager can scan resumes or applications for any creative descriptions of employment gaps and approach the candidate with an open mind. To job seekers, Monster Career Expert Vicki Salemi counseled, “Providing hiring managers a reason for the break and what was learned can quell their curiosity and fears about your abilities and commitment.” The candidate doesn’t necessarily owe the hiring managers details about a private experience, particularly if the reason is health-related, but the hiring team can gauge a person’s renewed commitment to a new job with empathetic conversations during an interview.
How to Discuss Employment Gaps
When a candidate advances to the interview stage, you have the opportunity to gain more insight into an employment gap. Though some candidates may be reticent to discuss details of private matters, you can steer the conversation to lessons learned or future employment goals. Consider some of the following questions to address gaps:
- What made you decide to pursue full-time employment again?
- How did you stay connected to the industry during time away?
- Can you describe your freelance/consulting/independent work?
- What lessons did you learn during this experience?
- What soft skills did you work on during your time away?
- How have you handled re-certification [if applicable]?
The job market changes with the times and requires flexible hiring managers who can see beyond old platitudes. For small businesses, the demands of hiring can be overwhelming. Considering employees with a resume gap requires thoughtful attention. ApplicantStack can help you organize and sort every resume so no qualified job seeker gets left behind.
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