How to Avoid Resume Gaps

There are many techniques that can be employed to prevent significant gaps in work history. Here are my top four recommendations (all of which look great on a resume and build valuable business connections):

1. Offer to produce something of value for free.

Employers are especially fond of professionals and students who present themselves as problem solvers instead of job seekers. If you are seeking a new position, offer to deliver something specific that you know you can hit the ground running (e.g. set of marketing ideas, research report, financial analysis). Set a short timeline such as two weeks and show them what you can do if employed.

2. Seek temporary or contract work.

Professionals should immediately contact local staffing firms about temporary or contract work if they are unemployed. These recruiters have visibility to short term opportunities that are often never publicized online. Contract work is a great work to get your foot in the door with an organization to see if there is a mutual fit.

3. Volunteer your services in your community.

Volunteering at a community-based organization is a great way to keep your skills up to date and to build connections. For example, if you are a project manager, offer to lead a project at the local arts or recreation center. Community work not only looks great on a resume, it also makes a difference in your town.

4. Pursue additional education and training opportunities

Use a period of unemployment as an opportunity to pursue professional or even personal goals such as taking computer classes or training for a marathon. Educational achievements, both short and long term, demonstrate that you are a motivated and goal oriented professional.

Final advice

There is nothing to be embarrassed about having gaps between regular employment (especially now) unless you take no action. What separates a smart professional from the majority of just "job seekers" is that they see themselves as problem solvers. They seize the opportunity between regular jobs to help others and to help themselves.

Yes, I will work for free

As the ranks of the laid-off volunteer their services in between employment, to charitable organizations, the same approach can pay dividends directly with employers.

Eager to get my foot in the door with a large employer several years ago, I worked with a professional staffing firm to volunteer my services to their client for two weeks. My intention was to quickly prove I could identify some of their business problems and make a set of recommendations to address their needs. After two weeks, I was offered a full-time paid contract. Then six months later, I was offered a full-time salary with full benefits.

This career opportunity fell into place for me not because there was a job opening at the time, but because I stayed focused on addressing the organization's needs (versus my own needs as a job seeker).

Why volunteer your time to an employer:

1. Allows a potential employer to see your work first-hand.

2. Give you an opportunity to learn more about an organization to see if it is a good fit for you.

3. Builds your professional portfolio of experience while you continue your job search.

4. Fills a gap in your resume.

5. Establishes valuable business connections.


Guidelines for making it happen:

1. For large companies, work through a professional staffing firm that can negotiate the logistics on your behalf.

2. For small businesses, contact the owner directly with your proposal.

3. In all cases, offer to produce something specific by the end of your trial period (e.g. a set of marketing ideas, a research report, a financial analysis).

4. Make the length of your trial period dependent on delivery of that specific goal (see #3) rather than a specific time period.

5. Focus on something that you can hit the ground running. Know your skills and interests thoroughly before making your proposal.

Why your job search is not working

As I watched my March Madness bracket go up in smoke by the second round for the tenth year in a row, I gained that false sense of logic that if I had just submitted another bracket into the local pool, I would have gotten them all right. That is until I discovered there are nine quintillion bracket possibilities (yes, with a Q). No one has ever driven off with a new Pontiac with a perfect bracket.

Talking with job seekers this month and reading unemployment stories, I sense a similar irrationality. That is, job seekers are making the assumption that searching for a new job is simply a numbers game. Their logic maintains that if you submit your resume to enough jobs online, you will eventually get a call back for an interview. No call back this week? Shoot for 100 applications next week.

Do not treat your job search as a numbers game. The house always wins.

Here are the top five job search tips I have been sharing with job seekers at seminars this month:

1. Document your goals, experiences, and value first before you meet with any employer. If you do not have clarity around these items, the hiring manager will not have enough information to hire you. Do not wait for an interview to start preparing now.

2. Make it a full time project with a target completion date. Commit to a regular working schedule and have someone else hold you accountable to your progress every working day.

3. Research targeted organizations and the problems they are facing thoroughly. Be prepared to fill an employer need, not a job vacancy. Make it your goal to be recognized as a problem solver.

4. Establish relationships with professionals not with your computer. Use online social media (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook) as a means to make offline business connections every week.

5. Volunteer your services. Offer to produce something of value at the end of a two-week trial period (e.g. research report, marketing recommendations, financial analysis).