Hi People . . Due to a deathly illness and long recovery I have a 8+ year gap in my resume. I now feel about ready to dust it off and attempt the “search”. In the meantime I have lost my contacts due to changes in the economy and time itself. What advice can anyone give me about what to plug-in to the resume to account for all the lost time? Wording etc. Thank you very much for reading this!
Leave it blank and see if anyone notices?
If you want to dress it up you could write : 2006-2014 Sabbatical (or Sabbatical due to illness).
If you have kids you could say that you were a stay at home dad and just leave the illness part off the table. As long as it’s not something that’s going to pull you out of work again it probably doesn’t need to be mentioned, at least not at this stage.
I wouldn’t put the “due to illness” part down in writing. If it comes up during the interview that’s a different issue. Sabbatical or “stayed at home” (depening on the general level of formality of the field) is what I would put in.
Thank you both for your input. Surely it will leap off the page no matter what you do. I suppose there is no standard protocol that covers it.
A traditional chronological resume is your enemy here… try a different resume format? A functional resume which emphasizes your skills, rather than your job history may be useful. Let the gaps in employment come up in an interview, where you can more effectively explain them. Best of luck!
The main thing will be to convey that you were not in prison.
I’d wait two more years. Then there’ll be only one eyebrow-raising digit, and that could just be a typo.
I suppose it depends on what your career is / was and if you are looking to continue in it. Depending on what that is, it probably won’t be reasonable that you would just pick it up after a decade as if you never left.
It’s not necessary to put anything on your resume for that eight year gap. You could mention it in your cover letter though (if people still use them).
Actually, I think the OP needs to convey that he/she is now well, and the illness isn’t going to recur. Otherwise a prospective employer would be concerned that the OP is hired, trained and then takes a medical leave. That will leave the employer shorthanded and cost the employer excessively in medical insurance costs. Also, the OP should convey that he/she is current in whatever systems and technology are in use in his/her industry, despite the time gap.
Thank you all very much for reading and responding! I am very rusty with the resume thing also since its been so long and your op’s are of help. Straight Dope people are the best!
Thank you and a very good point you make; time perhaps to be a little creative with it also. As my length of employment in each position will speak for my stability.
This sounds like good advice to me.
I know from perusing askamanager.com (an amazing resource, OP) that most hiring managers dislike non-chronological formats for resumes.
My suggestion would be to list any volunteer activities during this time, something like:
Volunteer teapot washer, Santa Flamingo Church, 2006-2014
- Maintained cleanliness of teapots and all associated equipment after every use
- Ordered supplies of teapot soap and scrubbers
- Liaised with other staff and volunteers to ensure washer schedule coverage for every event
You can do similar listing for other activities, even unpaid, which gave you work skills. I also agree that your work gap is best addressed in your cover letters, which should include the phrase “medical issues which have since been resolved.” If you don’t have such activities, start now! Check volunteermatch.org to find a place which fits your interests, and preferably, uses the skills and talents you’d like to be using in your next job.
To find your lost contacts, try LinkedIn. Google their email addresses. Call your old workplaces and ask if anyone can put you back in touch.
Best of luck, OP! Hope this helps!
Thank you Araminty for your suggestion . . I did no volunteer work or anything during this time period other than manage my healthcare. But that could itself be seen as an accomplishment I suppose. As in my original post; I was terminally ill for the first 1.5 years then recovering since spring 2010.
I’m going to be in a similar predicament if I go back to work. I have thought about stating “family medical leave” leaving it vague as to who was sick. They’re not supposed to ask for details of such personal issues so they might think I was the caregiver. And the rest of my resume will be strong so it might be fine. Meanwhile you could list “research” for anything you studied during that time.
They are not allowed to ask about your medical condition. I would not volunteer. Time spent for family matters, or family medical leave if you must, but nothing else. Candidly, in this economy gaps in resumes, even long ones, are not that unusual. The law affords you protection for a reason. Use it. Just MHO.
That is just one person’s opinion.
When I look at resume’s (IT stuff), I want to see a non-BS functional recap first. I want to know what the person is good at. The chronological part just helps to add some detail.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a resume that begins with a summary - could you link to an example? That format seems like it might be useful to the OP given it sounds like it’s placing an emphasis on skills, and dates come later.
A good possibility thank you PurpleClogs! And good luck to you!
Thank you all so much!! I really appreciate the input.