How to Explain Gap in Employment Due to Having Kids
Reentering the workforce after time off to raise children often results in a prospective employee with an awkward gap on her resume. Significant employment interruptions are likely to come up in a job interview, so preparing an answer to discuss your nonworkforce experience prevents you from being caught flat-footed. When tackling any employment gap, honesty is key, as is putting emphasis on the valuable experience gained while outside of the workforce. Raising kids provides plenty of opportunity to keep valuable work skills honed and ready, so all tackling an employment gap requires is a little creative thinking.
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Instructions
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List all of your previous paid employers with accurate starting and leaving dates. Locate each employment gap. This allows you to prepare a way to address each gap.
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Add any volunteer work or unpaid work to cover the gap in employment. Other experience such as chairing the Parent Teacher Organization and volunteering in your child's classroom still utilizes valuable workforce-related skills and can be treated as a job.
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List freelance work, participation in professional organizations, continuing education and community projects in the gap. Chances are that, even as a full-time parent, you still gained experience valuable to prospective employers through your day-to-day activities.
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Add a line to your cover letter to address the employment gap. Let your prospective employer know that you are eager and ready to return to the workforce.
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Speak honestly to your interviewer about employment gaps. Focus on the skills you wish to showcase to your interviewer, and discuss the specific experiences during the gap that highlight those skills. For very long gaps, break the time down into smaller periods and give the major highlights of your skills during that time.
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References
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