Work gaps are common in resumes. You could have one because you started a small business venture and after six months, decided to stop and work on your career again. Some might have been terminated at work or their company folded for a variety of reasons and instead of immediately looking for a job, they decided to have a long vacation to collect their thoughts and pursue their hobby. 

Most employers expect work gaps in your resume. But even though they expect this, they want a clear explanation why you had that gap. It’s a little bit difficult to explain that gap in details in your resume but you’ve got to write something about that gap.

The simplest way to do it is to be honest why you had such work gap. However, do not write anything that would solicit questions from your possible employers. If you took a very long vacation, tell them about it. But don’t tell a very long story which could actually open up a lot of questions from your future employers.

On the other hand, if you think the reason for your work gap will look very bad on writing, better omit them. Not that you will keep it a secret from your possible employer but you chose to explain the situation during the interview. Anything made on writing could be misinterpreted. What you think was a good way of explaining things in writing might not look good to your possible employers.

While you’re not working in your career, include some activities that you have done that have kept you informed regarding the industry. It could be that you’ve done some blogging about the industry, attended a workshop or joined any conference that’s also related to the industry. Employers should have an impression that even though you were gone in the industry for sometime, you have made small efforts to know what is going on in your industry.

Never let your long vacation go to waste either. Think of the skills you’ve acquired during your long break and include them in your resume. If you’ve been a volunteer during your work gap, be sure to include them. Your humanitarian efforts should never go unrewarded.

Usually, your long hibernation from your career will always include activities or stints that could be useful for your industry. This is expected since you’ve been in the industry for a while and one of the best things you could do are all related to the industry. Basically, you’re just reinforcing the fact that you’re an expert in the industry. Adding small activities will boost your chances of being integrated to the industry again. 

Remember not to be afraid of work gaps. If you think some data will not work for you, better keep that information and explain it in during the interview. If you’ve done anything during your hibernation, write it down and use it as an asset. You need all the information you can get to boost your chances for an interview.