In June of 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that somewhere between 30 and 40 million Americans had been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chaos entered the labor market. Businesses closed their doors. Workers were furloughed at rates never seen before.
But the normalcy of these layoffs didn’t change how Americans feel about being unemployed. According to a LinkedIn Survey, 84% of workers interviewed said that they think there is a stigma associated with being out of work.
Can you find a way to rise above your employment break? Is it too late to turn your resume gap into something productive? How can you explain yourself in the most effective way possible, both in writing and during interviews?
Whether you've been out of work for three months or three years, the right approach to handling a gap in a resume can absolutely help you grab the interest of potential employers (and get hired). Don’t worry because we're here to help.
On Your Resume
Handling an employment gap on your resume can be a bit awkward. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways to properly describe your resume gap in writing that won’t necessarily make you an unattractive candidate to employers.
Cover Letter
According to Forbes, a great place to explain your resume gap is on your cover letter. Resumes are supposed to be clean, quick, and concise. There isn’t necessarily room for a paragraph-sized explanation of a gap of employment there.
Cover letters have a bit more flexibility and freedom. Figure out how you’re going to explain your employment gap on your cover letter or resume. Hiring managers will also want to know what you’ve done during your time out of work.
Ask yourself the following:
- Have you volunteered anywhere?
- Taken any online courses?
- Gone back to school?
- Were you freelancing or working on your network?
If you haven’t done these things already, start now! Not only do they look good and provide a valid explanation for your employment gaps on your resume, but they will make you look more qualified compared to the applicant pool.
Formatting
Not every hiring manager will read your cover letter. You will still need to format your resume in a way that makes up for or explains your employment gap.
One way you can format it in a creative and effective way is to highlight your qualifications. Write a brief summary of your skills and talents at the top of your resume. That way, hiring managers will see your potential first, and may not care about the gap in your resume by the time they read your employment history at the end.
Forbes also says that it is common practice to delete jobs off your resume that lasted less than three months. If you clean up your CV like this, your history may look less like an employment gap on resume, and more like a simplified list of the most important jobs you’ve held during your working lifetime.
What to Do Before You Apply
Even a well-formatted resume can stall before it ever reaches a hiring manager. Many companies now use applicant tracking systems to screen applications automatically and employment gaps on resume can trigger filters if left unexplained.
To get past that first hurdle, label your gap period directly in your experience section with a simple title like "Career Break – Caregiving" or "Independent Contractor" rather than leaving a blank span of dates.
From there, load your skills and summary sections with keywords from the job posting. ATS software scans for relevance, and a strong skills section can offset questions about timeline. Knowing which skills make your resume stand out can help compensate for gaps and strengthen your overall application.
Before submitting anything, make sure your resume is ready for the screening process. Once you're ready, you can search open opportunities across industries and locations on our job board.
In an Interview
Now it’s time for the most nerve-wracking part: the interview. While it can be scary or even embarrassing to have to explain your break in employment aloud, look on the bright side. If you get the interview, the hiring manager clearly believes they can work with your employment gap on resume!
You will need to prepare for the interview. The Balance Careers gives a step-by-step list of what to expect, how to prepare, and what to say during an interview when you have employment gaps on resume:
Be Aware of What Interviewers Will Ask
During your interview, employers will want to know when you left your last job, how you left it, and why. Be prepared to answer these questions as professionally and honestly as possible.
Confidence and Practice
It’s true what they say: practice does make perfect! Work with a friend or family member to practice a mock interview. It may seem silly at first, but the more you practice, the more confident you will sound. Employment gaps on resume or not, companies are always looking for confident workers.
Use Your Cover Letter as a Starting Point
Aren’t you glad you wrote that cover letter? Repeating what you said in your cover letter is a good way to keep your story straight, and to give you a script so you don’t get too nervous during interviews.
Emphasize the Good Things
No matter what, make sure to emphasize your accomplishments prior to and during your employment gap. How did your company benefit from you? Did you receive any awards? What did you achieve during your time off?
Bring Recommendations
A great way to combat an employment gap on resume is by bringing in strong recommendations. You can use a past employer’s or coworkers to support your employment gap, and to prove that you have been and can be a great worker.
As long as you follow those simple steps, you’re bound to have a successful interview. Being aware, confident, and prepared is much more important to hiring managers than whether or not you have employment gaps on resume
Explaining Common Resume Gaps
People experience employment gaps for all sorts of reasons. Depending on your situation, you will need to handle your interview a little differently. Here are a few tips for handling a few of these scenarios in an interview:
Personal Reasons
Many people leave their jobs to take care of family members, grieve for a loved one, or because they were incapacitated themselves. Mention these things very briefly. Your interviewer doesn’t need to be bogged down by the details, and you are by no means obligated to share your personal life with them.
Something Fun
Did you take time off to go on a trip or explore the world? It’s fine to mention that in an interview, but you will need to prove that you kept up your work ethic during your employment gap. Did you work on any projects during that time? How have the experiences you’ve had added to your skill as an employee?
Layoff or Termination
If you suffered from a career setback like a layoff, don’t worry. Being terminated doesn’t automatically mean that you are a bad employee and hiring managers know this. If there was a reduction in the workforce that was out of your control, make sure to state that in the interview. Having a good relationship with your past employer (even if you were terminated) is always a good sign in an interview.
Finding Your Next Opportunity
Remember: between 30 and 40 million American workers were laid off during the pandemic. Chances are you aren’t the first employee your hiring manager has looked at with a significant resume gap, and you won’t be the last. The best thing you can do is to come to the interview with confidence in your skills and strengths, and to be honest with your future employer.
Job searching with a resume gap can be stressful, but it is not impossible. With these tips in your back pocket, you’re bound to find a job you love.
Nervous about re-entering the workforce? We have you covered.
From short-term contracts to long-term placements, learn how Nesco Resource can help you find the right fit, right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you explain an employment gap on a resume?
Keep it brief and factual on the resume itself, then use your cover letter to explain any employment gaps in more detail. A functional resume format, which leads with skills and accomplishments rather than a chronological work history, is one of the most effective tools for candidates managing resumes with employment gaps. Label the gap period directly in your experience section rather than leaving blank dates.
How do you include resume gaps on a resume?
List it as its own entry in your experience section with a clear title and date range. For example, you can say "Career Break – Family Caregiving, 2022–2023." Treat it like any other role: brief, professional, and honest.
Can you get a job with a gap in your resume?
Absolutely. An employment gap on resume is far less of a barrier than it used to be, particularly since the pandemic normalized career interruptions across industries. What matters most to hiring managers is how you frame the gap, not the gap itself. If you can speak to it confidently and pivot to what you accomplished or learned, you're already ahead of most candidates.
Do recruiters care about resume gaps?
Most recruiters care less about the employment gaps on resume themselves and more about what comes next: how you explain the gap and how prepared you seem for the role. As noted above, attitudes have shifted considerably since 2020. An unexplained gap raises more questions than an honestly addressed one.
How do you fill gaps in a resume?
List the gap period as its own experience entry with a clear, professional title ("Full-time Caregiver," "Freelance Consultant," or "Career Break - Professional Development") all work. Volunteer work, certifications, coursework, and contract projects can all fill gaps in resume meaningfully. Once your resume is in shape, preparing for your interview is the next step.
What is the best answer for gaps in employment?
Be honest, be concise, and pivot quickly to what you bring to the table now. Use your cover letter as a script so your story stays consistent. Don't assume an employment gap on resume means accepting a lower offer either: tips for negotiating your salary apply just as much to returning candidates. And remember that elevating your career after an employment gap is entirely possible with the right mindset and strategy.