UNLV Career Handbook - Magazine - Page 13
EMPLOYMENT GAPS IN YOUR RESUME
Employment gaps are periods when you did not have
formal employment during your professional career. A gap
can range from several months to several years and occur
voluntarily or involuntarily. Employment gaps on a resume
can be a cause for concern if you don't explain the reason
for your gap in employment and the experience you gained
during that time carefully.
Because recruiters and hiring managers use your resume
to form their 昀椀rst impression of you, correctly addressing
employment gaps in your resume is important. Knowing how
to include employment gaps in a positive light can help you
strengthen the experience section of your resume.
Addressing Gaps
• Incorporate transferable skills that you developed during
your time off.
• Use years instead of months on your resume.
• List the reason for longer employment gaps as its own job.
• Include experience gained during the gap when relevant.
REFERENCES
Do not include references on a resume. References should
be submitted as a separate document when requested.
When employers ask for a reference, they ask for the name
of someone they can contact to learn more about you as
a potential job candidate. It is important to choose your
references selectively.
Choosing Your References
• Select 3 to 5 individuals who know you professionally,
such as a supervisor, professor, or advisor.
• Ask permission before listing someone as a reference to
ensure they will give you a positive reference.
• Notify your references before an interview to inform
them that a potential employer may contact them.
• Consider emailing each reference a copy of the job
description for which you are applying and your resume.
• Diversify your references, such as one reference from an
employer, one reference from a college professor, and
one reference from a colleague who can speak for you
as a professional.
When to Include Your References
• When submitting your references with a resume, list them
on a separate page with "References" as a heading.
• List each reference's name, job title, company, address,
phone number, and professional email.
RESUME TIPS
Do
• Create a clean, professional appearance with
a simple, well-organized format.
• Keep your resume to one or two pages.
• Begin phrases with strong action verbs that
emphasize your accomplishments.
• Have a Career Coach in Career
Services & Workforce Development review
your resume periodically.
• Print hard copies on high-quality paper.
Don’t
• Use 昀氀ashy graphics, clip art, or pictures.
• Exaggerate your experience or your job titles.
• Include personal information such as social
security number, age, etc.
• Write from the 昀椀rst-person point of view.
Don't wait until the last minute to create or edit your
resume. Resumes take time to prepare and re昀椀ne.
Always keep your resume updated with current
information, positions, awards, and certi昀椀cations.
Bring a draft of your resume to Career Services
& Workforce Development for a thorough resume
optimization.
Resumes need to include both Hard and Soft Skills.
Hard Skills are programs, systems, and technology
that you are experienced with. Soft Skills are extremely
important and these include time management,
organization, leadership, and communication. It is
important to emphasize these on the resume because
currently a lot of employers are looking for candidates
with a solid set of Soft Skills.
A 昀椀nal point is quanti昀椀able data on a resume. It is
important when describing your past work experience
to include quanti昀椀able information that can help
you stand out even more. Information like “worked
in sales at a clothing store” can be emphasized by
saying “Assisted on average 120 customers each shift
managing $3,600 in sales.”
• Bring your list of references with you to
interviews and have them available to include
when submitting applications.
RESUMES
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