One issue that is common for many job seekers is how to plug the holes in your work history. Human resources managers want to see consistency in employment over a period of time. This is not always possible and difficult to explain unless you are face-to-face. So what should you do?

There are several things that you can do to resolve this kind of an issue. Although I am not a fan of cover letters in general, this may be an ideal situation to explain why there is a gap or inconsistency in your resume proper to the viewer reading it. They are then prepared and understand that you had a medical issue, short term unemployment due to location change or whatever. Don’t be afraid to be honest.

Additionally, changing the format of your presentation can bring more consistency to your resume. Focusing on your skill sets and strengths may well keep the reader’s interest as you have already done your homework on the company and the position and tailored your resume to that position. You can also consider doing a “chronological” resume using a yearly format only. While you may have been out of work for a few weeks or months, the yearly resume format will not show that and this is not misleading to the employer.

The reader now has a view of your experiences, your strengths and how they may be important to the company before they get to the “gaps” in your employment history. This way, you “sell” yourself before they have any questions about your employment history.

Remember too that while networking, your network can vouch for your experience as well as any gap in your resume.  When a human resources manager looks at your social media profiles, they will see the positive side of your experience through your network exposure.

The key is go maintain consistency an the flow of the resume.

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Go to www.TADPGS.com, click on the “Looking for People” tab, then view “Veterans Solutions” to see more for information on our Veterans Solutions for Employers. Please join our LinkedIn group, Veterans Hiring Solutions for Veterans and Companies at http://linkd.in/Sg346w. If you have specific questions about hiring veterans or the incentives for doing so, contact me at Ben.Marich@Adeccona.com.