Episode: 428

Episode Title: Explain the Gaps

Are you dependable? This common mistake on your resume may signal to employers that you’re not. Here’s what it is, coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 428 show:

Hello and welcome to The Perna Syndicate! This week, we’re talking about some eye-opening statistics about resume errors. A new analysis found that fully 64% of U.S. resumes contained one or more mistakes. These were anything from misspelled words and unprofessional filenames to an incorrect file format and lack of a personal summary.

But there’s one more mistake that seems to be pretty easy to commit, and that is failing to explain any gaps in your employment history. 

The study found that roughly 30% of resumes contained unexplained gaps of two months or more. This could raise red flags with recruiters and hiring managers, and it’s not hard to see why. 

They want to know: What’s your general pattern? Are you dependable? Are you going to quit the job without notice? Do you have a history of leaving your employer on bad terms? Is there something you’re trying to hide by not explaining that gap?

Though you may have a perfectly reasonable explanation for those gaps, it does you no good if you don’t share it. Many experts say that for any gap longer than a month, you should provide context for the reason behind it, right there in the timeline of your work history. 

This will help the recruiter or hiring manager to better understand the situation—and not automatically dismiss your application.

Tomorrow: what are the top ten mistakes people are making on their resumes? I’ll share that data and more on the next episode of The Perna Syndicate. Take care and we’ll see you then!