Episode: 516

Episode Title: The Surprising Power of a Career Break

Should you proactively address any employment gaps during the interview? More than half of employers say yes. More on that, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 516 show:

Welcome to a new week on The Perna Syndicate! I’m your host, Mark Perna, and today I want to talk about something that is affecting more and more workers. It’s that pesky employment gap on your resume, when you were between jobs and trying to figure out your next step. 

Employment gaps used to be something you tried to minimize during the interview. Potential employers viewed them as suspect, like, what could possibly be wrong with you that you weren’t employed for a few months? But that perspective is changing—and it’s about time. 

Instead of employment or resume gaps, we should reframe these periods as “career breaks.” The pandemic gave many people career breaks, whether they wanted them or not. They are now a normal part of the conversation, and we don’t need to hide them anymore. This is especially good news for women, 54 million of whom were out of work globally during the early days of the pandemic. 

LinkedIn found that 52% of employers now believe candidates should proactively bring up their career breaks during their interviews, and highlight what they’ve learned in their time away from the office. 

Far from being a liability, career breaks can now become an advantage as you interview for a new role. 

This week, we’ll talk about how you can leverage those unemployed periods on your resume to make a memorable impression at your next interview. Join me tomorrow on The Perna Syndicate for this conversation. See you then!