As with other employees who took a break from their careers to travel or raise children, you deserve one, too, sometimes. Employers understand such a decision, but they have to know what kept you busy. They want to see if those activities support your work objective. Likewise, a baffling hole in your resume may cause hiring managers to assume you’re hiding something or you have a problem (e.g., laziness, substance abuse, etc.). Hence, if you want to find the answer to the question, ”How to fix my resume after a long-term unemployment?” read this article.

Answering the Question: How to Fix My Resume after a Long-Term Unemployment?

If you’ve been outside the workforce for a few years, rewrite your application paper before sending copies to your target employers. Check these steps on how to fix a resume after a long-term unemployment.

1. Create a new summary.

Don’t just revise your summary. Instead, scrap it and create a new one. You’re in a different place now than you were years ago. Whether you realize it yet, you’ve learned already and your professional and personal needs have changed.

2. Use the functional format.

Besides diverting the hiring manager’s attention away from your employment gaps, a functional layout shows your skills and achievements. By highlighting your credentials at the top and placing your work history at the bottom, you can redirect the reader to see what makes you perfect for the position. Likewise, this technique will boost your chances of reaching the interview stage where you can answer questions on work experience.

3. Use the correct heading for your work history.

Did you include unpaid “job titles” in your work history? Then, don’t call the section “Employment History” or “Professional Experience.” In particular, both headings imply you received pay for doing them. Instead, place a heading such as “Work History” or plain “History.”

4. Exclude the months, but include the years when writing dates for your work history.

You need not write the month if you’ve stayed in a position for over a year or if it spans multiple years. In addition, listing just the years, makes it easier for the reader to realize the period you stayed in each job. It conceals, too, the intervals within several years.

5. Organize your work history in order of relevance.

If your most recent position is the most relevant one to your target employment, put it at the top. Otherwise, drop the irrelevant ones to the bottom (or omit them) and bump up the relevant ones. With this, employers will focus on your experience and forget their concern over your employment gap.

6. Omit irrelevant job titles.

If you’ve worked for years, you need not include your experience in your resume. Further, limit it to 10 years when seeking a technical job and to 15 years when targeting a managerial or professional position.

7. Include other experience you gained during the gap.

Volunteer work and seasonal roles are common ways to show you’ve been active and keeping your skills current. Consulting and freelancing are options, too, depending on your skills set. Besides preventing you from having a huge gap in your history, these activities will expand your network, leading to your next opportunity. Account them as you do with your other jobs along with the job title, company name, employment dates, and job description. If you studied, you can mention its details under the “Education” section.

Since we’ve answered your question, ”How to fix my resume after a long-term unemployment?” it’s time you answer ours. Can you write your own resume? Otherwise, if you’re more skilled with numbers or can’t express that incredible idea in your mind, maybe hiring a professional resume writer is your best solution.

Yet, since your last job quest has been a while, you may be in for surprises when you apply. As recruiting practices and technology continue to evolve, resume writing rules change, too. From layout and formatting to keywords and content, you have many items to account when updating your resume. Thus, hiring a resume writing service will be a wise decision.

Likewise, because your resume has a few glaring employment gaps, you need someone who can conceal them. Professional writers can do just that. While you can’t change the past, a skilled writer can apply several strategies that will even out your bumpy history.

Final Thoughts

Resume writing is one of your choices. Hence, if you won’t mind spending days researching, practicing your writing skills, and doing trial and error, try making your own application paper. Yet, if you want an instant, polished, and powerful resume, a professional writing service such as Resume Prime is the way to go. For more details on our professional resume writing service, visit our website.

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Sources: fastcompany.com | totaljobs.com | monster.com | livecareer.com | jobscan.co | susanireland.com | bossedup.org | linkedin.com