Learn how to address specific concerns or circumstances in your resume.
Do you have a long gap in your employment history? Or a criminal record? Are you brand new to the workforce, or concerned your age might be a red flag for some employers? Find tips below to address these common circumstances.
If you have gaps between jobs on your resume, it's easy to be worried that employers will think the worst. But most employers understand that the most common reasons for gaps is because you were continuing your education or gaining new skills, taking care of children or other family members, or dealing with a significant health issue. It's not necessary to explain the reasons on your resume, but you might address them in a cover letter, or at an interview. Here are tips for resumes when you have employment gaps:
- Be truthful about the dates of your employment. Use your resume to highlight your skills and experience, since this is what the employer's primary focus is. Check out Common resume styles on the Formatting page, and try the combination style.
- If your gap was less than a year, you can choose to include only the years of your previous jobs. However, know that some applicant tracking systems will look for month or even day of employment dates.
- If you have a long work history and the gap was early in your career, leave off the jobs you had before your employment gap. Typically, you should reference the past 10-15 years' work history on your resume.
Your resume shows your skills and experience, so should not refer to your criminal record. However, you may be asked on a job application form about a record. Find tips for job applications with a record.
If you've been incarcerated, you don't need to address this gap in employment in your resume. If you gained job skills while incarcerated, be sure to include that work experience on your resume. In either case, be prepared to discuss your background in an interview. Learn more about how to discuss your conviction in a job interview.
If you’re newly graduated from college, your resume should still follow the best practices described throughout this Resume Writing Guide. But if you have very little or no work experience and are applying to entry-level jobs in a new field, there are a few changes you can consider:
Replace Summary with Objective at the top of your resume. A summary statement highlights someone’s professional experience, while an Objective overviews what they are seeking in a job. Your Objective should highlight, in 1-3 sentences, your degree, key skills or accomplishments, and professional interests, tailored to the specific role you’re applying for. Here’s an example: Highly motivated journalism graduate seeking public relations position where strong writing, public relations, and social media skills are required. Interned with leading companies in retail, technology, and recording industries. Experienced blogger and social media user.
Highlight key qualifications. If you gained many of your relevant skills through classes or project work rather than jobs, you can add a section directly under Objective to highlight them. Label the section Key Qualifications and use bullets points to describe top skills and accomplishments gained from coursework, volunteer or paid or unpaid projects, or even personal interests or hobbies.
Center your education achievements. All resumes should include an Education section (usually at the bottom), but if you are a recent college graduate, you can place this right under your Objective and Key Qualifications sections. Include (for college only, not high school) this information: the full name and location of your college or university, your degree, your dates in school, including the date of graduation, your GPA if it’s higher than 3.0.
If needed, include an Honors and Achievements section. You can list 1-2 honors or achievements directly in your Education section. But if you have several to highlight, you can add a separate section below that and briefly describe any awards or honors you’ve achieved.
If you're over age 55, you may be worried about being overlooked by employers simply because of your age. There is plenty of research that shows that bias toward older workers is real: some employers assume that older workers might lack technical skills needed for many jobs, or that they may be over-qualified or too expensive to hire.
But the reality is that most older workers have a great deal to offer employers—and your resume is a perfect place to highlight your assets and address negative stereotypes that employers might have. Visit Resumes and cover letters for 55+ workers to learn more.