Addressing Your Gap Year(s) When Re-entering the Workforce

If you’re a woman who’s spent years staying at home to raise your family, you may be nervous to re-enter the workforce. Take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone, though! In fact, studies show that 74% of professional women rejoin the workforce after taking time off to have families. One of the biggest obstacles for former stay at home mothers who are looking for jobs is addressing those years out of the workforce, otherwise known as “gap years.” If you’ve thought about rejoining the workforce but need that extra bit of confidence or push after a few (or many) gap years, we’ve got you covered.

Addressing Gap Years

In the workforce, a “gap” is the time period during which you left the professional workforce and the time at which you are ready to re-enter.  This may be one year, ten years, or much longer. Knowing how to talk about and showcase your gap year(s) can make or break your chance in obtaining the desired position.

On Your Resume/Cover Letter
Addressing time away can be difficult to share in a resume; after all, you only have a few seconds of a recruiter or HR reps’ time to showcase your talents. This is why a cover letter is important to include in any application, as this gives you more time to focus on your experience.

The best way to address gap years is with honesty. This doesn’t mean that you have to get into the nitty-gritty details of how you spent your time away from a career, though. Whatever your reason is for being away, try to distill it down to something brief—then quickly return the conversation back toward the work you did prior to your time away. Your work experience remains relevant, even if some time has passed since you gained that experience.

It’s equally important to explain that you took time away for personal reasons, which was a valid decision at the time, but you’re fully ready to get back into working. Emphasize the parts of your experience that are valuable to the position you’re applying for after your gap years; did you gain leadership experience through volunteering or attending PTA meetings, manage your family’s budget, or take on the responsibility of homeroom parent? In the same way, you’ll want to deemphasize those experiences that are irrelevant to the job you’re applying for -- this also means avoiding “cutesy” titles like “head of household” or adding a bullet list of your domestic accomplishments.

Interviewing
Before
Before interviewing, make sure you update your professional social media profiles. A lot of recruiters will now search your pages, such as LinkedIn, even prior to your interview. LinkedIn is also a great way to get ahead of your interview. By reaching out to recruiters or businesses directly, you can network and let them personally get to know you instead of just sending them your resume. Having a network of supporters can help you in the job hunting process as well--you’ll have a network of women in the same position as you through Red Hummingbird.

According to Monster, the best practice for addressing gap year questions during an interview is to be honest and brief. Always bring the interview back to how you’re qualified for this position. When it comes time to interview, be self-assured and project confidence! After all, you wouldn’t be given the interview if they weren’t interested in you.

How can you feel more confident in your interview? Do your research, not only on the company but on your industry as a whole. You won’t feel confident if you aren’t aware of any new technology changes -- you don’t need to be an expert on everything, but knowing how things are currently working in your field can make a huge difference. Ask your friends currently in the workforce how things have changed! In addition, ask questions during your interview! This shows you have a sincere interest in the company. On that point, stay away from asking questions you could easily google yourself -- i.e company history or how to send emails.

During
Some other interview advice is to not look at the clock, your watch, or your phone -- some interviewers will be questioning your commitment already, and you don’t want to appear like your mind is somewhere else. You should also try to get a new outfit, if possible. If you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, make sure your clothes still fit nicely -- you don’t want shirts that are too big or skirts that are too short.

It’s a good idea to consider part-time or temp work when you’re just starting out with your job search. At Red Hummingbird, we specialize in a variety of jobs, such as part-time and project-based work.

You can take some comfort in knowing that employers are prohibited by federal law to ask about childcare arrangements at the pre-employment stage. It is also unlawful to ask if you are pregnant or plan to have more children.

Once you get the job, remember to be kind to yourself when you’re starting out. Those heading back to work may feel as though they need to be on top of their game, but we often forget that nobody is expected to know or learn everything overnight! Above all, have patience with yourself.

Let Us Help You Find Your Next Job

We make finding careers for women easy -- just submit your application, let us get to know you a bit better, and you’ll be added to our community for women to find a career opportunity that works for you.