I have a 3-4 year gap on my resume where I was unemployed and a housewife. How do I indicate this?

Question

I know there are different formats, but they all seem to come back to this gap.

Answer 1

just don't put anything...and when the interviewer asks about the gap you can tell them yourself...look at it this way...Why would you want to list unemployment for staying home, when it doesn't benefit your resume in anyway...and you can verbally just tell them the truth of the missing job history area...Interviews are people too and they understand that some times...this happens.
putting down that you were a house wife during that time, doesn't benefit your work 'real' work history...and it's not going to dissuade the employer just 'cause you didn't put it in there...you have a valid reason for not being employed...and since it's true and you recognize that it is not pertinent to the resume..it looks good for you in more ways than one...1. your not trying to complicate your resume with non-work type duties and 2. you are proving yourself to be an honest person by just telling them that you weren't working due to....x..y..z...
also, i am not saying that house wife isn't a job..it totally is!!! i'm just clearing up why not to post that info. on your resume...

Answer 2

It is a reality that a gap on the CV in general is looked at negatively. There are some assumptions that hiring managers make, some are valid and some are not.

Something is seriously wrong with your profile that you did not get a job for such a long time.
May be the break is genuine, but what kind of a break is that. Is it maternity break, family leave, long term disability etc.
Because of the gap, managers assume the skill level may have gone down as you are out of touch with the subject.
May be got fired because of some bad employment history/criminal history /references etc. so not able to get a job
Anyone just looking at the resume with a gap will make tons of assumptions and may not want to move forward because the resume does not say anything about the gap. That is why it is very important to put the gap period(like any other company) and in place of the job title put some decent wording describing your gap and what have you done.

So basically there are 2 ways people do it. Just go with the second one whwre you explicitly put the gap on the resume:

Do not put the breaks in employment on the resume. I do not prefer this method as hiring managers may not pick your resume based on the break in employment.
Explicitly put it on the resume indicating the gaps and also present what were you doing during that time period.
If what you were doing is relevant to the job objective, then present accordingly.
If it is not relevant present with dignity and honesty, but use a good title. e.g "Full time Parent", "Family Management", "Personal Travel" etc. which sound decent.
If you put ocntent on the resume on such a way that there is no room for assumptions on the gap period, then you are as good as any other without a gap in the employment. One additional thing is you have to justify in the resume and also during the interview that you did not lose your skills and you are still up-to-date. That is why it is highly recommended to take certifications etc. right after the gap and before staring to search for a new job.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 3

I've done many interviews but never seen anyone indicate their unemployment in their resume or application. U should not have that listed. Because resume should have the following: name, address, tel#s, Goal (optional), Education, Employment, Skills & Abilities, References (if requested).
Unless u apply for a position that requires a person as a homemaker which shows responsibilities.
If no experience or education, u should concentrate in getting experience (option-volunteer to acquire) or education for that particular job in question. Once u acquire these experiences u should note it in ur resume.
Most of my staff volunteer to do the duties outside their duties to gain the experience. When there is an opening this will help them qualify for the job.
Read the duties that r required for that job & have those experiences which would qualify u for the job. Unless at times education over rules experiences.
A resume is just to support the application. The application is where we scrutinize the applicant.
I hope this helps. Good Luck in ur job hunting.

Answer 4

Don't put dates on your resume. And explain in a cover letter you may include. Also, some of your skills as a housewife should be used in your career summary, like perhaps you have great organizational skills or good interpersonal communication skills. Lastly, volunteering is a great gap filler. Have you done any volunteer work during these times? Call around and see if these individuals will allow you to use them for a reference. Good Luck

Answer 5

I am sure you weren't "just a housewife"...did you do things for your kids at school like reading programs, PTA or some other form of parent involvement...Did you do other volunteer work or something where you had to deal with "time management skills"?
I was a housewife by choice- but that didn't mean I was just that. I did tons of stuff while being responsible for my son. So when I listed that time in my resume, I also listed activities that I participated in my community- like church, PTA, volunteer work at a local tourist attraction, managed two elderly parents and their health and welfare, belonged to a parents group for children my son's age, went to community sponsored events like drug and substance abuse and the community groups' meetings to combat those problems,etc.
So- you might have been without a "paycheck", but returned value to your community in other ways.
I would talk positively about those 3-4 years- those years have made you a better person and a more valuable employee in some way.
Good luck with your job search.

Answer 6

Well, you could just leave the gap and let the future employer ask you if they are concerned. Or, you could put a sentence or two in the resume that you were raising young children or taking time to care for your home and husband during that time period. Good luck.

Answer 7

I would leave the gap in your resume. When a potential employer asks about it you can say you took time off for your family. That may help you get the job. Just a thought.

Answer 8

A housewife is one of the toughest jobs you can have, especially if you have kids to tend too.
The times you were not employed by a company put down housewife or homemaker and describe the tasks that you preformed,maintenance-cleaning & house repairs, bookkeeping-balancing checkbook & writting bills, supervisor-directing and overseeing kids and their chores.

Answer 9

You're not really obligated to explain in the first place. But you might consider just doing a narrative either at the beginning or end of your work history and indicate that during those years you were at home, joyfully employed as a domestic engineer!

Answer 10

I'm not sure what you mean. When you list your jobs, you list when you started and when you ended. Usually, the interviewer will ask you why you were unemployed or something, then you tell them why.

DON'T put down homemaker as a past job because that's ridiculous, you can't be your own reference. If you do that, I'm sure you're not going to get the job.