While many of us have long periods of employment, it is quite possible that those of us will face a situation where we will have to leave the workforce. This may be due to being made redundant, because of a disability, illness, maternity, education, or even a challenging job search. Naturally, this will result in gaps in work experience on a job resume. Anybody reading your work history will not have a way of knowing why there is a space in your professional experience just by reviewing your resume. Therefore you will need to give an explanation to why this is.

Addressing gaps in work experience on a job resume for some people is a thorny issue nonetheless; the important thing is to let the employer know that you are eager and ready to return to work. Any unaccounted breaks in your work history may lead the reader to believe that you are either hiding something or have some other problem. In order to gain the employer's trust, it is very important to justify any gaps in your employment history.

If you've only had a few months out of employment, you might not need to do any explaining. On the other hand, if they are more frequent, you will need to start tackling gaps in work experience on a job resume much more seriously. One way of achieving this is to include an explanation in your cover letter. Reintroducing yourself to potential employers after an extended gap in your professional experience is a lot easier with a strong, well-crafted cover letter, particularly if you have a legitimate reason.

Think about any activities you can use to fill these time periods. You might have experience relevant to your target job, regardless of whether you were paid. Volunteer activities, community involvement, special projects, consulting engagements and continuing education can be used as a way of tackling gaps in work experience on a job resume. Volunteer work is not only seen as valid experience by many employers, it also demonstrates that you've constructively used you time as well as utilised and possibly gained value skills.

In addition to including an explanation in your cover letter, using a functional or skill-based layout can help in addressing gaps in work experience on a job resume. Doing this allows you to tailor your resume to highlight skills and competencies sought by a potential employer and focus less on dates of your employment. Be sure to make your cover letter sound confident and upbeat, indicating that you have been actively searching for a suitable new role, and that you see this as a positive opportunity to identify a position in which you will thrive.