The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume, 5th Edition

Unsightly Unemployment Blemishes

“What’s wrong with a few gaps in my work history?” you might ask. “Isn’t everyone entitled to a little time off?” Many responsible professionals have taken breaks in their careers to travel, take care of ill parents, recover from personal illnesses, or for other legitimate reasons. But for some reason, employers don’t like to see gaps in your work history. Unexplained gaps may cause an employer to think that you’re hiding something or that you might have a past or current problem (such as substance abuse, incarceration, laziness, or instability) that would affect your ability to work. They would rather see the unemployed time explained, especially if the explanation is somehow connected to your job objective ...