Advice on Illness Recovery
During the past six years, I was very ill on two occasions. The first time, it was a broken back. The second time, it was mycoplasma pneumonia (AKA walking pneumonia).
Each illness made me quite ill for 1.5 years, but I made complete recoveries. I made the mistake of leaving each employer, so now my resume has these obvious gaps without explanation.
I’ve received different advice (and I mean different!) about how to handle these events on my resume and in interviews. Though I am now healthy and ready to work, I am getting few calls and interviews.
Any constructive advice?
while i normally would never condone lying i am going to slightly suggest a little bending of the truth. Is it really any of their business that you were ill ? Especially if you are fully recovered and it isnt a thing like Parkinsons (I use that jsut due to my ex husband having it) but couldnt you be just as well saying a "personal family matter" ? and leave it at that?
I might get blasted for suggesting lying but it isnt pertinent to your abilities or why you left the positions
good luck
It is not a lie to say it is a personal family matter. In fact, it should be of no consequence to an employer if you were ill--legally they cannot ask you the nature of an illness if you disclose that you were out for illness. So, don't disclose it. You can also say that you took some time off. Clarify that statement to a prospective employer--"I took some time off but kept knowledgeable in my industry by reading appropriate journals and internet sites"--or whatever you feel is appropriate for your industry.
Unfortunately, you are probably not getting calls because the market is such now that they are seeking 'passive' candidates i.e. those that are currently employed. It makes it much more difficult for the unemployed to be rehired into the job market.
Keep plugging away and be sure to use all your resources including unemployment offices--take their free classes on writing resumes, interview techniques, etc. and network with their placement specialists. Check newspapers ads (you can do this online now) and use the internet job boards. I don't know what industry you are in or if you are female, but check with Google to see if their are any organizations for your area of expertise. Also, check with women's business organizations in your area. This may help.
The market will slow down in October and it will be difficult to find employment through spring of next year, so you must use every resource you can in order to find employment now.
Best of luck!
Don't make it complicated and don't lie. Just say that you had a medical issue to take deal with that is now completely resolved and leave it at that. If the question comes up about the two gaps, the answer is that you had two different unrelated "once in a lifetime" sort of things to take care of and leave it at that. You may not need to go back as far as the first one however.
Look at temp work to get yourself back in the employment world. Also look at non-profits. They're more willing to overlook gaps, lack of experience and other issues. Once you get on somewhere and rebuild some stability in your resume it will cease to be an issue.
Also, look at other formats than chronological. That will minimize the gaps. They will show when you fill out an actual application so you're not hiding them, but you want to focus on your abilities, not on the problem.
All the best!
Tess
Excellent feedback, thank you all very much.
Bottom line for employers. Do you come accross as positive, confidant, able to handle the position.
Personally I have worked in very professional jobs,but do to illness I had to leave the work force for several years. I am now back on my feet. I sell on ebay and Amazon.com and put that down on my resume.
I now work in the service based job, it is hard work at minium wage , but it is a start. Another very important point,you must resolve in your mind and believe you can get back out there and get a good job.
Never give up, never quit. Best wishes to you. Rich
My sister does hiring for a government contractor and she has been instructed not to even consider anyone with an employment gap of 2 years or more.
Others tell me that you can receive consideration if the reason for the gap is that you were a caretaker in the situation of a family related illness.
My suggestion would be to state just that and add that the situation is resolved.
I don't think any further explanation is required. Nor do I think it is dishonest - you are a member of your family; you were ill; and you were taking care of yourself. The important thing is to get the interview. If they want more details in the interview process, then you can say it was you or just say a very immediate family member. Many successful and valued employees had to embellish or fudge a little to get in the door. Just go in there looking and acting full of vitality and that should probably resolve any concern regarding your health.
I'm going to be testing my advice on myself. I have been out of full time employment for almost four years as I was dealing with my late husband's terminal illness and assisting in the care of a senile and frail parent. So good luck to us both.
I am looking for a good PR job in metro DC - lots of government leadership experience, awards, impressive references, and great network. Know of anything? Please advise.
I had a 4 year gap in my employment history due to family matters. Though I continued to do graphics from my home office, it still reflected badly when attempting to reenter the work world. My solution is to temp for a while to build up my resume-contract jobs that last 2-4 months. Not only is it adding diversity to my job skills, it's an opportunity for me to better define the area of graphics I'm most interested. Funny thing, I'm finding that I like the lifestyle. The jobs are usually intense and can be wearing, but I can take a couple weeks or a month off between them-a lot nicer than a week or two of vacation a year, and I'm meeting a ton of people.
Good luck.