Helpless
I recently got back into the work force after being out of work for 6 years due to heart transplant. During that time i managed to finish my degree in Technical Management so i thought i would have better chance after coming back that i would find employment because i have my degree but it has been a dog fight. I even took on 2 tempt jobs working in a warehouse to try and get my foot in the door, but i haven't had much luck with the tempt jobs because as soon as the holidays were over, they let me go. I have been trying to find employment in my field but have had little luck and i am not sure what to do at this point. I'm not hopeless but i have submitted numerous amounts of resumes to have gotten some sort of response and it has yet to happen. I made sure that my resume was tight but, i'm thinking the 6 year gap is hurting my chances. Is there anything i can do at this point besides submitting a character letter because i don't want to scare off potential employers because they are going to assume i am a liability because i had a heart transplant? Please help someone
Darnell Clark It sounds to me like you had every reason to take the gap you did. Firstly, your health required your attention, and secondly, you took the time to focus on your education. These are both classic reasons for an employment gap and should be understandable to employers as long as they are communicated clearly.
Make sure you include your education years in your resume so employers can easily see how your education lines up with your employment gap.
I would also think about how your heart transplant has affected you. Has the experience made you emotionally tougher? Have you gained a new appreciation for life because of this experience? I would write a cover letter detailing how this experience, while extremely difficult, has changed your life and given you a new motivation. This is a good way to communicate to employers that you had a major health concern in your life that did affect your career, but that your experience made you stronger and caused you to be more ready than ever to tackle a new position. I hope this advice helps you!