Getting Back Into the Game
I started working at sixteen and worked odd jobs all through college and beyond. I had a lot of really great work experiences and developed many skills. In 2011, I moved from Tennessee to Connecticut. At that time, I stopped working and took a few years to travel, do volunteer work, and spend time with family. Now I am trying to start a career from scratch in a place where I don't know many people. How do I explain my gap years in interviews? Employers have been focusing more on that than the twelve years of experience I had before I relocated.
Sound like an interesting journey. You should start off filling the gap with the volunteer assignments you participated in during your time off. Describe the responsibilities and new skills learned just like it was a regular paying job.
Hi Hilary, I would start by adding an objective or a summary on the top of your resume. This will give you space to add a few sentences where you can make it VERY clear that you took a few years off of work due to the family but are now 100% back on the market. I would also add in your volunteering experience to show that you were still active during that time. If you are looking to get back into your past profession, be sure to acknowledge that. If you are looking to start a new career, be very open and let people know that you are willing to take on a more junior role in order to learn and get back into the workforce. I hope this helps and I'm sure other people have more advice!
Best of luck!