Many people have gaps in their resumes. It is not an uncommon thing these days when you consider the recent instability of the economy, downsizing, mergers and the like.

Even so, attitudes often do not change as quickly as circumstances, and so if you find yourself job hunting, you have to figure out how to handle these gaps in your resume. Here are a few tips.

1. Don’t feel embarrassed by them.
These things can happen to just about anyone. You cannot let these situations dampen your confidence or your energy. You need to have the resilience to move past them, to keep going, to accept that they are a part of life.

2. Be honest about them.
People often try to hide these gaps on their resume. They may, for example, only include years of employment. But these little subterfuges do not really work. Hiring managers can see past this kind of thing easily. They have seen many resumes and are probably aware of tricks you may not even know about.

Trying to hide these gaps only gives the impression of dishonesty, which is not something you want to portray to a prospective employer. Be open and up front about them. Again, they are not something to be embarrassed about.

3. Focus on what you did with your gap time.
This will give the employer an indication of your resilience, energy, and dedication. Did you, for example, do volunteer work where you could keep your skills sharp? Did you take any classes or do any other type of training to show that you were keeping your skills and knowledge up to date? Did you network to stay in the loop with your industry?

These things are important because a major concern of employers with people who have been unemployed for any length of time is the deterioration of their skills.

4. Focus on your skills rather than work history
You can do this by focusing on what you accomplished in your past jobs, rather than just what your duties were in that job. The best way to do this is to be specific, giving facts and figures about your accomplishments.

You can also do this by putting your skills together in one section, and placing this section at the beginning of the resume.

Why should you go to Winston Resources? The answer is easy – because Winston has the resources and network to help find the right job for you. Winston will work with you every step of the way. Contact Winston today.