Dealing with gaps or breaks on your resume

Do employers notice gaps in employment history? If you haven't worked or volunteered each year should you explain why or not mention it?

For some employers who hire Workampers it raises a red flag. They wonder if you were fired or let go and that's why it isn't mentioned. Others figure you didn't work that year.

My late husband and I worked for six months, usually April to October, and took off the rest of the year. In our cover letter we would include the statement that we work six months and then travel and visit family the rest of the year.

According to the authors of Amazing Resumes: What Employers Want to See and How to Say It, 50 percent of employers do notice gaps. While only one reason for gaps - full-time academic study - was seen as a positive, recruiters saw the applicant as more honest than average if they explained the gap. They saw applicants as less honest than average if they noticed the gap but the person did not explain.

Workers on the RV road have a very fluid lifestyle. Unless you need to earn all or most of your income by working there probably will be gaps. It's best to explain them but don't lie; that's grounds for dismissal. Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak

For a sample resume and advice on preparing one, see Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com