How to Explain a Career Gap After an Injury
Are you viewing your return to the workforce as a testament of resilience?
Shifting your perspective can provide the confidence and mental fortitude you need to pursue the roles you really want after an injury. With drive and demonstrated experience, that gap in your resume will quickly be eclipsed by your work ethos.
If you want to be on the safe side, there are a few things you can do to explain the gap, ensuring you have the strongest resume and interview in the stack.
Document the Injury
It's always wise to keep a comprehensive file on past injuries.
Suppose you sustained a spinal injury in California from a car accident.
There are state laws like the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) that prohibit employers from not hiring job candidates due to medical conditions. However, documenting the complete timeline of your injury, from treatment to consultations with a CA spinal cord attorney, can offer peace of mind going into a job search.
While an employer isn't always likely to ask, you know you have the documentation to back up the injury should you decide it's relevant to mention.
How to Address Health Gaps in Your Resume
If your health-related career gap is shorter than six months, you may not have to address it at all. For longer health gaps, format your job history in years, not months, to create more continuity in your resume.
LinkedIn is a game-changer when it comes to filling resume gaps.
The site allows you to fill your profile with relevant experience, like industry courses, volunteering, publications, and projects that relate to your trade. You can also receive endorsements from past colleagues as votes of confidence in your skills.
Add professional certifications where you can. Upskilling shows employers that you're proactive about keeping up with industry progress. You can also earn them during your health gap to fill in those years.
Format your LinkedIn and resume with demonstrated skills at the top. The more relevant the better. This will catch the eye of recruiters.
LinkedIn does have formal "medical leave" features that you can use if you feel the gap should be addressed. Such features normalize medical leave as accepted and necessary.
Tips for Interviews
Job interviews can go in various directions once a conversation gets going. Employers are human too, and injuries are quite relatable. But know that you're not obligated to disclose medical information.
If the interview veers into health-related career breaks, know that you have that documentation by your side. If you want to acknowledge the medical leave, mention your recovery and how you're eager to get back to doing what you love.
You can also frame gaps as a period of growth.
Again, life throws curveballs, and career gaps can happen at a moment's notice. A positive attitude is one of your best assets. Mentioning upskilling efforts and personal projects shows employers that you're proactive and productive, no matter where you are in life.
Stay Resilient
Remember, you got this! Bouncing back from an injury-related career gap shows strength of character.
Do what you can during your recovery to fill in the gap, whether it's taking a data analytics course or building a website. Beef up your LinkedIn profile to generate more job prospects and highlight your proactive mindset during interviews.
