How do you address a COVID-related employment gap on your resume?

Usually “you aren’t alone” is small comfort, but in this case you should definitely take some comfort in knowing that you are one of literally tens of millions of people who now have an employment gap on your resume. This means that hiring managers will be hard pressed to find a candidate who doesn’t have one. Any company that doesn’t understand that an unprecedented number of people lost their jobs this spring for reasons outside of their control is hopelessly out of touch and you arguably don’t want to work for them anyway. Just saying.

That said, one thing I always say when writing resumes for moms is that you should definitely address the gap instead of trying to hide it or leave a potential employer trying to guess what happened. Otherwise, they might assume the worst. Here are a few common situations and how to handle them.

Furlough

If you were furloughed, you technically are still employed at that company so you don’t need to list a gap on the resume. Put your employment date through present, but be prepared to be upfront about your employment status in the interview when asked why you are looking for a new position.

Layoff

On the experience section of your resume, in the summary for your most recent position, highlight your performance trend prior to layoff. Include details such as whether you were on track for promotion or what your forecasted metrics were for the coming year (pre-COVID).

After this, add a sentence that describes the circumstances of your layoff. You should definitely include here details such as the percentage of people laid off, whether your department was eliminated, or any other relevant information.

Consider adding a statement such as “references available.” Usually this is not necessary, since references will be requested before you are hired. However, in this situation it signals that you have positive relationships and supporters at the company even though you are no longer employed there.

Job loss for performance reasons

This is the hardest to address, since you can’t point to a large-scale layoff as the reason for your employment gap. However, there still could be a myriad of reasons outside of your control that led to the dip in performance, such as being unable to focus on your work due to suddenly having your kids at home. 

On your resume, similarly to above, you can include a statement highlighting your performance trend pre-COVID. You can also add a statement mentioning that your job loss was due to COVID-related circumstances and mention if you have references at the company. 

In an interview, be prepared to be honest about the fact that you were let go for performance and also be ready to address how your circumstances have changed since then. It may be that you have secured child-care, or that this job is fundamentally different (maybe it offers flexible working hours.) A smart employer will realize that another company’s loss is their gain, and be eager to seize the opportunity to snag a high performer for their team.

What else can you do? 

Mention what you have been doing since your last job to grow your skills or experience. List courses completed, freelancing, or even volunteer work. Just be sure to clearly indicate in your experience section when a position is unpaid.

Need a little help finessing this tough situation? Reach out to me at kateri@hirethismom.com or book a free 15-minute consultation!