According to LinkedIn, “79% of hiring managers today would hire a candidate with a career gap on their resume.” However, do not interpret that to mean a prospective employer is not going to want to know why. To give you an edge, LinkedIn has added a new feature that allows its members to address career gaps right on their LinkedIn profile. Here is how:
Gaps in employment can be areas of concern for employers out of fear that a candidate has not kept up with technology and the changing competitive business landscape. The truth is, many of these gaps are the result of stay-at-home parenting and COVID furloughs that people have used positively to advance their skills online, return to school to complete a degree through remote learning, or raise a family. Nonetheless, it can be an anxiety elevating experience during a job interview to be asked to explain an employment gap. LinkedIn has recognized this and come up with a feature that offers new job titles to help you account for your break in traditional employment.
For parents who have left the workforce to dedicate their time to raising a family, “stay-at-home mom,” “stay-at-home dad”, and “stay-at-home parent” titles are all available job title options. LinkedIn has also stopped requiring its members who use one of the titles above to specify a company or employer name. When a user sets the “Employment type” field to “Self-employed”, that field is now an option, not a requirement. A future LinkedIn enhancement will be the ability to add a reason for the gap, such as “parental leave,” “family care,” or “sabbatical.”
These new LinkedIn features enable members to fill in employment holes with accepted reasons for employment gaps. This will be significantly valuable for gig workers, self-employed entrepreneurs, and freelancers. They will not need to be associated with an external company to add to their work experience. The new option comes with an individual decision as to how much of your information you want public on the social platform. You want to assess how publishing your gap will enable you to nurture your professional network and enhance your career. But, the good news is LinkedIn is moving with the times.
About Garrison Leykam, PhD:
Certified Business Coach (Expert Level)
Certified Remote Work Professional
Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC)
Certified Professional, Résumé Writer (CPRW)
Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP)
Certified Life Coach (Expert Level)
PhD Marketing, MA Psychology
LinkedIn profile in Top 25 MA, PhD profiles in U.S.
Top 1% LinkedIn Industry Social Selling Index
Author, Audacious at Any Age and Design You