Should You Hire a Candidate With Gaps on Their Resume?
You've definitely heard the saying, "Unexplained gaps on a resume are a red flag," at some time, handed down from recruiting manager to hiring manager over the years. However, is this really the case?
In our opinion, no!
In reality, there are a lot of reasons why you shouldn't be concerned about gaps on a resume. Even better, taking breaks from work may reveal more admirable qualities in a candidate than you may imagine.
We have a lot to say about this as hiring specialists. We're starting the conversation to assist you in deciding whether or not gaps in a resume actually matter and how to place more emphasis on other aspects of the recruiting process.
Are gaps on a resume important?
A candidate's suitability for a position isn't always indicated by a lengthy, unbroken work history. Before you leap to judgments if a prospect has an inexplicable gap on their CV despite everything else being okay on paper, take into account the following typical explanations for work gaps.
- Taking a vacation to travel.
- Health problems.
- Returning to school.
- Work experience unrelated to the position.
When you stop to think about it, a resume gap tells you very nothing about a candidate's career path. Life occurs to all of us, therefore as an employer, it's crucial to be kind toward applicants and take into account the numerous causes someone might need to take a brief leave of absence.
Tips for addressing gaps in a resume
You can realize that gaps on a CV are very normal and probably nothing to worry about by changing your viewpoint just a little bit. But if you're still a bit worried, let's discuss some additional recruiting procedures that might aid in your assessment of candidates with gaps in their job history.
Consider what you are actually reviewing.
Create an ideal candidate profile to help you flesh out the qualifications and experience your ideal applicant possesses for the position you're filling before you start examining resumes or even crafting your job description. Think about the things that are most important to you in this job.
In the end, are the criteria you're considering more focused on a verifiable competence and a particular skill set or are they geared at "a flawless work history"
For what counts, evaluate. Does a candidate's taking a long time off from work affect how well they'll perform in the position if they possess all the skills and qualities you stated you were searching for?
Employ for future potential.
Perhaps you'd really want a candidate to have X years of experience in your field. And yes, there are situations when that may be discovered. However, if there is a small pool of candidates, it can be preferable to hire for growth potential.
Beware of possible bias.
Everyone has prejudices, both conscious and unconscious, which can have a bad effect on hiring. There may be assumptions you make about a prospect based on gaps in their CV, thus you should never exclude somebody from consideration for a position based on these gaps.
Here are some pointers for avoiding hiring prejudice:
- Inform your personnel about these prejudices, especially anybody who assists in hiring.
- To evaluate applicants fairly, go back to your Ideal Candidate Profile.
- Establish criteria for analyzing applications and use the same method for all resumes.
Ensure excellent candidate experiences.
A few years ago, recruiting managers had the luxury of being extremely picky. Job seekers now have more alternatives than ever, and we discovered that application volumes are down across all industries. Being overly selective might result in you passing up excellent prospects in a candidate's market.
Hiring managers must adjust to the present environment and throw aside obsolete notions of what qualifies as a "serious applicant" in a candidate's market. You may leave applicants with a positive picture of your firm and make the best choices by being clear that you're only considering factors that are important for the position while evaluating prospects.
To summarize
A blanket rule like "no resume gaps" may prevent you from hiring top prospects. While reviewing resumes, you should think of more charitable explanations for CV gaps if you want to employ and keep a diverse team.
A resume gap doesn't imply anything at the resume assessment stage. Utilize latter phases of the recruiting process to learn about a candidate's background and comprehend their motivations and professional ambitions. Keep an open mind and avoid making assumptions. Determine if the candidate has the abilities to succeed in your position in the future by concentrating on what matters most. It's hardly a cause for fear that your next great recruit may have taken a year or two off from the workforce.
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