Dear Annemarie

Due to family-related circumstances I had to give up my job some 18 months ago and am now looking at re-entering the workforce. Is it proper to put on a resume "Sabbatical" or should it be explained more?

– Susanne.

Dear Susanne,

An important point to remember is that your resume is a marketing document with the sole purpose of promoting your skills, achievements and overall value you offer an organisation. A resume is not so much a chronological history that has to account for each and every movement you have made in and out of your career.

So in your case Susanne, I would not dwell so much on the issue of your ‘career break’ but rather on developing a powerful, results-driven resume that communicates your expertise, qualifications and contributions within the workplace, specific to the role for which you are applying. Concentrating on these areas should detract the reader’s attention away from your short career break, while understanding exactly what it is you are offering their organisation.

Your aim is to demonstrate not only how you can fit into the role, but also how you can contribute to the organisation’s ongoing success. I’m sure you have heard the phrase “sell it … don’t tell it” when developing your resume. However not only is the wording and content imperative, but also the way in which your document is formatted and presented. Strategic advertising concepts can also be used within resume writing, successfully detracting the reader’s attention away from your short career break by highlighting your expertise and therefore catapulting your candidacy to the top of the pile.

If you’d like to try your hand at developing your own resume, step-by-step instructions on how to develop a powerful marketing document are outlined in our Powerful Resume e-course.

All the very best, Drop me a line at info@a-e-c.com.au and let me know how you go.

Annemarie