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I have been absent from the job force for 7 years due to an illness. I have spent years and no small effort to come back into the workforce. I can no longer go back to the career I was in and although I went to school for something else, due to my illness I can no longer do that as well.

My question is how do I write a resume that explains my absence and the reason I am not going into my field of education.

I am looking for a telephone job, reception, something I can do that accommodates my disability without telling the prospective employer why I want this job and not what I was schooled for.

Thank you for any suggestions you may have:)

ananda1234
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  • It helps if you've done volunteer work or worked on (for example open source) projects. – Kvothe Mar 27 '14 at 23:47
  • Kvoth- I have done some volunteer work but only in the last year. How do I explain without saying it that I haven't worked for over 7 years? – ananda1234 Mar 28 '14 at 00:02
  • That really should be addressed in a proper answer (which I can't give you). You can't hide that you've been unemployed for so long. – Kvothe Mar 28 '14 at 00:35
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    Hey ananda, and welcome to [workplace.se]! I'm a bit confused by what you're asking. You were out of the workforce for 7 years due to a medical issue. This will appear as a gap in your resume. Are you looking for a way to communicate the gap in your resume and the switch of fields to managers? Without explaining your disability? If you [edit] your question to explain what you're asking a little better, you'll get much better answers from the community. Thanks in advance! – jmac Mar 28 '14 at 04:59
  • I do not know that the questions are exact duplicates but the answers are basically the same. – IDrinkandIKnowThings Mar 28 '14 at 17:28

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Don't write your absence on your resume, your resume is meant to highlight your assets; any absence is best left for an interview question. It would also kill your resume since the writing explanations will read on paper like excuses - you're handing them your positive traits, not a doctors note.

DO put your past careers on your resume.

As per explaining the absence during an interview, be frank and direct. State that you had issue X, be truthful about it, and let them know that the position you've applied for is something you're confident you can contribute to.

Kver
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