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Employment gaps in your resume due to a decision to return to school, being laid off from your employer or becoming a parent may be inevitable, but should not discourage you from moving forward and attaining 'career happiness'.

The tight job market over the last couple of years has decreased the amount of time anyone might have had to secure a good position. You will need to be proactive as well as reactive. Many of you will be competing with very qualified candidates who have attained a higher education degree or people who were fortunate enough to avoid the 'Employment Gap'. Still, there are plenty of individuals who have walked right into a dream job, or created a career change following an employment gap.

Important things to consider for those entering the job market with a resume displaying an employment gap:

• Build your case. Focus your resume and cover letter on strengths and not weaknesses. Expose the employer to the rich experiences you have had in each job and use your cover letter to describe your work ethic, tenacity and successes.
• Build your professional network. Keep building your network of professional contacts and become an active participant in organizations, who attract companies in the Fortune 500. Those professional contacts will ultimately move on to new positions, therefore increasing your network reach. This is a common practice in the Executive Search arena, where consultants turn connections into clients.
• Consider consulting. Take on a consulting engagement or free-lance project - this will enhance your skills and create a work reference.
• Be flexible. The more flexible you are about the location, hours and job title of your next job, the more you will expose yourself to new opportunities and experiences.