by Leigh Goessl

Created on: December 05, 2008   Last Updated: April 26, 2009

There are many circumstances which may occur that causes a break in your employment. You may have taken off time to be with your family, been through an illness, nursed a family member back to health, been given a lay-off notice or perhaps you took a break to go back to school.

Reasons why people take a leave of absence from a job may vary, and whatever the reason was for taking time off this can pose some challenges when it comes time to re-enter the work force. Additionally it can lead to a great deal of change.

It is not impossible to find a new job with a gaping hole in your resume, but it is a definitive hurdle to cross. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to spiffy up your resume and emotionally prepare yourself to go back to work, the good news is it is not as daunting as it seems. While there will be some definitive obstacles to bypass, once you set yourself in motion, you can successfully re-join the work force.

When you have a long employment gap, the first thing you need to do is design your resume to highlight your skills instead of the traditional chronological order of your employment history. This is known as a functional_resume.

Instead of listing your jobs according to the timeframe you worked at each job, instead design your resume to focus on the skills and abilities you possess. You may need to construct a few different versions of your resume in order to custom fit each job you apply for, but you'll likely find more success if you leave out the dates and avoid having to answer difficult questions about your employment gap.

Preparing for the interview is another stressor especially if you've been absent a long time. If you aren't accustomed to meeting with a prospective employer and being prepared to answer questions, this may prove to be a huge change. It would be wise to take some time to reacquaint yourself with the "how to's" of interviewing.

Competition for jobs is at a high point and if you want to land that coveted job you'll have to make yourself shine. Today's dynamics have evolved in the workplace and it is a good idea to read up on some tips to see how you can successfully overcome the obstacles.

Over the past several years the workplace has evolved and technology is now heavily integrated with different kinds of jobs. This spans many industries. If you are not familiar with technology this is probably going to be the biggest change and you might want to prepare yourself for this shock.

If you aren't already familiarized with a computer, it would be to your advantage to take a few lessons in order to get yourself up to speed. Applicants without some level of computer skills will find their resumes are likely sent to the bottom of the pile. Technology is a must in most industries and it is rare you'll find a position that does not require some level of computer proficiency.

Getting back to work after a break is often hard to re-adjust, especially if the absence was a long one. The good news is that once you get the job, the hard part is over because you'll have successfully crossed a hurdle that many people have difficulty overcoming.

One you start your new job, you can focus on one day at a time as you learn your new position. Sure there will be a lot of change to be faced, but if you've made it this far you've illustrated you're up for the challenge.

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