Managing employment gap in your resume

TL;DR

  • Career breaks longer than 6 months can filter out 48% of applicants (HBS research).
  • Reframe gaps with a professional title and skill-based bullet points to pass ATS systems.
  • Australian recruiters use ATS heavily—local optimisation is key to getting seen.

If you’re not getting interview calls, this guidance could help you identify what needs to change in your resume. Many job seekers face frustration from not getting interview calls, so managing employment gap is crucial.

Sighted by Debra O’Brien, resume expert at ExpertsCentre.com.

You spend hours perfecting your resume. You send it off, and… crickets. What went wrong? Often, it’s something you may not even think to hide: a gap in your work history.

New research from Harvard Business School shows this is a huge, silent job killer. Their report, Hidden Workers: Untapped Talent, found that nearly half of all employers (48%) automatically filter out candidates if their resume shows an employment gap longer than six months. As a result, not getting interview calls can sometimes be linked to gaps on your resume.

That’s right. Before a human even reads about your skills, a computer can dismiss you for taking time off to raise kids, care for a relative, recover from an illness, or even to travel or retrain. Furthermore, these gaps are frequently the reason for not getting interview calls.

Why your employment gap spooks the bots (and how to fix it)

In Australia and New Zealand, recruiters like Debra O’Brien see this daily. Hiring managers want great people, but overloaded systems are programmed for “easy” filtering. A gap is a red flag to an algorithm, but to a human recruiter, it’s just part of your story.

The key is to reframe the narrative. Don’t let a blank space speak for you.

Instead of:

  • 2019 – 2021: Career Break

Try:

  • 2019 – 2021: Full-Time Family Care & Professional Development
    • Managed complex schedules and healthcare for a family member, honing organisational and crisis-management skills.
    • Completed online certification in [Relevant Skill] to prepare for return to workforce.

This turns an “employment gap” into active, valuable experience. It shows initiative and transferable skills—exactly what gets you past digital filters and into a recruiter’s ‘yes’ pile. On a related note, addressing employment gaps is a key step in avoiding not getting interview calls.

Don’t let a break break your chances

You took time for a good reason. Don’t let an outdated hiring system punish you for it. At ExpertsCentre, our CV Upgrade Package is designed by professionals who understand both the tech and the human side of hiring in the ANZ market.

With over 15 years of experience specialising in Australian and New Zealand job markets, Debra O’Brien knows what local recruiters and ATS systems look for. We’ll help you strategically present your entire career journey—gaps and all—as a strength, not a weakness.

Stop being filtered out for the wrong reasons. Get a resume that passes the test.

References:

  1. Fuller, J., Raman, M., Sage-Gavin, E., & Hines, K. (2021). Hidden Workers: Untapped Talent. Harvard Business School Project on Managing the Future of Work and Accenture. P. 22-23.

Meet your Resume Expert

Debra O’Brien

Upgrade your resume into one recruiters can’t ignore

View Resume Upgrade Package
Debra O'Brien
Debra O'Brien
Articles: 6

Related Posts