Job searching can be an excruciating process, especially after a layoff and even with a large portion of the world experiencing unemployment this past year, it’s impossible to know how every employer is going to respond to your resume gap.

Whether or not you explicitly address it in your application, you should be prepared to talk about it.

So, the question is: how much emphasis should you put on your resume gap? When should you bring it up yourself? Or should you wait for them to ask about it?

Acknowledge it upfront

As with most things, honesty is the best policy. Since most job seekers rely on a chronological resume format, it’s likely that they’ll notice the gap off the cuff. You can assume that they’re not going to notice, or that they’ll immediately attribute it to COVID, but that can be risky.

If you’re in direct contact with a recruiter, you can let them know your situation directly. If the recruiter is outsourced and thinks you’re a viable candidate, they will help you navigate through the process themselves. They’ll have insight on what the hiring manager wants.

If you’re applying directly, you may want to mention your unemployment in a cover letter. While you may want to provide context in your resume, it has significantly less flexibility and space. You can choose to put a small blurb near the end of the letter. Remember that you don’t want your unemployment to take center stage of your brand, so keep it to a couple of sentences and be prepared to elaborate during the interview process.

Fill the gap

This is advice that’s offered to unemployed people regardless of circumstance. This isn’t done in order to deceive employers, but rather to show that you have the initiative to enhance your skill set outside of the workplace. This includes volunteer roles, classes and new skills.

What have you done during your period of unemployment? If you’ve been tied down because your kids have been schooling at home, you absolutely can put stay-at-home parent on your resume. If you’ve volunteered at your church, include it. If you’ve received a certification online, include it.

The hiring manager will likely ask about this, and you can use this as an opportunity to talk about how you’ve been proactive despite the job loss.

Use previous employers as references

If possible, you should get a reference from the company you were laid off from. You can use your last boss or a colleague. If there’s any inkling of doubt with the people you’re interviewing with, your colleagues can vouch for your credibility. It also verifies hiring managers that you still have a good relationship with everyone.

Once they know you were truly let go because of financial strains. It’ll be easier to go through the next steps of the process.

Twice ranked by Forbes as one of the best executive recruiting firms in America, JDI is the trusted resource for talent in our industries. With decades of expertise in executive search placement, a proven systematic approach to recruiting, and a candidate database of over 500,000 executives, we are able to consistently deliver excellence to our clients. If you’re looking for your next opportunity, you can check out our current searches here.