For years "CV gaps" have hindered early careers candidates from applying for roles. Now LinkedIn is making the jump from graduate to professional a little bit easier.
Job hunting can be a stressful experience at the best of times - but it can be especially hard if you're fresh out of university with very little experience to bulk out your CV. Candidates are often scared to include any gaps in their resumes for fear of how recruiters and employers will interpret them.
We've previously talked about things you can do to explain these employment gaps to employers and keep your CV looking busy, but now it looks like LinkedIn is chipping in to help.
Earlier this month, they release their newest "career break" feature which lets you fill any career gap in your LinkedIn profile with one of thirteen options. This came after one of LinkedIn's reports found that "51% of hirers say they are more likely to contact a candidate that provides context about their career break" - and that's exactly what this feature is meant to accomplish.
If you head over to your LinkedIn profile right now, you should be able to easily add a career break to your profile. Just head to your experience section, click the "+" icon, and select "add career break". From there, you should be able to select one of the following options:
- Bereavement
- Career transition
- Caregiving or full-time parenting
- Gap year
- Layoff/position eliminated
- Health and well-being
- Personal goal pursuit
- Professional development
- Relocation or travel
- Retirement
- Voluntary work
So what does that mean for graduates and other gap-havers?
By using LinkedIn's career break feature, you'll no longer have any gaps in your profile's work experience - and you'll be able to talk about the skills and experiences that you've discovered while on your break from traditional employment.
The core goal of the feature is to help destigmatise career breaks or gaps and promote wider discussions surrounding mental health, burnout, and personal well-being that have been sparked by the COVID 19 pandemic. The hope is to make it easier for graduates, early career folk, and seasoned professionals alike to talk about their career breaks to their employers, and prompt a shift in the way we think about traditional work experience.
Speaking more about the feature, LinkedIn Senior Product Manager, Camilla Han-He, noted that the old-school sentiment surrounding career breaks is "changing for the better" with 46% of hiring managers viewing candidates with career breaks as a hidden pool of talent, meaning you shouldn't shy away from applying for the roles you want just because you have a few breaks in your resume.
Ultimately, though, it also sends another message to anyone out there feeling lost or discouraged: "If you’ve ever taken a break in your career, you’re not alone."
Keep up with all the latest employment news and find helpful career advice at GradTouch's article hub.