I was active duty and working as a nurse 2006-2011. I have a gap in employment from 2012-2020. Could I use my 4 years as a volunteer FRG Leader to fill that gap in my resume as long as I am clear it was unpaid or should I keep it at the end in it's own section?
Answers
Alison,
Just have the header for your chronology be "Experience" as opposed to "Work History" and you can easily list your time supporting the FRG right in-line with everything else. If you gained some relevant experience supporting an FRG, there's absolutely no reason at all to downplay or separate it out. The barometer for whether or not an experience should be on your résumé is not whether you got a paycheck for it. It's whether it helps explain what makes you a great fit for a job. I hope this helps.
When I took a career intensive with hiring our heroes last year they suggested listing volunteer work chronologically in your employment history and not specifying that it was unpaid. Focus on key accomplishments and the skills you utilized while volunteering.
First, watch this recent webinar from ACP, which addresses how to turn those "missing years" into a plus. https://www.acp-usa.org/news/event/acp-womens-program-may-workshop-resume-and-linkedin-revamp-workshop. Let me know what you think.
Keep in mind that her advice about resumes might be good for large, corporate employers. However, for smaller employers who will have a human read your resume, I tend to think a more traditional resume format (without repetitive language) will work better.
Alison,
I've got two good friends that work in the nursing industry and I'd like to refer you to them for direct guidance. Would that be of help?
--Steve
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