I finished my M.Arch in late 2009 and due to familial responsibilities I’ve not been able to pursue employment in the architecture field until recently. I was assisting in the care of four family members who were/are ill. Because I needed to be available at anytime and because of where I live, an internship wasn’t possible. My situation has changed and I am now able to move and give my full attention to an internship.
I have a lengthy employment gap in my résumé that I need to explain – should I do this in the cover letter? How should I explain this gap given its cause?
Explain in person. Find a creative way to explain it in the resume. Since it's for an internship and '09 was not a good time, it should be less of an issue. For an experienced practitioner, it would be more burdensome and more of a hiccup. If they don't buy into your sincerity and the gravity of a familial situation when you explain it in person, they are not the employer for you.
did you do anything beside taking care of your family? anything related to architecture like self guided learning, competitions, home projects etc.. Mention them if you have.. Its nice that you were there to help family, but unemployment isn't such a bad thing if you kept yourself busy. I know a few friends who choose to take on their own projects, competitions, research etc even though they can easily find work.
I did continue to do architecture-related things during this time. I've also been volunteering with Habitat. I hadn't thought about listing it on the résumé. Actually, it could tie in with my thesis project, because I considered the role of a caregiver in my project.
Mar 7, 13 5:36 pm ·
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How to handle employment gap due to familial illnesses?
My situation is not unlike Archinecter1’s, (How long is too long to be unemployed in architecture?) but I thought it best to start a new thread to ask this question.
I finished my M.Arch in late 2009 and due to familial responsibilities I’ve not been able to pursue employment in the architecture field until recently. I was assisting in the care of four family members who were/are ill. Because I needed to be available at anytime and because of where I live, an internship wasn’t possible. My situation has changed and I am now able to move and give my full attention to an internship.
I have a lengthy employment gap in my résumé that I need to explain – should I do this in the cover letter? How should I explain this gap given its cause?
Explain in person. Find a creative way to explain it in the resume. Since it's for an internship and '09 was not a good time, it should be less of an issue. For an experienced practitioner, it would be more burdensome and more of a hiccup. If they don't buy into your sincerity and the gravity of a familial situation when you explain it in person, they are not the employer for you.
did you do anything beside taking care of your family? anything related to architecture like self guided learning, competitions, home projects etc.. Mention them if you have.. Its nice that you were there to help family, but unemployment isn't such a bad thing if you kept yourself busy. I know a few friends who choose to take on their own projects, competitions, research etc even though they can easily find work.
being a caregiver for a seriously ill person is a full-time job. just list it on your resume with everything else:
dec 2009 - mar 2013 _______ caregiver for (medical condition) patient
user777 ++
Very nicely handled.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
I did continue to do architecture-related things during this time. I've also been volunteering with Habitat. I hadn't thought about listing it on the résumé. Actually, it could tie in with my thesis project, because I considered the role of a caregiver in my project.
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