I
t used to be the mark of the "unhireable": a gap in employment. During the heydays of a robust economy there were seldom justifications strong enough to remove the
stigma of a gap in one’s employment history. Often during the initial review of a resume,
recruiters filled the gaps they saw with assump- tions. Some would assume that a period on un- employment was proof enough of something ter- ribly wrong with the candidate. A one year gap might indicate the omission of a failed position. Or perhaps a prison term! Chronological holes in a resume were holes you had to dig yourself out of to be considered a legitimate candidate. The severity of this situation may be temporarily lessened in these changing times, but the phe- nomenon is an aberration.
One positive outcome of this chal-
lenging economy is that employers have been forced to modify their perceptions and assumptions about standard business prac- tices like staffing and recruiting.
The old assumptions about gaps in
your work history have faded under the recognition of the stark reality of today’s legal services environment. Big firms shud- dered and shook off thousands of em- ployees during the last two years. Anyone could have been hit with a layoff in recent times, regardless of their ability or per- formance. Nowadays, even the best of us might have a gap.
In times of a stronger economy,
there is a definite disadvantage to those looking for work while out of work. Em- ployers perceived those without jobs as desperate. The longer the employment gap, the worse the perception. Employ- ers often viewed these candidates as risky hires because it was assumed that the unemployed were willing to take a position even if they knew they weren’t the right fit. Employers preferred someone already gainfully employed at a similar endeavor. The recent flux in legal services has cast so many out of work that the playing field is a bit more even, for now. At this mo- ment in our history, 1/10th of the American
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