Expert: Amber Shinault - 8/24/2007

Question
Hi Amber,
My husband is an Engineer and left his career to be a day trader. He spent over 4 years doing this but the market has not been good to him.  He needs to go back to find a job in his trade.  We just don't know how to build up his resume with a gap.  I know that a functional resume just adds questions about the hiatus. What do you specifically write on the resume that will still appeal to a recruiter? Thanks for your help.

Answer
I do not know the specifics of his background, so I must give advice based on what I have seen in the market place for those trying to return to the mainstream workforce after making unrelated career moves.  By no means do I want to be discouraging, but I feel it is important to have the right expectations for this search.

He may have some difficulty getting back into engineering.  After only a year of being out of it, employers are wary of bringing a person on.  It's almost easier for an entry level engineer to get a position than someone who has been out for more than a year.  I suggest that he network himself around through associations and such.  It's generally a long road building relationships, but well worth the time.  Maybe he will quickly find an employer that will be accepting of that much time away.  Small companies with tight budgets may be a good target.  He should especially target companies that were in his previous industry to get the best hits.

Be sure that his resume has lots of key words from his previous industry.  For example, if a company that manufactures widgets is seeking an engineer, generally they will hire an engineer from a company that also makes widgets.

As for the resume, I can suggest in this situation is doing one of two things.  Either:

1.  State "Unrelated Experience" from X date to X date.

OR

2. Utilize a functional resume.  You should google this if you are not familiar with the format.  Some recruiters may still request a chronological resume, though.

OR

3.  Simply state "Day Trader" and the dates he did this work. Deemphasize it by not mentioning a lot of duties under this position.

If you do not list anything for the four year gap, it will do him more harm than good.  He may not get contacted at all without anything listed there at all.  They may make assumptions that you do not want them to make.