Advice required with wording on a CV and job hunting after being off work for 4 years

H-2007

Hi

I was wondering if anyone could advise me on my current situation.

I am 34 and have been off work and on Incapacity Benefit for almost 4 years now after working since the age of 16.

The reason for the Incapacity Benefit is due to a series of operations (will be having my 6th and last operation in a week) that will completely correct a long standing health condition. I will hopefully be discharged from my consultants care after this last op and I’m looking to going back to work/interviewing in approximately 8 weeks from now.

I have always been employed in admin and secretarial jobs and that is what I would like to return to. The problem I now face is what to put on my CV. I have visited organisations such as Reed in Partnership and The Shaw Trust and jobcentreplus (saw an Incapacity Benefit Personal Advisor) and they have all told me to leave the dates of employment off my CV and not mention that I have had time off, and if asked at interview, to disclose the information then. I have drafted a CV in this style but it does not look or feel right to me and I have no intention of using one like this.

To me personally, it is deception and I do not want to waste either my time or an interviewers time, interviewing for a job where the employer is unaware that they will be taking on someone who has not worked for a few years as they could be biased against taking on people who have had long term health issues. I know they are out there as I have experience with employers like this as I have worked admin in both Human Resource departments and also within and for Employment Agencies (I temped full time for 5 years so have had considerable experience in a lot of different environments).

I would like to factor into my CV or a covering letter, an explanation as to why I have been off work (without going into the specific gory details) for so long, and to emphasize that my health problems are well and truly in the past and that I am really looking forward to going back to work.

I guess I have just lost a bit of confidence with regards to my employability after being off work for so long and my mind is blank as to what/how to word such a explanation (I know, hard to believe as I have just waffled on over half an A4 page!).

Could anyone give me any advice as to how to word my letter/CV or does anyone know of any organisations that can actually help me back into work (both Reed in Partnership and The Shaw Trust only seem to want to put me in call centre positions, which I know I am not suited for). I am based in South Yorkshire.

Thank you for listening.

H

absfabs

It's hard when you have been unwell and out of work for some time.

It does sound to me like you have already been given some good advice.

The purpose of the CV and supporting letter is to point out what you can bring to a job, point out your strengths, not your weaknesses.

And it's not dishonest if you don't lie about your dates.

If you google CV you'll find lots of advice, okay, mostly commercial sites, but they write CVs for a living. And you can take a lot of their tips on board without signing up.

The purpose of the written application is to get an interview.

Then they will ask you where you have been and you can explain - being as positive about your current health as possible, without going into a full medical history.

These are just my thoughts on the subject.

Good luck!

Daisies

I haven't had as much time off as you, but mine was with depression, which can give employers a big:eek: . In application forms there's usually a section to fill in about health, or else I'd mention it (with other, more positive stuff about previous experience) in a covering letter, emphasising how it doesn't affect you now.

A friend of mine who has had depression on and off for years put it in the health section of her application form. She was offered the job, along with an interview with occupational health about things that could be done to help her at work and is now very happy where she is. She had really emphasised her experience and how good she would be in that role so they were keen to have her.

Good luck!

Oldernotwiser

If you Google "skills based CV" you will find examples of ways in which you can produce CVs where the dates of employment become less important as you focus on the skills you have to offer an employer. This is a more up to date way of writing a CV than the traditional chronological version, anyway.

You really need to concentrate on the positive: CVs and covering letters are not the place to go into this sort of information, except in passing. Also try and turn negatives into positives. I'm sure that your experiences will have given you more experiences and insights than you had before you went through them. There are many jobs where this experience could be an asset.

Good luck.

LittleVoice

There are two basic types of CV - those which are chronological (showing your employment history in reverse date order) and those which are functional (showing what type of work you did).

Try writing a functional CV - this will stress your skills in the early part (and as CVs are read from the front not backwards, the reader will be interested in your skills).

If you write a chronological CV then leaving the dates off will look odd. However, though you have not been in paid work for 4 years, see what appropriate skills you have been using and you can include that in a statement near the top of the CV.
Most important though if you put dates on a CV - put them at the end of the line. That way, what the reader sees first is the job (and maybe employer on the same line) before they see the dates. And the job is more important than the date.

H-2007

I want to thank everyone for your replies. I have looked up “skills based” CV’s and now think I know what the advisors at the various agencies were trying to tell me, though no one ever mentioned the different types or names of them so I could go look them up! Not having seen a skills based one before, I just altered my “chronological based” CV (which I was advised to do) and it looked a mess.

I have gleamed more information off this website in the past couple of days than all the appointments with my various advisors. I thank you again for that.

I was thinking of putting a sentence (or two) in my covering letter (or something that could be used on an application form if I have to fill one out) like:

I have been off work due to a health condition that did require surgery, which has now been cured so it would have no effect on my ability to do this job……………… or something like that.

How does that sound, or, can anyone put it a bit more eloquently?

Thanks

H

Oldernotwiser

I'm glad you found this helpful. What about,


Taking a break from employment whilst waiting for corrective surgery has given me the opportunity to reassess my career/learn new skills/become more involved in my community. Having made a complete recovery, I now feel ready to take on fresh challenges/return to my career/take on new responsibilities.

Just a suggestion. All the best.

H-2007

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'm glad you found this helpful. What about,


Taking a break from employment whilst waiting for corrective surgery has given me the opportunity to reassess my career/learn new skills/become more involved in my community. Having made a complete recovery, I now feel ready to take on fresh challenges/return to my career/take on new responsibilities.

Just a suggestion. All the best.

Oh my gosh Oldernotwiser!

Thats just the sort of thing I was looking for!

Thank you very much.

H:j

Oldernotwiser

Happy to be able to help.