Do you suffer from a case of wanderlust? Is it part of your bucket list to backpack through Europe or visit the African Serengeti? Traveling can be an amazing experience, but it can also leave a gap on your resume when you take time off. So how do you present your excursions as a valuable part of your career and not just free time spent exploring?
Get Involved
Look for opportunities to get involved in the local communities you’re visiting. Devote some of your time to volunteering or working with a non-profit organization. It not only gives you some meaningful experience to add to your resume, it allows you to really immerse yourself in the culture. Write about your responsibilities and the impact you made while there. Do your research to find something that you’re not only passionate about, but that meets the needs of the community. Employers often look kindly on candidates who are committed to giving back.
Document Your Trip
No, that doesn’t mean just taking pictures of you and your significant other, friends, or family relaxing on the beach or partying in the square. Exercise your creative spirit and practice your photography skills capturing sights and events around you. Take pictures of work you did while volunteering or places that you visited. Consider starting an online portfolio or design your own website. Write a purposeful blog about your travels with tips or insight for others.
This can be especially helpful if you work in a field where social media, blogging, website development, marketing, advertising, photography, or other skills are essential. Show that you were able to expand your learning and put your talents to use in a different way. Your exposure to different cultures and communities can help you to bring a fresh perspective to a company.
Highlight New Skills
What did you learn on your travels? Did you have to overcome language barriers? Were there cultural norms you had to adapt to? Did you quickly resolve problems or learn how to do new things? These skills can add more personality to your cover letter, help you to round out your core competencies, and give you great stories to tell during an interview to show a potential employer why you’d be a good fit and can meet their needs.
When taking time off to travel, make sure you have a purpose in mind and a way that you’re bettering yourself or the world around you. This can make accounting for this gap in employment a little easier and give you solid experience and skills to point to. If you need help figuring out how to effectively present yourself and your experience on your resume, turn to the team at Grammar Chic. We’ll work with you to highlight your key strengths and abilities so you can put your best foot forward. Contact us today at (803) 831-7444 or resumewriting@grammarchic.net.
