Parents and caregivers working at Hostelling International

Recruiters and hiring managers usually use your resume as the document from which they form their first impression of you. Addressing employment gaps in your resume correctly is important to ensure those gaps don't harm the impression that is formed about you. Knowing how to include employment gaps in your resume as a positive can help you create a great experience section in your resume. In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about explaining gaps in your employment history, including where to explain employment gaps and a list of good reasons.

Welcoming a new child into your family is a special and life-changing moment for parents. While paid parental leave is typically less-available in the United States compared to some other countries, it is even rarer for men to be offered paid leave by their employers than women—13% compared to 21%, respectively. Men also take less time off than women, with seven out of 10 fathers taking 10 or fewer days. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) states, “76% of fathers are back to work within a week after the birth or adoption of a child.”

Going back to work after parental leave can be both a gift and a challenge. Many parents grapple with a number of emotions as they try to find the balance between work life and home life with a new child. All of these complicated feelings and responsibilities can make the transition seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be.

If you've taken time away from the workforce to raise children or care for elderly parents, you may be wondering how to describe the skills you've gained during this time on your resume. While you may not have been working for pay outside the home, being an effective caregiver requires skills like organization, patience and communication. By evaluating the skills a potential employer is seeking and comparing them to your tasks as a caregiver, you can show the company that your time away was a season of development and productivity. In this article, we offer tips that can help you make the comparison and effectively return to the workforce after a stint as a full-time caregiver.

As COVID-19 continues to spread, companies are taking preventative measures by asking employees to work from home while schools are closing or conducting classes virtually. As a result, many parents are finding themselves at home with kids trying to juggle childcare and productivity.

If you've been out of the workforce as a stay-at-home mom or dad, you may need a resume refresh. While you haven't been in a regular corporate position, you have been developing other skills, including organization and home management.

As an employee, it is important that you make use of the benefits provided to you by your company. Some of these benefits may include personal time off or personal days. This allows you to rest and take care of important matters in your personal life. In this article, we review what personal days are, how they relate to sick days, vacation days and PTO, how to ask for a personal day, tips for making the best use of your time and additional topics about personal days.

Many people use paid time off and vacation time interchangeably, but they do have distinct differences that are important for job seekers to understand. Both policies allow employees to take a period of paid time off throughout the year, but they each do so in unique ways. When seeking your next position, it's important to understand what kind of time-off policies organizations might offer so that you choose the one that works best for you.