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There is so much advice on how to account for furlough while you're still on furlough, but I can't find anything on how to show it on your resume if you're rehired.

The typical format is start date and end date, but having two date ranges will surely confuse automatic resume parsers. (Many already get one of the dates wrong parsing my simple resume.) It will also look awkward to a human to have two date ranges listed next to one job.

What is the best way to address this?

Also, how would this translate into filling out online job applications where you're given one start and end date per position? Do you simply leave out the furlough, do you fill two duplicates with different date ranges, or do you go out of your way to mention the furlough?

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    Why would you even mention it? You’re still fully employed by your employer. I have no intention of listing mine.
    – Matt
    Dec 4, 2020 at 19:58
  • It's just about years of experience. There was such a long gap that it almost makes a difference of one year. I know, it's a stupid measure, but a lot of the recruiters out there have requirements such as 2-4 years of experience, 5+ years of experience and so on.
    – blueseal
    Dec 14, 2020 at 19:36

2 Answers 2

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Don’t even mention it. You’re still employed so there is no gap you need to account for.

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How to account for furlough on resume?

As with everything else on your resume, honestly.

If you were furloughed for X amount of time at a company, you should list the standard start and end dates and then add a note indicating that you were furloughed for X amount of time. For example:

CEO, Acme Inc. Jan 2012 - Present ( 4 month furlough in 2020 )

In the case of online applications, you fill them out as best you can given the available fields. If there is an area for comments or additional information, you can use that to add the information about your furlough.

It is always better to provide the most accurate description of your skills and experience up front rather than having to face questions later down the line about why you failed to mention some details. You always want to start a new opportunity on the right foot.

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  • Thank you for your input! But one detail. How and where do you propose to include that note on the resume? Resumes are already very limited in space, so it's an important detail for me.
    – blueseal
    Dec 4, 2020 at 18:54
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    @blueseal Added an example to the post
    – sf02
    Dec 4, 2020 at 19:01
  • This is a great answer. (There may be an edge case - if the furlough was short and a long time ago, perhaps it’s not worth mentioning. If say 10 years ago you were furloughed for 2 weeks or even a few months, it’s unlikely to be material to your qualification for a new job, any more than a vacation that long ago would be.)
    – aem
    Dec 5, 2020 at 19:58
  • It doesn't need to be mentioned, regardless of how long it is.
    – Matt
    Dec 6, 2020 at 18:16
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    @sf02 it’s not the least bit deceptive. You have worked at company X for 2 years, regardless of whether they decided to furlough you for a part of it.
    – Matt
    Dec 8, 2020 at 7:31

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