Many young people take a year-long break to travel, see the world and find themselves. While the experience is eye-opening, it can also be an obstacle to finding a job afterwards since there’s now a huge gap in their résumés. But good news—you can actually turn this gap year to aid you in your job search. Below is a guide to finding work after you travel.

 

Job hunting

Looking for work after a gap year is pretty much the same as job hunting before one. You search in the same places: newspapers, employment websites, company websites, recruitment agencies, and if the opportunity presents itself, job fairs. You can also try less common methods like making cold calls or sending e-mails to your prospective employers.

Make sure that you know who to look for before calling or e-mailing. You can get additional details by looking at the company’s website, past news reports or press releases. Better yet, ask contacts if they know anyone inside. You’ll also need a name of someone in human resources and ask directly if they have openings for people with your specific skillset. [Read more…]