Flag in Every Color 

• I took a year off to take care of my sick grandmother.
• I was travelling around the world with my boyfriend.
• I inherited a lot of money (which turned out to be not so much), I spent it --
  so now I have to go back to work.
• Selling drugs was pretty lucrative ... for awhile.
• I was "the king" of poker. The casinos loved me.
• I went back to school --- for four years. Then I decided that I didn't want to do what I went back to school for!
• I never graduated from school.
• I chose to raise my children before continuing with my career.
• I was just released from prison.
• I've been fired from my last three jobs.

Being in the image and career development business, naturally I get phone calls regularly from people who have come to a pivotal point in their lives. Suddenly there's a need or desire to implement some sort of change. Big? Insurmountable? Small? Scary? It doesn't matter. A hundred people, a hundred stories, a hundred situations. It still doesn't matter. Each of these people has a problem that needs to be resolved.

Not everyone graduates from school, goes to work and then gets promoted or moves onto a position in a new company with a substantial increase in salary, benefits, health club membership and a company car. But when you are a candidate with gaps in your resume or so-called "red flags," it seems that everyone else has followed a "normal" career path. Everyone except for you, that is.

What's the best way to handle employment gaps, employment holes and even employment ditches? Are red flags always the fastest way to the "NO" pile in the Human Resources department? What is the best strategy for dealing with these problem areas?

As difficult as it might be - and yes, it IS difficult! - it is critical to convey strength, confidence and honesty. Can you somehow put a positive "spin" on your circumstances? Depending on your particular field, it may be possible to draw upon some of the experiences you had during this "off" period and show this has prepared you for what the company is seeking. Or that regardless of the gap or problem, you have kept current with the relevant technology.

Keep your eye on the future and hopefully the prospective employer will as well. You don't know your competition. Perhaps compared to all the people applying you really DO have the best qualifications and credentials. Get your foot in the door. Then get the rest of yourself in the door! Learn how to "wow" them. There really are employers out there who go "outside the box" and look at potential rather than focusing merely on a traditional history.