To all the candidates out there, if you wish to apply to MBA programs in top business schools and are worried about an employment gap in your resume, do not avoid it.

Addressing the gaps in the resume is an important factor which will show your integrity and honesty.

The admission officers scrutinize your resume and application very carefully so don’t think that staying quiet will help you in any way. Probing into the employment gaps in an application and resume is something that admissions reviewers do and they don’t like it when the applications tell a different story and resume speaks something else.

If you are not sure about how to manage your resume or application, consultants at an MBA admissions service can be of great help. Here are some ideas shared by experts about how to handle an employment gap in your MBA resume.

• Don’t keep secrets – This tip is very crucial because any sort of evasive information can be problematic for you. Do not let the admission committee speculate anything. We are talking about a good impression here and you don’t want your first impression to be bad because the first impression if ruined, can shatter your months of hard work. If you leave things for the admission committee to decide then let us tell you, you might end up in trouble. They can come up with a lot of questions like “what did you do all this time?” or “were you just idling away your time?” and so on. We want you to be sure about getting into the business school you dreamt of so, don’t ruin your ambitions, dreams, and desires by giving a wrong idea to the admission committee.

• You can be reflective as far as lessons that you have learned – Your experiences are important and your ability to introspect from those experiences can fetch you extra mileage. If you took a break from a job, it is not always bad; it can be good because the break might have provided you with ample time to contemplate regarding what you actually want in your life and how that would impact your career. Believe it or not, reflecting on your actions and analyzing the faults are signs of maturity and crystal clear purpose and business schools expect you to be matured with a clear aim.

• You must be straightforward – Just don’t beat around the bush! Remember this simple tip. If you took a break to satisfy your entrepreneurial drive, mention it, or maybe your health wasn’t in good shape or some other personal issue prompted you to take a break then come clean about it because you can always explain. You can explain how effectively you utilized your time when you were taking the break and so on. If you are being honest and sincere, your application will likely be taken into consideration.

• The optional essay is there to make things easier – This is your chance to explain any employment gap that you feel is an issue in your application and you can go on to utilize this essay section proactively. Make it simple and to the point, tiring details are not needed. You must mention how you utilized your time while you were taking the break or how you filled up your time by doing relevant or meaningful things. Express yourself vividly in the essay, the essay must speak to the admission committee and show what steps you took to enhance your personality and ambitions.

• Stop overthinking – Candidates might be worried about the employment gaps in their resume but that is not needed at all. For the admission committee, it is the last two years of your career that are of utmost importance and are subject to tough analysis. They will want to see your achievements, what you did, and so on. So, do not be too stressed out about your past, even if there is a gap of many years at the beginning of your career, you can expect that the committee will be more considerate.

To conclude, we can suggest that focus on the holistic development of your overall profile because that is what the admissions committee looks for in the ideal candidate.