Dear Joyce: My wife ended her long battle with cancer last October. She passed away at age 44. I left my one-year job in September to be with her and take care of her. After she died, I took some time to get my affairs in order, travel and give grief its due.

Now I am ready to get back to work and restore normality to my life. I have been looking for a new position in sales and service, but am concerned about the 10-month hole in my job history. Should I address the issue in my cover letter or leave it as it is? How do I approach the subject during the interview process? -- J.S.

Dear J.S.: Résumé gaps put employers' defense systems on full alert. They worry that something is amiss -- like you've been building bombs in a terrorist training camp or made other disquieting use of your time.

Thankfully, it's your turn for good news. You're in no employment difficulty. Because of your caring behavior, the truth serves you well in explaining your intermission.

No to Cover Letter
Don't raise the time-off subject in your cover letter. Why? You have only a short amount of space to tantalize the employer with the value you could add to the organization. The résumé is about you; the cover letter is about the employer.

Yes to Résumé
But do bring the work break forward on your résumé. If you are using a reverse chronological format (working backward from your most recent experience) and including months and years in your employment history, simply write: "9/2000 to 6/2001 -- Met critical family commitment: Cared for terminally ill wife."

If you are using years only, start with the years: "1999 to 2000 -- ABC Company, Sales Representative." But on the next line, write the same family commitment statement, including the months and years. (Usually you should stick to parallel construction -- use either months and years or just years, but not both -- however your situation is an exception.)

Interview Flow
And don't worry about raising the subject at a natural moment during the interview: "As you can see by my résumé, I've been out of the workplace for awhile because of my wife's illness and death, a loss from which I have now pretty much recovered." Briefly explain how you have put grief behind you and are ready to move on with life and to handle a job that will fully engage you.

Suppose the unexpected happens and the employer doesn't see your absence in a positive light? Keep on interviewing. You certainly don't want to work in an insensitive environment where management doesn't understand your family values and your decision to do the only thing you could under the circumstances, do you? Carry with you the words of French author Andre Maurois: "Happiness, like spring, changes its expression every day." Your new day is here.

Gaps in General
Other readers recently have asked the gap question. Reasons for their work breaks are varied, some of which will hurt more than help them.

The quick answer is to tell what you were doing, presenting the time gap as a positive event. Show you were making good use of your time and what you learned, whether you were paid or not.

As I say in my book, "Résumés for Dummies," "Detail why the gap made you a better worker -- not a better person, but a better worker with more favorable characteristics, polished skills and mature understanding, all of which you're dying to contribute to your new employer."

It's OK to fill intermissions with such explanations as full-time parenting, maternity leave and family management, parenting plus community service, independent study, foreign travel and career renewal through study and assessment.

If the work breaks are short, you can wrap them in the bigger picture and cite just years, not months and years.

Some career experts advise you to omit dates entirely. That's an I wish. Although work gaps are no longer uncommon, old suspicions die hard. When in doubt, don't.

Finally, when the gap is too hard to explain positively, consider using a skills (functional) résumé, in which dates take a back seat to abilities. Résumé books show this format.

Send career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007, or e-mail her at jlk@sunfeatures.com. Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.

©2001 Tribune Media Services, Inc.