How to Explain Long Work Gap in Employment Cover Letter

How do you explain work gaps in your professional career. Like if you took a few months or years off the job? Sometimes being too honest can cost you the job interview - like if you simply couldn't find any work or had to quit for health reasons. Or you got married and stayed home with kids for a while. How do you narrow down explaining that long unemployment period, and how do you turn it into a golden opportunity? This cover letter is worth a try and customize if you must:

Dear HR Manager,

Greetings!

I am writing to express my earnest intention in applying as a Marketing Officer of your company. As you can see from my resume, I am a college graduate with the required qualifications for this position. In addition to this, I also have a strong work track record in online marketing. In my last employment, I was responsible for directing a sales team, which reached its primarily goal of growth sales within its first year.

In addition to my degree, I am also knowledgeable with different softwares such as Adobe in-design, using SaaS CRM and Microsoft office tools. I am a self-starter with good written communications skills.

Having said that, you may notice a period of which I was not actively employed by a corporation. During this time, I pursued other entrepreneurial interests that have strengthened my decision and management skills. I even underwent a training program. I took part in a non-profit organization which helped the homeless integrate back into society. My time at this local organization as a Coordinator tested my endurance, problem analysis and people skills to the extreme on a day-to-day basis. It was good training either way. I was able to run a small community profit-sharing business, doing budget allocations and grassroots marketing, as part of this period. Now I bring these notable troubleshooting skills to the table, which I believe will be beneficial to your company.

I may not have the traditional consecutive number of work experience years as the other applicants, but I bring with me a solid, disciplined work ethic and a true passion for marketing. I would be interested in discussing with you how these skills, can make a difference to your organization. I am hoping to hear from you soon.

Thank you very much.

Jeremy