Not having fixed housing can be a massive barrier to finding quality and stable employment. However, there are a few tips you can follow to mostly negate any of these disadvantages when writing your CV.
No matter your circumstance, if you haven’t updated your CV in a while or have to completely rewrite it, it can seem a daunting task. For those who have a gap in their work history and do not have a fixed address, this task can be particularly intimidating.
Where to Start With Writing Your CV
However, you don’t need to worry as we know how to address these issues and even give you some professional tips to writing the perfect CV. Even if it gives you that first step in the right direction, this advice might make the difference in you accessing quality stable employment over another candidate.
Address
You will need a forwarding address to receive any necessary post from an employer who you are applying to work for. This is a simple task for someone with a fixed address but is somewhat difficult for those without.
Some homeless people see this as an insurmountable barrier or think that this means they are not allowed to work. Being homeless does not remove your right to employment, and there are a number of ways that you can put a forwarding address on your CV.
The most common route is for you to ask your local Jobcentre Plus if they can receive and hold your mail for you. They don’t have to agree but as long as you have a positive relationship with them, they should do it for you. As such, you would just write the address of the Jobcentre plus on you CV.
For those with a close support network, many homeless people ask their family or friends who have fixed addresses to receive and hold their mail. In this case, the employer will not immediately know that you are homeless unless you state otherwise.
Employment Gap
In today’s economic environment, people from all walks of life are experiencing unemployment or are taking out time from employment. As such, the most damage an employment gap can do to you is only if you are dishonest about it.
As such, you should always be open about the fact you have a gap in your job history and highlight your enthusiasm and attitude to get back into employment as the important factor.
If you have a significant employment gap there are ways to diminish how obvious it is on your CV. One thing some people choose to do is create a functional CV. This involves prioritising the skills, characteristics and experiences that make you a great candidate, rather than list your job history.
Your Character
To win over the employer, or at least encourage them to give you the opportunity of an interview, you should write a personal statement. This is a brief paragraph at the start of your CV that describes your inspirations and aspirations, including a description of what kind of work suits your character.
This will hopefully help them look past any other parts of you CV that may be deficient and prioritise the fact that you would be committed to the role and would suit working for the company. Even if that is just enough to get an interview, you can outline why you would be a great employer for them in person.
