Under the heading of the best laid plans… September flew by before I knew it and I missed my chance to post anything to my blog. It was a month of many events, including celebrating 15 years at Right Management. If you've looked at my Career Timeline on this website, you may have noticed that I've had lots of jobs at lots of companies. They were all full of surprises, variety and challenges: just the way I like it. No one is more surprised than I am at how this anniversary came to be. I must...

Shakespeare's Hamlet had it easy: all he had to do was ponder his existence. Job seekers have to ponder how to account for gaps on their resumes, including determining whether or not their current severance period legitimately qualifies as ‘Present’ employment.

What do you think? Take this two-question quiz.

Q1. Even though your last actual day at work was three months ago, since you're still receiving severance, it's OK to use the term ‘Present’ in the dates describing your position until...