How does one use their RTW travels in their resumes?

I'm going to go back in a few months and I'd like to start preparing somewhat. The title says it all. I'm going to have to look for a job but have no idea how my time away would benefit me in my resume and interviews. Anyone can share their experiences or knowledge?

Depends what your desired line of work and job is. If travel is a likely requirement, I would mention it under interests, at the end of the resume. You could even post a link to your blog.
If on the other hand you work in an industry where long vacations are not common or worst frowned upon, or travel is not required ....I would leave it out. I would also look for another field to work in
Joke aside; The main purpose of the resume is to get you to an interview; that is where you may be able to discuss your travel experince and capitalize on it

Recruiters told me to take it off my resume, which left me with an experiance gap of about 2 years hhehe. I filled this in with a blurb about me doing "Various contracts". Hopefully your line of work is something where contracts/freelancing is possible (programmer, video editor, copywriter, etc), and hopefully you are knowledgable enough that you could discuss these phantom "various contracts" easily.

I still felt comfortable discussing my travels in the interview if it got brought up. Instead of mentioning you saved up $20k before you left, maybe tell them that you did contract work to cover your ongoing expenses. That way they wont think it was all fun and games, and they will be confident your skills are still desirable.

Since it's been awhile since you last interviewed, it could be worth doing a decent sized sample project to freshen up your skills (edit a movie or make a website). If this isn't really applicable, then you should just jump into as many job interviews as possible even if you dont want to work at those companies. This will give you confidence in the interviews and you will realize what questions are being asked again and again by your interviewers.

Also, dont take the first job you get offered! You have time and freedom to shop around and interview at so many places right now. Once you have a job, it's harder to take the time off and find time to do 3 or 4 interviews in 1 week.

I am (was) an electrical engineer, if that helps. So no travel related jobs, no contracts, nada.

I guess it might come down to networking or going back to grad school (which I was thinking about doing anyway).

Did you learn another language, or learn about another culture - especially if it might be relevant to current or emerging markets for the companies you're applying to?

I'd be inclined to mention your trip at the bottom of your resume, in a section on Interests or maybe Other Accomplishments, particularly if your travels were long enough to create a big gap between jobs. On the other hand, if you were gone less than a year, you could hide the gap by just listing the years you were at different jobs rather than month and year.

K2 wrote:I am (was) an electrical engineer, if that helps. So no travel related jobs, no contracts, nada.

I guess it might come down to networking or going back to grad school (which I was thinking about doing anyway).

I am an electrical engineer as well and I also have an MBA. There are many jobs in the EE field that include travel. MBAs travel quite a bit as well. Also most people do not want to travel, so that is something to explore! I sure traveled quite a bit for work and I went to interviews where extensive travel was a requirement.
Remember that it's up to you to what jobs you'll apply. If you apply for something like commisioning turbines for GE, that is like 98% travel....your RTW will be very relevant!

damn you guys are lucky.. that's cool to be able to incorporate some kind of travel along with making money.

I'ld definitely pursue the types of jobs traveler is recommending. Give it a good shot before heading back to school. You never know what you might find with a month or two of focused job hunting.

I guess things may be different in the US but here in the UK, taking a year or so out to travel is 1) not uncommon and 2) not seen as disadvantage.
So long as your skills and any industry certification/ registration are still up to date, it really wouldn't matter that much here.

I've actually spoken to my current boss (I work in finance) about this before, because I've got quite a few gaps in my employment history due to travel and she has said that from her perspective, for the right candidate, gaps in employment aren't an issue so long as they can be explained and you are actually doing something with them (ie travel) rather than sitting round watching telly.

Travel is often seen by employers as a good thing; it hints at a degree of resourcefulness and that you've got a perspective of the world outside your own wee box.

For me, my travels (all for fun) I have racked up 2 million frequent flier miles, so I start my "interests" section with "I am a multi-millionaire"....

I'd phrase your travel in terms of what "accomplishments" it brought, or what transferrable skills from it you can bring to bear on the job you're applying for. That said, I wouldn't over-do that either. Highlighting transferrable skills is one thing, whitewashing endless drunken nights on the beach in tabago as "diversity training" is another.

When travelling, did you teach something, complete something, lead/manage something, etc.?

I agree with listing a blurb at the bottom under Additional Skills, or something to that effect. The important thing is to make sure they know you were expanding your life experience somehow, not skulling vodka redbulls.

Traveling has a lot to do with budgeting so working within budgets or basic accounting skills, perhaps. Living in another country is good for working with people. Do you speak another language? Maybe you have exceptional communication skills.

Also up to date passport or other travel docs are valuable if the job requires travel. If they need someone to start asap, they might not want to wait 4-6 weeks for a passport to arrive in the mail.

I'm lucky though, I also am able to play the Independent Contractor card with my line of work.

Talk about having problems finding a job, even in my own field. A bit rusty but also the fact I was removed from it for about 2-3 years and engineering's one of those things you really gotta keep up with constantly or you're left behind.