#AdviceColumn: How to Get a Potential Employer to Look Past a 10-year Work Gap?

Dear Liz, even before the pandemic, I had a hard time getting work. That big ten-year gap in my work history (even with the Navy service in there!) just trips people up. I don't understand how that kind of experience, plus my education, plus my term of service, doesn't seem to matter. I would get callbacks to ask me about my time out of the workforce (before I'd even get an interview) followed by radio silence. These days, I don't even get calls. I know the labor market is crunched right now, but I need to get back out there. If employers couldn't get past that gap before the pandemic, do I have any hope at finding work now?