Some people quit their jobs to raise a family or spend more time with their kids. Others leave the workforce to take care of their ailing parents. When the time comes to re-enter the job market, their years of being out of work can seem like a baggage for them.

Indeed, some employers might have doubts if the applicant's skills are still up to date after taking some time off from work. But as a careers columnist at the Kansas City Star said, it's how you frame your resume that could help you get that crucial first interview.

"Application forms sometimes are fill-in-the-blanks exercises, so it's hard to take control of the message. But if you can submit a resume, use active verbs that help mask your time out of work," Diane Stafford wrote in her recent column.

While recruiters differ on their preferences between a functional and skills-based resume and a chronological resume, Stafford said, either way, recruiters want resumes that look contemporary.

For example, a job description that says "I manged a department..." sends a message that this was something an applicant did in the past. Rewriting it as, "Managing a department..." emphasizes an applicant's experience at the job.

Stafford also underscored the need to list down examples of successes and accomplishment, and do away with a bulleted rundown of job titles and duties.

And once job-seekers land that coveted interview, be sure to look current and sound up-to-date with what you say.