How to explain gaps in your resume ?

By Penelope Labram

Having a gap in your resume is no rarity. Plenty of people take time off at one stage or another, be it to care for someone else, go travelling or plenty of other worthwhile projects. It can even be an advantage.

When writing your resume, however, it’s important to present the gaps in your career in the right way. You don’t want to make a big deal of the situation, but at the same time you should avoid giving your recruiters the impression you have something to hide. Here’s some advice:

1)  For short gaps, change dates on your CV to years and not months.

In all likeliness, your future employer will not be too worried about a gap in your work history that only spans a short time. You can detract attention away from it, however, by writing your CV in the following format. For example:

2012 –2013 Head chef, X Restuarant

2008 - 2011 Line chef, The Y Cafe

Gives a better impression than:

21/07/2012 – 23/04/2013 Head chef, The Ivy Restuarant

01/03/2008 - 10/09/2011 Line chef, The French Horn

2) List any voluntary/freelance work, classes or other projects you undertook during your employment gap

You may not have made a full-time salary from them, but that doesn’t make these valid experiences. You can still learn as much from doing any of these things as a ‘normal’ job: you don’t have to list them as being voluntary positions or work you’ve done for personal contacts. Be prepared, however, to be completely honest in an interview.

2013 –2014 Head chef, The Ivy Restaurant

2011 – 2013 Freelance wedding caterer

2008 - 2011 Line chef, The French Horn

It’s even better if you can make these sound relevant - working as a freelance caterer in the article above, for example, is a good move for someone looking for a job in a restaurant.

3)  Be honest about your employment gap

In some situations, the best thing you can do is bite the bullet and write an description of your employment gap. This is especially the case if leaving out an explanation looks suspect. Try to write something positive, but don’t make a meal of it – a quick note at the bottom of your resume might best serve your purposes. Consider writing something like this:

“Between 2012 and 2013 I organised a trip around Europe, where I learnt basic French and enhanced my knowledge of other cultures”

“Between 2012 and 2013 I was a parent and managed a household, as well as pursuing independent study in X”

If you have been made unemployed, it might be better simply to leave the dates blank. Be prepared for a couple of searching questions at an interview, which will be a better place to gently break the news that (for example) you were made redundant following company-wide layoffs and recession, and used the time to clarify your objectives and take an evening course in X.