How to explain a career break on your CV

UK recruiters and employers no longer automatically look unfavourably at a career break on your CV . They know that sometimes life happens, and a gap in an otherwise strong employment record doesn’t have the same negative connotations that it once did. 

However, in order to maximise your chances of getting noticed in a competitive jobs market, it’s important to frame the break positively. Word Dragon has some top tips about how to cover a career break on your CV. 

1. Explain why the career break on your CV exists

Don’t leave an employer guessing! If there’s a career break on your CV, they’ll want to know why. A brief line explaining the reason for the gap will put their mind at ease. 

People take time out for all sorts of reasons. The vast majority of these are perfectly valid reasons - raising a family, travelling, studying and so on - but the recruiter won’t know unless you tell them. If you omit an explanation, you’re leaving them free to make negative assumptions. 

2. Explain how you’ve used the time away from work 

What have you done in your time away? If it’s anything at all, then use that as an additional example of your skills and proactivity. Volunteering in the community always looks good, but there are many other ways of covering the career break and many of them can be used to improve your CV. 

However you've filled the time, framing a career break is all about finding the positives and highlighting your productivity. Maybe you've undertaken work-related courses, done some fundraising, travelled extensively, joined a sports team - whatever you've done, however small, consider including it on your CV.

You don’t need to dedicate a lot of space to this explanation, a line or two is plenty, you just need to convey that you’ve done more than sit around watching Homes Under the Hammer in your pants while eating a family-pack of custard creams.

3. Deflect attention from the career break on your CV

The career break shouldn't be the most obvious thing on your CV. Deflect attention by using every other line to show how well suited you are for the advertised vacancy. That includes tailoring your CV so that your suitability is clear from the outset and adding details that differentiate you from other candidates.

4. Include training courses

There are plenty of online and in-person courses available, whatever your employment status. Now is a good time to sign up for one and make sure that any professional development that you do is added to your CV. As well as showing your knowledge, it shows how you’ve been proactive and dedicated in taking steps towards future employment. 

5. Use dates wisely

Think about how you’re presenting employment dates on your CV. If you were made redundant or have taken maternity leave, make sure you use your official termination date rather than the date you left, as it’s likely to be later. 

You can also eliminate the months from your employment dates and only include the year, which covers short-term breaks without drawing attention to them.

6. Create a skills-based CV

If time drags on and the gap is getting longer, it’s time for drastic action. A skills-based format isn’t generally recommended, but can work well to minimise a career break on your CV. If you get to the stage where the gap is rather long and there’s still no job on the horizon, prepare a CV focused on transferable skills, with your employment dates buried near the end. This could work particularly well if you’re looking for a career change at the same time. 

7. Don’t blame your employer

It shouldn’t need saying but, however your previous employer treated you, your CV is not the place to air grievances. Keep it positive – both in terms of how you present yourself and how you present them. 

In summary

This infographic summarises how to handle a career break on your CV: