How to handle redundancy on your CV

Redundancy can be an overwhelming and unwelcome experience - your confidence may have taken a knock too. No doubt your skills and experience will soon have you in an exciting new role, but in the meantime, you may be wondering how to frame the redundancy on your CV.

Option 1: Don't address the redundancy on your CV 

Firstly, there is absolutely no need to put a reason for leaving any job on your CV. The document is primarily to help an employer to understand your skills and experience. Including a reason for leaving really doesn’t improve your CV in any way. If you left your job less than a month ago, there’s no need to even consider that redundancy on your CV is an issue.

Option 2: Address the redundancy on your CV

However, if time has ticked on and you’re still looking for your next job, you’ll need to address any obvious gap this leaves. The best way to do this, is briefly! A header in the same style as your previous job titles, simply stating “career break” plus the relevant dates, is sufficient. You may like to include a brief one- or two-line explanation underneath, but keep a positive focus on how you’ve filled the time – training, property refurbishment or caring for family are all reasonable examples.

This is a great opportunity to emphasise skills that may not come across strongly elsewhere on your CV – just remember to keep it relevant to your target job. There’s no point going into great detail about a course on computer programming or your skill in plastering, if you’re aiming for a job as a Receptionist!  

Explaining redundancy on a CV

There's no right or wrong way to handle redundancy on a CV when you're searching for a new job, so do whatever's right for you. Ensure the focus remains on what you can contribute to a new role and minimise unnecessary detail. here are some ideas:

Only state years of employment

If you’ve found new employment since being made redundant, any gap between jobs can often be easily covered by eliminating the months from your employment dates. Instead of saying, for example, that you were employed from June 2017 to March 2019, simply say that you were employed from 2017 to 2019. Even if your next job didn’t start until October 2019, the 7 month gap won’t be noticed. Use this technique only if the gap is long and there's minimal positivity to add to the CV from this time.

Use a cover letter

The best place to address redundancy, if you wish to address it at all, is in your cover letter. There’s no need to go into great detail, just a line explaining that you were made redundant and are keen to find a new position is enough. Emphasise any positives from the situation, such as being immediately available or examples of recent achievements, rather than dwelling on the negatives.  If the recruiter wants further information, they can ask at interview stage.

Confidence-building CV help

I hope that this advice gives you the reassurance and confidence you need to face the job market afresh at this challenging time. Redundancy on your CV need not be an issue.

If you're still unsure about presenting your career persuasively, why not get Word Dragon on your team? With services for every budget and BACVW-certification as an expert CV writer, I can provide support as you navigate your next steps. Contact me to find out more!

Updated 2026