There can be many reasons behind the gaps in your employment history where the dates just don't join together. Those gaps can be due to family commitments, travel or illness, to name a few.
The key here is to try and explain the reason behind those gaps so that employers do not become sceptical about your employment history and start making assumptions about what you were doing in those blank periods. It is likely that they would assume the worst because, if you think about it, why wouldn't you say what you did during those blank periods if it wasn't good?
Many employers will have had experienced time off work themselves and they will understand your situation and appreciate your honesty.
Family Commitments
Whether it's time off to look after a relative, maternity leave or a break to deal with a bereavement, any employer should understand with a simple explanation. If they don't understand or take this break as a negative point then you should reconsider if you really want to work with that company.
Extended Holiday / Travelled
Everyone needs a holiday and a lot of people have chosen to take time off to travel around to different parts of the world. Many companies today see this as being beneficial to a person's career and not just a waste of time. By travelling around, many key skills can be picked up, such as communication and organisational skills, which are both important in a workplace. Try to express how your trip helped develop these skills. Also any languages you may have picked up would also be beneficial.
Illness
Similar to the family commitment type gaps, if you were hospitalised or could not work due to a broken leg or some other form of illness then a quick simple explanation to the employer is enough. Just make sure that you can explain enough to reassure the employer that you are fully employable and have fully recovered from that illness you had. Employers wouldn't want to employ someone who may still have a contagious viral infection.
Prison Time
This is a tricky subject and should be addressed cautiously. Our best advice would be to contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau who will be able to assist you. However, employers would most likely be more understanding if they were to know that you used your time inside to learn a new skill that could be used in your career.
Additional useful tips
During employment gaps, if none of the above applies to you, were you doing any other activities? This could cover voluntary work, consultancy projects, freelance work or even your own personal project that you may have done. If you are returning to work in the same industry that you were in before, then try to demonstrate in your CV how you have maintained your awareness on the industry. If the gaps you have are only a few months then you could just put in the rough month that you were employed. Usually you can get away with around 8 weeks of unemployment without raising any eyebrows. If you left your job in the beginning of January and started your next job in the end of February then you could just put in the dates as ending in January and starting in February. Don't be afraid to explain any big gaps in your covering letter. If you have been made redundant, don't put this in your CV. You could include it in your covering letter or in the application under "reasons for leaving", if there is one.
Essentially, all employers are looking for someone who is reliable and will be committed to the job.
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