Explaining Gaps in Employment

There are many reasons behind gaps in a CV: family commitments, illness and travel to name a few. When compiling your CV, there are ways around this - the key objective is to prevent your employment background looking unstable.

• During these gaps, have you been doing any other activities? This could cover voluntary work, consultancy projects or even professional development.
• If you are returning to work in the same industry you were in before you left, demonstrate in your CV how you have maintained your awareness of the industry.
• If the gaps you have are only by a few months, only display the years on your CV.
• Don't be afraid to explain any significant gaps in your covering letter - this will help the reader understand your background better.
• Have you been made redundant? If you have, do not mention this on the CV but include it on your covering letter or in the application form under "reasons for leaving".

...what if I change jobs frequently?

If you change jobs frequently, there are ways around this too. One of the key ways to do this is to group similar roles together. For example, you may have been a Sales Assistant for 5 companies in just 2 years. Instead of splitting these jobs into 5, combine them into 1 - not only will this look better, but it will save much needed space on your CV and prevent you from repeating details.