Writing a CV After Long-Term Illness

Fighting an illness can often be a long and difficult process, during which every aspect of life changes — including your career. If, like Amy, you're looking to return to work following a period of illness and find yourself facing a career change, the tips below will help you address the gap and move forward with confidence.

Before rewriting your CV, it's worth taking a step back and asking yourself a few honest questions:

• Which skills, abilities and interests from my previous experience can I transfer to a new field?
• Do I need further training or education for this new direction — and if so, can I sustain myself through that process?
• Are there companies actively hiring in the area I want to move into?
• Am I willing to accept a more junior position if it means getting back into the field?
• Do I have the energy and resilience to manage a potentially demanding job search after the physical and emotional challenges of illness?

Practical Tips for Your CV

• Consider a functional CV rather than a chronological one After a gap in your employment history, it often makes more sense to focus on skills and competencies rather than dates. A functional CV organises your experience by what you can do, rather than when you did it — which means your illness period doesn't become an immediate focal point. Where you do need to reference time, use phrases like "three years' experience as a sales manager" rather than fixed calendar dates.
• List everything you've done since returning to health Include any work experience, volunteering, community involvement, or personal projects undertaken since your recovery. These demonstrate your motivation to re-engage and show that you've kept your skills active. If relevant, show that you're up to date with changes in your industry — even self-directed learning counts.
• Use your cover letter to address the gap Your cover letter is the right place to briefly explain the absence — not your CV. Keep it concise and positive, focusing on what you bring to the role rather than what you went through. It's also worth noting that the Equality Act makes it illegal to discriminate against someone who has been out of work due to illness in recruitment, training, or promotion decisions.
• Consider a letter from your consultant If a prospective employer may be concerned about time off for ongoing appointments, a brief letter from your medical consultant outlining your current schedule can provide useful reassurance. This is entirely optional and only worth doing if you feel it would help rather than hinder your application.
• Don't neglect the basics — keywords matter Recruiters rarely read CVs word for word, and many use ATS screening software. If none of the relevant keywords from the job description appear in your CV, you may not reach a human reader at all. Check recent job listings in your target field and mirror the language they use. Your personal profile at the top of the CV is particularly important — this is often the only section a recruiter reads in detail, so make it count.
• Make the most of what your experience has given you If you feel it's relevant, don't shy away from referencing the qualities your illness has reinforced. Words like self-motivated, determined, and resilient carry real weight when backed by lived experience. You can expand on this briefly in your cover letter rather than on the CV itself.