You're updating your resume and think of a time when you didn't have a job between high school and your first job. You decided to travel. How will you talk about this time on your resume? Will employers understand? This is called an employment gap, and it happens to a lot of professionals. Follow this guide to learn more about how to explain this common part of a work history.

Have you ever had a job waiting for you when you left another job? Or, like an estimated two-thirds of the working population on LinkedIn, have you had a gap in your employment history?

First of all, you should know that employment gaps are common. What isn't always clear is how to talk about these months (or years) and how a potential employer will see a gap.

"Most of the time, a resume gap happens when someone needs to put something else ahead of work for a while," Brian Donovan, CEO of Timeshatter, told Forbes. "This isn't always a bad thing." "It shows that they know themselves and can manage their time well." He also said that professionals who come back to work after a break are often "ready to take the professional world by storm" and will be even more committed to their jobs.

What's an employment gap?

You might be wondering what a career gap is and if the two months after you graduate or the few weeks before you start a new job count.

Kamara Toffolo, a LinkedIn Top Voice, executive resume writer, and job search strategist, says that an employment gap is when you aren't working at all, and she usually considers anything over three months to be an employment gap.

Brittney Swan, an executive recruiter and resume writer, said, "We're looking for those big gaps, especially in fields like tech." "For example, if someone is an expert in Tableau but hasn't worked in two years, and Tableau has had four updates in that time, that person is going to need training."

If you haven't had a job in a while or are on a sabbatical, you may be wondering how to talk about this in interviews and while looking for a job.

How to Talk About Your Job Gap

Swan says that even if you feel like you need to say a lot about why there is a gap on your resume, you should try to be as brief as possible.

For example, if you were laid off in 2018 and are just now looking for work again (after four years), you could tell a hiring manager, "I was caught up in COVID-19 restructuring, but I'm more motivated than ever to make my next career move."

"I wouldn't give you a reason why unless you asked," Toffolo said. "And if you're asked about a break in your career, whether it was for health reasons or to raise a family, make sure you're being honest and respecting your privacy."

Toffolo keeps talking about how important it is to keep your privacy in order to avoid bias.

Like Swan, she says that you should keep your answers short and similar to what's on your resume. Then, she says, you should talk about the strengths you bring to a new job.

Swan also says that it's a good idea to explain your job gap by mentioning any schooling, volunteering, or career-growth opportunities you took.

Swan said, "Ask yourself what you've been up to during your break." Have you taken any classes or joined any clubs? Did you go to school after work or do volunteer work? These are things that can go on a resume and be talked about at an interview.

How to Explain a Gap in Your Work History on Your Resume

The resume is what will get you an interview, so it's very important to list and describe your entire professional career history on this document. Use this as a guide for your conversation.

"As a resume writer, I do like to point out a gap," said Toffolo. "That way, if someone looks at a resume in reverse chronological order, they won't see any breaks."

Toffolo gives more details about this process by saying that each gap should ideally have a date range and a one-line explanation.

"The key to calling out a career gap on our resume is to explain it in one sentence, because we don't want to mess up the reverse chronology when someone reads it," said Toffolo. "But at the same time, we want to try to explain that gap in a way that protects our privacy and confidentiality and doesn't make us more vulnerable to bias."

For example, Toffolo says you can say "took a temporary, planned, personal leave" to explain a gap in your work history caused by travel, a mental health break, maternity leave, or raising children.

Toffolo says that this way of explaining your gap shows that it was personal (which tells employers not to ask too many questions about it), that it was planned ahead of time, and most importantly, that it was temporary. This was a time in your career when you needed to take a step back, get a new point of view, and come back stronger.

Another thing Toffolo gives as an example is a gap caused by a layoff.

"Right now, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs," said Toffolo. "This is about your job, and it's not your fault, so you can be a little more specific."

Toffolo says that if you are currently looking for a job and were recently laid off, you should put the month and year you were laid off on the same line. Then, add a one-line explanation saying that you are ready for your next role in your field of expertise after the company reorganised.

Toffolo says that you can explain this time with a list of bullet points if you've been using your gap period to learn new skills and go back to school so you can move into a new job or career.

For example:

Planned Break in Work (2017 to current)

  • Took some time to change careers from journalism to accounting.
  • MBA programme was finished
  • While getting my MBA, I worked as an intern in investment accounting.
  • got a certificate in accounting

Why people might have breaks between jobs

Employers should understand gaps in employment more than ever.

The New York Times says that resume gaps are becoming less important because of labour shortages and the fact that more employers are realising that long breaks from work don't always mean a lack of skills or qualifications. This is good news, since the number of people out of work and professionals who have been laid off keeps going up.

Consider the information in the May 2022 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which backs up this theory:

  • As of May 2022, 3.6% of people were out of work.
  • There were 6 million people without jobs.
  • There were 1.4 million people who had been without work for 27 weeks or longer. In May, 23.2% of all people who were unemployed were out of work for a long time.
  • There were 5.7 million people who are not in the labour force but want a job.

The new norm will be to go between jobs. Even if it wasn't for personal, health, education, or other life reasons, layoffs, being fired, and economic problems are causing a lot of gaps on resumes right now.

Forbes gives some common reasons why you might have a long gap between jobs besides being laid off:

  • You might have been taking care of a family member or child.
  • You spent time going places.
  • You took a break to help your mind.
  • You pursued entrepreneurial endeavours.
  • You went back to school or finished a programme to learn new skills.
  • You took the time to help out.

From this list, you can see that having a break between jobs isn't a bad thing. All of these things are important, but they all need time and attention.

Colleen DelVecchio, an executive coach and keynote speaker, said that employers should take the time to get to know their potential employees and learn their stories because their gaps could bring to the table valuable assets and interesting traits that would not be shown with formal interview questions.

Toffolo adds that there are many reasons why someone might need to take a break from their job, and that this break does not hurt their skills.

“Just because you leave the workforce for a year or two does not mean that you suddenly become unskilled,” said Toffolo. “In an interview, instead of focusing on that gap, make an effort to bring the conversation back toward all the great things that you've done and elaborate on how you are qualified for the job.”

What Happens When There Is a Job Gap

It can be scary to think about having to explain a break in employment, but Swan assures job seekers that recruiters and hiring managers are only looking at your resume to make sure of three things:

  • Does this person exist, and did they work for this company?
  • If so, when will that be?
  • Who were they, and could you hire them?

"I feel like there's a change in how people see gaps," Toffolo said. "Sometimes, people really don't care. It's likely that they can relate to it. Some people, though, do care. The truth is that we probably don't want to work for a company that doesn't want us because we had a break in employment for personal reasons. So you're doing yourself a bit of a favour by making sure you know about those gap years."

Top Takeaways

How to Talk About a Break in Your Work History

  • Two-thirds of people who are working have a break in their work history.
  • "A resume gap usually happens when someone has to put something else ahead of work for a short time, which isn't always a bad thing."
  • A break in work is when you don't work at all (generally anything over three months).
  • When asked about a break in your work history, keep your answers short and in line with what's on your resume. Change the subject to what you're good at and what you can bring to a new job.
  • Each gap on the resume should have a range of dates and a one-line explanation.
  • The new norm will be to go between jobs. If gaps on resumes aren't caused by personal, health, education, or other life issues, they are caused by layoffs and other economic issues.