Having gaps in your CV can be very common and there are many reasons why this happens. Employers are not concerned by gaps – you just need to account for them so they can follow a logical timeline on your CV.

The first thing to consider is – is it actually a gap? Sometimes students will suggest they have a gap on their CV because they spent a year travelling or working in a job that allowed them to save money before starting university. This isn’t a gap! This is something that you can add to your CV. If you have since gained more work experience you may not need to allocate too much space to it, but you should include the details and a little bit of information on what you gained from it. It can be something that differentiates you from other candidates.

The next thing to consider is the length of time. It can be quite common to job search for a few months and recruitment processes can take a while. There may be quite a few months from when you graduate to the point that you start work and this isn’t likely to worry an employer. However if you have gaps for a longer period – perhaps a year or more – then you may wish to address this.

The level of detail you include is entirely up to you, especially when circumstances are personal. A short statement such as ‘Studies suspended due to illness/family circumstances’ is sufficient. You may choose to elaborate in a cover letter but this is up to you. Similarly if you were job searching then you can use a short statement – but if you were working in temporary or part time jobs then make sure to detail those, even as a summary.

As always please come and speak to us if you have concerns and want to discuss your individual case.