There
is a multitude of different reason why you may have gaps in
your CV. Staying true to the Jobstopia Mantra of 'be truthful
on your CV', we are not going to advise you to lie, however
there are different ways to tell a story! And we are going to
endeavour to explain how best you can do this for your own particular
circumstances.
For example
if you had an 18 month gap in your CV where you had no employment...ask
yourself what were you actually doing during that time?
If you were
studying an educational course or qualification, be sure to
detail this in your CV or to potential employers. If you were
not studying and were just out of work for whatver reason, there
are several ways to explain this gap.
Firstly,
did you go travelling? If so then this can actually be a bonus
to a potential employer. You will of course need to actually
have been travelling and be able to explain your trip (destinations,locations,routes
etc) your reasons for going, where you visited, what you learned,
and what you have taken from the experience as a whole.
Were you
having a tough time with family? if so, then tell them this.
For example if you had to help nurse a sick grandparent or parent
during this period, this is a perfectly valid reason for not
working and most employers will not hold it against you provided
it is genuine.
Were you
helping a friend or relative with starting their new business?
if this is the case you should explain it and what you did,
for how long, and why you left etc? If the business did not
take off (eg. it folded)and this is why you are not working
then you should explain this without making yourself look bad!
What you
are trying to do here is to assure the employer that you are
a reliable person and that the gaps on your CV were unavoidable
and a thing of the past.
If you are
currently unemployed and have been for a while, you could always
do some voluntary work starting as soon as possible and in addition
to contributing to society you can show potential employers
how committed you are to staying busy and keeping yourself in
touch with the workplace.
Employers
like to see voluntary work because it shows commitment to 'working'
and also shows that you are very likely to be of good character.
It's not all about the money and a good stint of voluntary work
on your CV can be a very big positive for future employment!
Likewise if you partake in local voluntary 'community' led projects.
|
