How to Explain a Gap Year on Your Resume?

Business
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Gone are those days when people used to think that a gap year in a career only occur when you are laid off or fired from the company and it took time for the employee to get a new job. But today situation has totally changed and people use to take off from their job for various reasons such as for raising a child, traveling to a foreign country, taking care of near and dear ones, going for higher studies, etc. A gap year can be for many reasons but when it comes to explaining a gap year on the resume you have to very careful and strategically place the gap year experience on your resume or CV. Nowadays the hiring managers are not at all surprised to see a gap in the career of the candidate but what they expect is a good explanation of what the candidate has done during that period and what are the transferable skills that they have required. Though there are no Printable Templates of how to present the gap year on the resume yet in this article we have come up with some excellent guide with the help of which you will be able to turn your gap year into a career-building experience.

  • Telling the truth: You should never forget that honesty is the best policy and this truth should also be applied when it comes to putting the gap year on the resume. If the gap occurred because of the sensitive reason like health issue then it is advisable not to go into immense details of it but leaving the reason of gap completely or lying can rather make the gap, even more, stand out. It is also advisable not to extend your previous working history since there is a huge chance that the hiring authority will determine it and in such case, they will certainly put a black mark next to your name.
  • Emphasizing on the positives: If you have a gap in your career it is very essential to give more emphasis on the constructive actions that you have done during that period. Constructive action can be anything such as volunteer work, additional course, freelancing, etc. No matter whatever be that constructive action it is important to show how you have drawn the positive experience from that gap and how that course of action helped you grow as a person.
  • Being very clear: You must not forget that no recruiter loves ambiguity. It is very essential to show clearly when you have a gap in your career and all the positive things that you have done during that period. Do not think that your hiring manager will not be able to determine the gap year if you do not clearly specify your gap years. When the recruiting manager will detect your gap year they will either question you on that or simply end up your candidature. In such case no matter how much you have worked for the job all your effort will go in vain. Hence it is important to download the Free Calendar from the Internet and calculate the sequence of gap year correctly and specify it on the CV clearly.
  • Describing the achievement: You may have a gap period in your career but it is very essential to describe your achievement during the gap year on the CV. It is recommended to use the bullet point while describing the achievement. You must remember that you have to provide enough details so that it becomes easy for the recruiter to really understand what the candidate has achieved during the time off. It is also recommended to put the achievement in business terms which will certainly help them to get the best result.
  • Showing your commitment to stability: If you have taken the gap very frequently and many times in your career then there are every chance that the hiring manager will think that you are not committed to your job. In such a case it is very essential to show the employer that you are now very committed to the job and are highly motivated. If you have taken the gap very recently then you must write in your CV that if you get selected for the position then you will look to have a long-term association with the company.

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