Having trouble filling in the CV blanks?


Here are a few helpful hints to cover the gaps in your CV.

Nothing is worse for a prospective employer than sitting down to read a CV that has as many holes in it as a moth eaten jumper and without any evidence to explain to the contrary, any recruiter will assume the worst of any prolonged spells in the employment wilderness.

However, for the increasing number of us finding ourselves in the same boat of patchy unemployment, it is now perfectly acceptable to gloss over the gaps on your CV, and even do so in a positive manner!

1)Explain your motives…

So you found yourself at a career crossroads and wanted to take some time out to reassess which career ladder you wanted to climb. Explain just that! As long as an employer can see how your time out of work benefitted you, your life experience or broadened your horizons or skill set it is perfectly acceptable to take a hiatus in your career.

2)Make it count…

Have a think about what experience you gained during your period out of work. An employer is open to hearing anything about you as long as it is interesting and relevant to how you could be of benefit to them. Whether you took a career break to develop a business idea, took a chance on chasing a lifelong dream, or spent three months trekking in Timbuktu think about what your aims were of the period and what you learned from it.

Even if you were forced into unemployment by a mistake or an unfortunate life event use it show how it has changed your outlook for the better, but dont ever feel the need to go into detail about a personal issue you would rather not disclose. If they do show a lack of understanding or empathy towards your situation you probably would not want to work for that company anyway.

3)Positive thinking…

Box clever in the way you detail your time out of work. Even if you took a gap year to party hard on the beaches of Brazil pick up on skills you would have gained along the way and show how you developed your initiative, team building and organisational skills thorough solo or group travel. Likewise if you took a year off work to recharge your batteries, it is always useful to show how reflection on your ambitions and skills has led you to apply for the very job they are reading your CV for.

4)Make work experience matter…

Paid or unpaid, any work experience is indispensable. If it was relative to the job path you are choosing to go down then it obviously strengthens your application. It does not have to be directly linked to the job in hand though, even if you were volunteering down at the local animal shelter it will show that you are a well rounded, competent individual who is able to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, admiral qualities in any candidate.

5)Cheats will never prosper…

Do not even think about stretching the truth to gloss over your time out of work. It just is not worth the humiliation of getting caught. With more candidates than ever applying for job opportunities the background checks on candidates are becoming extra vigilant, so think twice before adding anything out of context to your CV to cover the cracks.

6) Your interests are interesting

An employer will be interested in hearing of any hobby or interests that keeps you healthy, happy and full of life. We all want to work with people that are a pleasure to be around and if you have taken time out of work to take up a hobby that has developed your social skills and kept you active in body and mind then you are bound to be effective in a working environment. It might even help you find common ground in the interview.

So there you have it, a few simple steps on how to make your time out of work count for something and as long as you address the period of absence from unemployment to your advantage your application will be as worthy as anyone else.