How to Explain Employment Gaps on CVs

Employment gaps on CVs are far more common than most job seekers think. Rather than unusual, these gaps have become normal parts of modern work life. Recruiters are not looking for perfect timelines. They’re looking for attributes such as clarity, honesty, relevance and readiness.

What matters most is how you explain the gap, not the gap itself. A strong CV gap explanation can help you turn potential red flags into neutral or even positive elements of your CV.

What Constitutes Employment Gaps on CVs?

An employment gap on CVs is a period where there was no full-time, formal employment. This can include: These gaps generally fall into two categories:

• Short-term employment gaps (typically three to six months)
• Long-term employment gaps (six months or longer)

The type of gap you’ve experienced determines how (and whether) you should address it on your CV.

Do Recruiters Care About Employment Gaps on CVs?

Most recruiters do not automatically reject candidates with employment gaps on their CVs. What raises concern is when gaps are unexplained, inconsistent, or appear to hide something.

Recruiters want to see:

• A clear reason for the gap
• Evidence of skill maintenance or growth
• Confidence and transparency

Handled properly, a gap becomes context, not a red flag.

Common Reasons for Employment Gaps

The following are widely accepted and recruiter-friendly reasons for CV gaps:

• Career breaks
• Redundancy or company closures
• Further education or professional certifications
• Freelance, consulting, or contract work
• Entrepreneurship or side projects
• Caregiving responsibilities
• Health recovery
• Volunteering or community work
• Relocation or visa processes

CV Gap Explanations (With Examples)

When writing a CV gap explanation, keep it honest, brief, and skills-focused. If your employment gap is short, adjusting how dates appear on your CV can help. Using years instead of listing specific months in a chronological CV can reduce unnecessary attention on brief gaps.

A functional CV is another option, as it prioritises skills over timelines. However, because many applicant tracking systems (ATS) struggle to accurately read functional formats, this approach may reduce your chances of passing automated screening.

Short gaps of a few weeks rarely need a CV gap explanation.

For long-term employment gaps, clarity matters more than detail. A brief, one-line explanation is usually enough to acknowledge the gap and help recruiters understand the broader context of your career journey. This line can be added directly to the work experience section of your CV, alongside other roles.

For example, a long career break or professional development period can be listed as:

• Career Break – Personal Leave 2021–2022
• Professional Development 2024–2025

Instead of just one line, you can provide further clarification by adding additional details, if possible. This makes it appear like a usual work experience role in your CV, even though it is an employment gap.

For example:

Professional Development 2024–2025

• Completed industry-relevant courses and certifications
• Applied new skills through independent projects

Freelance Work (Self-Employed) 2021–2022

• Managed client projects, deadlines, and communication
• Delivered work aligned with professional standards

This approach shows that the time away from traditional employment was active and purposeful. It also does a great job of making an employment gap on a CV seem like a legitimate work entry.

Finally, it’s important to consider relevance. If an employment gap occurred many years ago and you’ve held several roles since, it may no longer need to appear on your CV. In these cases, focusing on recent, role-relevant experience creates a clearer and more effective narrative, especially when deciding how far back your CV should go or how many pages it needs to be at your career stage.

CV Formatting Tips to Minimise Employment Gaps

Smart formatting can reduce the visual impact of gaps without misleading recruiters.

• Use years instead of months (e.g., 2020–2022)
• Choose a functional or hybrid CV format
• Place skills and achievements above work history
• Present the gaps to resonate like work experience, as shown in the examples above

How to Explain Gaps in Interviews

Your interview explanation should align with your CV gap explanation.

Keep it simple:

• State the reason briefly
• Emphasise learning or readiness
• Redirect to your current value

Example interview answer: “After a redundancy, I spent several months upskilling and freelancing. That period strengthened my skills and confirmed the direction I want to take in my career.” Avoid over-detailing or apologising.

Conclusion

Employment gaps on a CV are not career-threatening. With a clear CV gap explanation, strong formatting, and confident communication, gaps become part of a credible professional narrative. Recruiters value honesty, clarity, relevance, and readiness far more than an uninterrupted timeline. Handled well, your CV, even with employment gaps, can still tell a complete and convincing story.