Guide · CVs
How to explain a gap in your CV
Gaps happen: caring for children or a parent, illness, redundancy, travel, study, or a job hunt that took longer than planned. A gap rarely costs you the job. Leaving it unexplained, or over-explaining it, can. Here is how to handle it in one or two calm lines.
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Step 1: decide if it needs a line at all
- A few weeks or a couple of months between jobs: leave it. Nobody expects back-to-back dates.
- Around six months or more, or a gap in the last two years: add a short line so the reader is not left guessing.
- A gap from many years ago: if it falls outside the last 10 to 15 years you show, it usually disappears on its own.
Step 2: put it in the right place
Treat the gap like a short entry in your work history, in date order, with the dates and one line underneath. That is clearer than a note hidden at the bottom. If you did something useful in that time (a course, volunteering, freelance work), list it there as well.
Step 3: use honest, short wording
Example lines you can adapt:
- Caring: "Career break, 2023 to 2024. Full-time carer for a family member. Now ready to return to full-time work."
- Parenting: "Career break, 2022 to 2025. Raising young children. Kept skills up to date with an Excel course (2025)."
- Health: "Career break, 2024. Health reasons, now fully recovered and ready to return."
- Redundancy: "Made redundant when the site closed (2025). Since then: job searching, completed a first aid certificate." See our CV after redundancy guide.
- Travel: "Travelled in South East Asia, 2023. Organised budgets and bookings for six months."
- Study: "Full-time study, 2022 to 2023. Level 3 Diploma in Accounting."
Step 4: show you are ready now
- Open your profile with what you offer today, not the gap.
- Add any recent course, volunteering, side work or certificate, with dates.
- Make sure your skills section mentions current tools for the job (for example the software named in the advert).
Step 5: have one sentence ready for interview
Keep it to three parts: what happened, what you did, why you are ready now. For example: "I took two years out to care for my dad. During that time I kept my bookkeeping up to date with an online course, and now I am ready to commit to a full-time role." Then move the conversation back to the job.
Mistakes to avoid
- Changing dates to hide the gap. Dates can be checked.
- Writing a paragraph of apology. One line is enough.
- Sharing private medical or family detail you would rather keep to yourself. You do not have to.
- Calling it "unemployed" with nothing else. Say what you did with the time, even if it was job hunting.
Related guides: career change CV, CV over 50, how to write a cover letter and how to keep track of job applications. For free official advice, see the National Careers Service.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I have to explain a gap on my CV?
- You do not have to give private details, but an unexplained gap of more than a few months often raises questions. One honest, short line usually works better than leaving it blank.
- How long a gap needs explaining?
- A few weeks between jobs needs nothing. As a rough rule, if the gap is around six months or more, add a short line so the reader is not left guessing.
- Do I have to say I was ill?
- No. You can simply write "Career break for health reasons, now fully ready to return" or even "Career break". You do not have to share medical details on a CV.
- Can I hide a gap by only showing years?
- Showing years only (2021 to 2023) is common and acceptable, but do not change dates to cover a gap. Employers can check dates, and being caught out does more harm than the gap itself.
- Should I mention the gap in my cover letter?
- Only briefly, if it is recent or long. One sentence saying what you did and that you are ready to start is enough. Keep the rest of the letter about the job.
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