Gap Years on Your Resume — How To Explain It

If you explain why and how it has improved your employability, your gap year might be a valuable addition to your résumé.

Gap Years on Your Resume — How To Explain It

Gap years are taken by people of all ages for various reasons. There are many valid reasons to take a much-needed sabbatical, including so that you can travel, care for a sick family member, or raise children.

Therefore, feel free to mention a gap year on your resume. Your gap year could improve your professional document if you can demonstrate the transferable abilities you acquired during your time off or relate the experience to the position you are going for.

How Does a Gap Year Help?

A gap year should strengthen rather than weaken your qualifications. You can show that you are compassionate, devoted, or daring — all traits that might help you in the workplace — by mentioning a gap year on your CV or resume.

A gap year might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance personally and professionally. It might demonstrate that you’re a self-assured, driven, and autonomous worker, improving your resume and increasing will improve your resume and increase your marketability to companies.

How to Explain the Gap in Your Resume

1. Be Honest

Honesty is the best policy when crafting a resume. If you have a delicate or private reason for taking the gap year, there’s no need to go into too much detail, but you shouldn’t try to disguise it either. If the recruiting manager discovers that you are lying, it will end whatever chance you may have had of getting the job.

2. Showcase the Positives

As was previously said, taking a gap year has several advantages. In reality, having the guts to step back and improve yourself or another person demonstrates remarkable strength of character.

So make sure to focus on the advantageous experiences and how they have advanced your professional development. Don’t be hesitant to discuss this, even if you were ill or were taking care of kids. You can demonstrate how this experience helped you gain other valuable abilities.

3. Highlight Your Achievements

Your major objective is to highlight your successes throughout your time off from work. You should specify quantifiable outcomes based on the purpose of your gap year. You could discuss the training, certifications, or courses you completed during your gap year.

4. Don’t Explain Too Much

There is no need to cram your resume with irrelevant details because the space is gold. Therefore, even while it’s crucial to mention your gap year, there’s no need to get too specific. Your information must be precise and pertinent to the position for which you are applying. More details can be provided during the interview.

5. Showcase Your Commitment to Stability

Employers may occasionally be put off by gap years since they may be a symptom of instability. You must demonstrate your eagerness to rejoin the workforce and earn the respect of any organization. 

You must demonstrate your motivation to obtain a full-time position with the organization you are applying to, particularly if your gap year was relatively recent.

Conclusion

Don’t just view your gap year as a relaxing vacation; instead, reflect on your accomplishments and newfound talents and how they can relate to your future employment. Include this knowledge on your resume after that.

About the Author

Simon Chou is the Vice President of Operations and Growth at BCjobs.ca. Over the course of his career, he carved a niche in brand development, marketing strategy, and online presence for startups. Prior to joining BCJobs.ca, Simon was an advisor for several global blockchain projects including Litecoin, NEM, and Ripple. In the past, he also worked with Fortune 500 companies in the healthcare space through SM Digital—a global marketing agency.