CVs must be watertight and there is no space for inconsistence. If after a quick scan the employer / recruiter thinks you have potential for a role, often the next step will be to chronologically study your past work and education.
Gaps in your CV in these areas are one of the first things they will home in on - make sure you either explain what happened in the gaps within your CV or have ready formed answers when you are asked at telephone or first interview.
There are many legitimate reasons for these potential gaps such as family matters, illness or most commonly job searching - employers are very understanding of this situation after the past job climate so be honest and sincere.
If you have moved job-type a lot, or if you have been taking numerous temporary or contract assignments, papering over the cracks is probably not going to be enough. You will need to provide some degree of explanation with each cluster of working history. None of these are ‘safe’ per se, but they are better than nothing and you can measure the acceptability of your pitch according to your success rate and feedback from your network.
- Considering your options
- Travelling – the ‘much-needed career break’ approach
- Doing contract work to fund a job search for a more fulfilling career
- Significant (but now resolved) illness
- Carer for elderly relative
- Winding up a complex estate following bereavement
- Stepping back in to a family business at a critical time
Lastly make sure you present any issues in a positive light by finishing your explanation on a high such as how you resolved it or how you plan to resolve it.