WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT EMPLOYMENT GAPS ON MY CV?

Spreading Joy: Sharp Consultancy’s Annual Easter Egg Drive

At Sharp Consultancy, our annual Easter Egg Drive has once again brought together our team, clients, and community to support local charities and spread a little cheer. As a finance and accountancy recruitment business rooted in Yorkshire, we’re proud to use our network to give something back—and this year has been no exception.Led by Tom Davage, Senior Consultant in our South Yorkshire office, our team has been out and about collecting Easter egg donations from our fantastic clients. The generosity shown has been incredible, especially given the ongoing challenges many continue to face. Thanks to everyone who contributed, we were able to deliver meaningful support to three wonderful charities in our region: Paces, a specialist centre supporting children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders; St Luke’s Hospice, which offers compassionate end-of-life care; and The Family Works, a trauma informed, family support project working alongside underprivileged families.Tom, who organised this year’s initiative, shared: “When you hear the stories from the people working within these charities, it really opens your eyes to the challenges others face. If we can bring a smile to someone’s face—even through something as simple as an Easter egg—it makes it all worthwhile. Every bit of support counts.” Seeing familiar donators from past years and welcoming new ones has been truly heart-warming. It’s a testament to the kind and community-minded nature of the businesses we work with. To all our clients who donated, thank you. Your kindness and continued support make this initiative possible and help us make a real difference. If you’d like to get involved next year or learn more about the causes we support, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can keep making a positive impact—one small gesture at a time.

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Firstly, it’s important to remember that almost everyone will, at some time or other, have a gap in their employment and this will not necessarily be a cause for a would-be employer to reject your application.

As tempting as it may be to try and manipulate your CV to minimise a break in your employment by stretching your start and finish dates for example – or have it disappear altogether – this will unlikely do you any favours. Hiring managers are very skilled at spotting anything which doesn’t quite add up and you run the risk of tripping yourself up should you be questioned in more detail about your time at a particular organisation.

At the same time, not providing a reasonable explanation for any gaps on your CV can make a potential employer uncomfortable if they are left to join the dots or come to their own conclusions about your absence from work. Addressing any gaps with clarity in an open and honest way is best and will demonstrate a professional approach to anyone reading your CV.

There are many reasons why you may have a gap between roles and depending on how far back they feature in your career and how personal the reasons are could influence how much detail is appropriate to share at this stage.

For example if you were made redundant from a position – and in the current climate there could potentially be far more applicants in a similar situation than previously before – then demonstrate how you have used the time productively to either improve your skills, undertake additional training or utilise your experience in a voluntary capacity.

Many people will experience a career gap if they have had time off for maternity or paternity leave, to raise a family or to care for a family member. Relatively little explanation will be needed other than to simply outline the time period or periods that this relates to.

A common reason for a career break is a gap year or time spent travelling and this is a relatively easy one to put a positive spin upon. Unless you have multiple breaks after relatively short periods of employment, many managers will see this in positive light – particularly if you are able highlight how these opportunities and experiences can be of benefit to you in the workplace. It also demonstrates that you have independence, organisation skills and resourcefulness - qualities that employers are likely to appreciate and value in their team.

There are some situations which are a little more sensitive and you will want to think carefully about in terms of how you approach these; if for example if your employment was terminated or a long-term illness prevented you from working for a significant period of time. In the case of the former, whilst you may need to explain the circumstances further during an interview, you should, similar to how you would a redundancy, outline how you utilised the time positively. With an illness, you may not feel comfortable about sharing too much detail at an early stage in the application process however you should explain how you are ready to get back into work, particularly if you are looking to return after a relatively recent break.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today for expert advice on your next career move.