Give me a (Career) break!
Wouldn’t it be nice to present a truly authentic C.V. to a prospective employer?
You know the reasons why you haven’t worked for a period and they make perfect sense, but it’s not really the done thing to shout about the times you haven’t worked. Having had multiple periods of elected time out of employment, I would assume, also as an experienced recruiter, Senior HR professional and seasoned Line Manager, that you haven’t chosen to twiddle your thumbs all day… But sadly many wouldn’t.
I’m now at a point of returning to work after a break and it’s got me wondering what to write in my C.V. and LinkedIn profile about this period. I’ve been looking at C.V.s for a couple of decades (gulp) and yet this particular ‘gap’ in my own C.V. has stopped me in my tracks.
So what is a career break?
Sometimes in life it is easier to explain what something isn’t and a career break is NOT a period of unemployment. The word ‘break’ here needs to be understood as a noun, to mean a pause in activity, like a tea break, not the same as breaking something or to break up with someone.
I recently took out new car insurance, during a period of elected not-working, and the options available under ‘occupation’, made me a) angry and b) really think about the term ‘unemployed’. I couldn’t select employed or unemployed as relevant and had to use ‘independent means’, which seemed the closest to “I have chosen not to be in paid employment at this particular moment in time”.
Unemployed at a basic level, means not having a paid job and actively looking for one; career breaks, on the other hand, are about choosing not to be employed because you need to spend your valuable time in other ways, such as parenting, caring for others, study, travel/living overseas, learning and being ill or recovering from serious illness/injury, taking time out, being selective about your next role.
Who is anyone to judge your reasons and sacrifices? The challenge is, that unless you explain what you have been doing with your time out of employment, then people make assumptions, often negative and possibly detrimental to your application.
Career breaks are about choosing not to be employed because you need to spend your valuable time in other ways, such as parenting, caring for others, study, travel/living overseas, learning and being ill or recovering from serious illness/injury,
How to tell the truth and own it
If you ask me about why I’ve not worked (in paid employment) since July you would come away fully supportive after hearing my reasoning, however, succinctly explaining this formally to a prospective employer in writing is a lot harder.
The good news is that LinkedIn have launched a Career Breaks option which you can insert in chronological order in lieu of a role, which should help to normalise sharing with employers, some of the very valid reasons that people stop being employed for a while.
The increase in people taking time out as a result of the pandemic of their own volition (many over 50’s decided to step away from the 9 to 5) or forced need (long-term illness, childcare requirements, redundancy) must also have led LinkedIn to rethink how their members might share this more positively, rather than it being considered a gap. I’m not 100% convinced that LinkedIn has all of the right options to select from, but maybe it’s just my personal situation that doesn't feel like it fits into one drop down option that I feel comfortable with. I am, however, fully supportive of them introducing this and making it mainstream to allow you to explain in your own words why you haven’t been working and the many skills and experiences you have gained.
I believe many recruiters and recruiting Managers currently still look at gaps in CVs and make immediate negative assumptions about why an individual hasn’t been working or has left their previous employment without a job to go to. Line Managers frown upon unexplained breaks and unconventional career paths. Thankfully post-pandemic and with the current shortage of good candidates in the labour market, recruiters may re-think their automatic short-listing criteria of ‘must currently be in employment and have a full career history’ and start looking for potential and transferable skills.
Approaching your own career gap
A sacrifice or grasped opportunities?
Stop considering it a gap in your C.V., or sacrificing your career, and consider it a space to explain what you have been doing, and learning, with some positive framing. I think of my Career Breaks as grasped opportunities. And they often make for some good interview conversations too!
What should I write?
Consider your Career break as a role in itself, include the title Career Break and timeframe.
Under this succinctly summarise your key focus during this time, which could be full-time parenting, caregiving, professional development, volunteering, travel, relocation.
Rationalise in a sentence or two, your decision to stop being employed and use the time differently. Finally, highlight any key experiences, skills or training gained during this period of time.
What’s the point?
You are highlighting your employability and ensuring there are no unexplained gaps in your C.V. which could exclude your application being taken further. You openly recognise the purpose of the break and articulate the value of the experience, how time was used wisely and productively and highlight any transferable skills and learnings gained. You are showing why you are unique.
Sadly, when people haven’t been employed for a while, their confidence tends to drop and there is tendency to undersell themselves, underestimate their potential, and accept a lower level position as a route back in. However, if you tell the truth (the whole truth and nothing but the truth), then it’s a much more comfortable position to start from and one you can feel confident about talking in more depth about what you’ve been up to at interview.
When I was younger, my LinkedIn Profile would have been peppered with short Career Breaks for volunteering, travel and relocation in my 20’s, then periods of full-time parenting in my 30’s and 40’s.
Go forth and conquer your C.V. and LinkedIn profiles, shout about your ‘Career Breaks’, be confident in your new transferable skills and believe in your value. Your next role is out there.
If you need support with your CV and nailing the wording for your career break before taking on your next role, get in touch with us.
Jo Haggas, is an HR Leader, experienced Line Manager and long standing flexible working advocate (she’s also fast becoming a menopause expert through personal perimenopause challenges)