How do you explain resumé gaps?

[Sinecure]

Don't you do some guiding or other semi-professional stuff in the winter? It appears that way to me, and that's a completely legitimate winter pursuit. Seems a no-brainer to me to use that as explanation. Are you looking for permanent work, or just something until the snow flies again? If permanent, you may want to make sure you have a good answer should someone challenge whether you'll disappear come winter, after they've invested time and money in you over the summer.

I don't advocate outright lying on your CV, but errors of omission, or creative wording (stress: not making shit up or overstating your qualifications) is certainly fair game.

For me its the same for explaining a job where I got fired. It certainly doesn't say I got fired on my resume. And if people ask, I put it either that another opportunity presented itself (not entirely a lie) or that I just could no longer work in the crazy climate there and had to find something else. The truth is my boss was a total fucking lunatic and made my life miserable because I was smarter than him and wouldn't kiss his ass. My lunatic/imbalanced assessment was tragically born out 4 months later when he was found in his garage having left his car running with the door closed - he was dead. Its a sick story, and illustrates my point that he was crazy and impossible to work for, but not one I intend to ever tell at a job interview.

[Squatch]

i should totally be people's bosses. that way, when they get all nervous 'cause they're a ski bum and they stop working in the winter, i can just "bro please, i understand" and all is well. Plus as your bosses I would probably get paid pretty well.

Everyone wins.

[brettf]

I recommend lying like a complete motherfucker.

Studies have shown it always pays off in the long term.

Classic.

[ak_powder_monkey]

weren't you a ski industry product tester every winter?

[The Dad]

The trick is to leave the month off the cv. Instead of "May 2003-November 2005," "2003-2005."

[addict]

Hah! I have this problem bigtime!!! for a while it was just the short (winter) gaps that I could cover over Badroo style, but now I've got a 3 yr gap, how the bejesus do I smooth over that one?!?!?

[sea2ski]

As someone that had parts of my resume that contained a lot of temp work and scattered unemployment over a two year period. Imbellish what you write but don't blantantly lie. I only say this because one of the people who interviewed me tried to hammer me on that part of the resume. When I finally told him that I was attempting to be a professional musican at the time, turned out to be the best response I could have given. The person who interviewed me totally understood as he was a graduate of the Berkeley school of music and the interview went really smoothly after that. Proving once again it's best to be what you are instead of trying to figure out what a potential employer is looking for in a resume.

[Telepath]

... for the last few years?

If you find a good strategy let me know what it is. I have ten years of weird resume gaps (that are like 10 months each) to cover up.

One tip that seem to work: I have successfully managed to "sell" my forum addiction as in-deep internet niche marketing research and actually made (make..) money from that. It's cool that some people/companies are paying for what is basically a short resume of what is hot on TGR

.. we might have to change your bio on coreshot.com too at some point. Let's hope Google doesn't hold on to those sentences for too long

[whatcomridaz]

Lie, never let them know how much you enjoyed the life, or they should be smart enough to realize that you might move back to this lifestyle. It's all about making yourself look like you are there to make a career out of it. If they get the impression otherwise you won't advance within the organization.

Word...

Definetly take the self-entrpreneaur approach, talk about starting your own company and how it succeeded/failed and lessons learned.

Everybody understands that and it answers motivation issues.

[Arno]

I think it also depends who you are sending your CVs to. If you're going through the graduate recruitment thing, you'll probably need to come up with some sort of explanation. I think you're on the right lines but, as someone who looks at CVs from time to time, don't write a book on it. I am always suspicious of over-long CVs and ones that get too far away from hard facts (but I am a cynical bugger so there you go)

If you're going through recruitment agents, they'll probably ask you about it and write up what you say in the notes they send to their clients.

Bottom line is that employers will have differing attitudes to this. Someone who thinks you have been wasting your time will probably be no fun to work for anyway. I took a few months off a couple of years ago to do a season. Came back and got the job I am in now. I did have to confirm that I had resigned from my previous job rather than being fired but other than that, no problem. And now they are pretty relaxed about me taking lots of long weekends/disappearing early on Fridays/turning up on Monday morning fresh from the airport with a ski bag.

I'll be around on Friday if you want to discuss

[Superstar Punani]

Two ways you could go about it:


1) Don't list month/year for your actual employed times. Just list year only. Problem solved.

2) "Independent Consultant/Contractor" has worked for my previous gaps in employment. E.g. "As a skilled independent contractor I was responsible for critical decision-making, conducting risk analysis, R&D, and QA/UA testing of >50 degree ski slopes in 12 countries"

[Platinum Pete]

And here I thought you were conducting charity work all that time... something about an orphanage for AIDS babies... weren't you in charge of doing the same thing at the orphanage that you're applying to do in that job?

[cj001f]

Proving once again it's best to be what you are instead of trying to figure out what a potential employer is looking for in a resume.

Yes. At least in America nobodys going to bother reading an explanation, much less look closely for gaps on the first resume screening. If you were parcing through 200 resumes you wouldn't either - ergo use years or the like, obfuscate. For the next level you better have a good answer what you were doing and be straihgtforward about it, else you start out on the wrong foot.

[OldLarry]

Don't you do some guiding or other semi-professional stuff in the winter? It appears that way to me, and that's a completely legitimate winter pursuit. Seems a no-brainer to me to use that as explanation. Are you looking for permanent work, or just something until the snow flies again? If permanent, you may want to make sure you have a good answer should someone challenge whether you'll disappear come winter, after they've invested time and money in you over the summer.

I don't advocate outright lying on your CV, but errors of omission, or creative wording (stress: not making shit up or overstating your qualifications) is certainly fair game.

For me its the same for explaining a job where I got fired. It certainly doesn't say I got fired on my resume. And if people ask, I put it either that another opportunity presented itself (not entirely a lie) or that I just could no longer work in the crazy climate there and had to find something else. The truth is my boss was a total fucking lunatic and made my life miserable because I was smarter than him and wouldn't kiss his ass. My lunatic/imbalanced assessment was tragically born out 4 months later when he was found in his garage having left his car running with the door closed - he was dead. Its a sick story, and illustrates my point that he was crazy and impossible to work for, but not one I intend to ever tell at a job interview.

wow 12345

[shmerham]

Tell them that was the time you set aside to be a male model. Enclose a pic of your crash in Utah to explain why you never actually did anything.

[String]

I've got a few in my resume, they were from a series of surgeries so that usually suffices.

[Mrs Roo]

I think the workshy tendencies have mostly worn off; I am actually pretty damn keen to get my teeth into somethign again.

Blimey! You'll be getting wed next.

[bad_roo]

I am actually pretty damn keen to get my teeth into somethign again.

Deep fried Mars Bar work for you?

[Mulletizer]

Deep fried Mars Bar work for you?

Mrs Mullet: about as impressed by my antics as normal. If I were you I wouldn't by a new hat just yet, Mrs Roo. But may hayer - eet eez so butifool, no?

Thanks for the all advice, it is much appreciated. The CV's looking reasonable, I think I should be able to come up with a decent way of explaining/justifying things in a sufficiently impressive fashion at interview.

[Mrs Roo]

Bring it tomorrow so we can give constructive advice................then point and laugh and pour beer over it.

[Mulletizer]

So here are selected highlights from the CV. Any positive or negatove comments would be much appreciated. I've left out my personal details and those of referees but will put them in the real thing. Obviously.

I'll address the question of explaining the gaps in the resumé in the covering letter. I'm taking the view that the way the gaps have been spent may be a "plus" in themselves to some employers.

Here it be. The final format will be a bit different but this is the info I was planning to give. If it makes you laugh please don't feel you have to tell me.

Profile

Enthusiastic, honest and ambitious Geography graduate who is keen to work in the management of a young, expanding company. Reliable, creative and able to work efficiently under own initiative and as part of a team. Capable of dealing with new challenges and deadlines confidently, in a professional manner. Fluent French speaker, literate, numerate with excellent IT skills.


Education

University of Edinburgh, 2000-2004
MA (Hons.) in Geography, degree classification Upper Second with specialisation in Theory of Tourism and Leisure.
Third year spent on ERASMUS exchange to Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France with specialisation in Sustainable Development and Mountain Tourism Management, highly commended in assessment.
Member of the City of Edinburgh Universities Officer Training Corps and of the University Snowsports Club.

High School, 1994-1999
3 A levels in Geography (A), Combined Government, Economics and Politics (A) and German (B)
9 GCSE’s (8 at grade A*, 1 at grade A)


Previous employment

S/Y XXXXXXX IV; based Port Vauban, Antibes, position of Deckhand and Chef on privately-owned, 165ft, sailing superyacht, April-November 2005. Responsibility for maintaining watches at sea and in port, boat maintenance, provisioning and cooking for crew and guests and as race crew for a 53ft classic yacht, winning several classic regattas.

Japanese Summer Schools, London; various roles for 6 summers between 1999 and 2006 culminating in position of Assistant Director with responsibility for safety and welfare of 40 teenaged students, organising and supervising their activities and excursions on a cultural and educational course.

XXXXXXXXX; factory operative in plastics extrusion plant, June-December 2004. Responsibility for safe and efficient operation of computer-controlled machinery, quality assurance and stock monitoring.

Private catering contractor and chef, various commercial and domestic cooking jobs of durations from single meals to weeks and several months between 1999 and 2005. Experience of launching new restaurants, of managing staff, kitchen and stock, of budgeting, promotion of own services and client relations. Employers include Yo! Sushi and Simply Travel.


Personal interests

Skiing and mountaineering, previously as a ski-racer, now principally as a keen ski mountaineer. Various safety qualifications (avalanche training to International Mountain Guide standard) and expedition experience. Led a successful expedition to the Indian Himalaya in Spring 2006.

Writing, both factual and creative, predominantly mountain-related. Pieces published by specialist mountain print publications, both French and English.

Technology, specifically development of e-commerce and internet publishing. Have written for several web-based publications, including Skipass.com, with a daily readership of 20,000.