Mixing
Handling a Gap in Your Résumé (Travel experience)
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
up vote
23
down vote
favorite
After saving up money for a year, I quit my last programming job in the fall of 2011 to go travel around the world. Now I'm starting to look for a new job. I feel like this would be easy to talk about in an interview, but I'm more worried about getting the interview in the first place, with such a long gap on my résumé.
- I live in the US, where years off like this are less common.
- The year I worked and saved was my first of full time employment after graduating, and although I left on good terms, it's not my first choice to go back to.
Hence the question:
- How should I mention my travel in my résumé?
resume job-search employment-gaps
edited Aug 27 '14 at 20:16
gnat
3,23273066
asked Sep 2 '12 at 17:03
Yozarian22
3292310
add a comment |Â
up vote
23
down vote
favorite
After saving up money for a year, I quit my last programming job in the fall of 2011 to go travel around the world. Now I'm starting to look for a new job. I feel like this would be easy to talk about in an interview, but I'm more worried about getting the interview in the first place, with such a long gap on my résumé.
- I live in the US, where years off like this are less common.
- The year I worked and saved was my first of full time employment after graduating, and although I left on good terms, it's not my first choice to go back to.
Hence the question:
- How should I mention my travel in my résumé?
resume job-search employment-gaps
edited Aug 27 '14 at 20:16
gnat
3,23273066
asked Sep 2 '12 at 17:03
Yozarian22
3292310
add a comment |Â
up vote
23
down vote
favorite
up vote
23
down vote
favorite
After saving up money for a year, I quit my last programming job in the fall of 2011 to go travel around the world. Now I'm starting to look for a new job. I feel like this would be easy to talk about in an interview, but I'm more worried about getting the interview in the first place, with such a long gap on my résumé.
- I live in the US, where years off like this are less common.
- The year I worked and saved was my first of full time employment after graduating, and although I left on good terms, it's not my first choice to go back to.
Hence the question:
- How should I mention my travel in my résumé?
resume job-search employment-gaps
edited Aug 27 '14 at 20:16
gnat
3,23273066
asked Sep 2 '12 at 17:03
Yozarian22
3292310
After saving up money for a year, I quit my last programming job in the fall of 2011 to go travel around the world. Now I'm starting to look for a new job. I feel like this would be easy to talk about in an interview, but I'm more worried about getting the interview in the first place, with such a long gap on my résumé.
- I live in the US, where years off like this are less common.
- The year I worked and saved was my first of full time employment after graduating, and although I left on good terms, it's not my first choice to go back to.
Hence the question:
- How should I mention my travel in my résumé?
resume job-search employment-gaps
edited Aug 27 '14 at 20:16
gnat
3,23273066
asked Sep 2 '12 at 17:03
Yozarian22
3292310
edited Aug 27 '14 at 20:16
gnat
3,23273066
edited Aug 27 '14 at 20:16
gnat
3,23273066
edited Aug 27 '14 at 20:16
gnat
3,23273066
3,23273066
asked Sep 2 '12 at 17:03
Yozarian22
3292310
asked Sep 2 '12 at 17:03
Yozarian22
3292310
asked Sep 2 '12 at 17:03
Yozarian22
3292310
3292310
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
up vote
15
down vote
accepted
Present a cover letter explaining the gap. Indicate your lengthy planning and willingness to save for the trip. Make sure they understand this is something you've wanted to do for quite some time and isn't a result of burning-out after only one year of work (Maybe the nature of your previous project required an excessive amount of hours, so you prepared yourself?). Make sure you indicate the amount of notice you gave your previous employer. Hopefully, you left on good terms and can possibly get a recommendation from them.
You made a sacrifice and did something enviable (especially in the US) Don't give anyone any indication it's because you're a slacker. Address these concerns upfront and show them you have the skills to do the job.
IMO splitting info to two places is only good to lose it or create confsuion
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:39
+1 for mentioning planning and delayed gratification
– P.M
Apr 22 '14 at 23:46
add a comment |Â
up vote
23
down vote
Handling gaps in your employment may be tricky. Here are several ideas that may help:
Never lie. Employers usually check details, and dates are the easiest to compare.- A good wording may be helpful. Here are some hints:
- Personal Travel
- Adventure Travel
- Full-time Study and Travel
- Emphasize positive aspects. Indeed, you weren't just watching TV all that time, were you?
What have you learned? Language? Culture? Architecture? You may have interests in different aspects of life, so it is normal if you dedicated one year for another interest.
Take into account how your past activity was related to a position you are seeking. If it is not too much related, don't be wordy. - If you had some part-time activity for your former employer, mention this in CV. They would value you as a current employee.
Stay up to date with your technical level. If you have studied a new technology, that would be a great accomplishment during a vacation.
Stay in touch with your professional associations (nowadays, you may just restore it). If you took part in any online meetings, conferences, etc., mention them in CV.
Be prepared for questions during an interview. Provide a clear rationale for taking time off if the break was voluntary. Don't let people thinking you've been fired.
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
1
never lie -- indeed, read up C.N. Parkinson showing all methods of misleading while you tell only the truth ;-)
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:43
adventure travel is awesome. But do you need to have adventures to use the descriptor? I mean, if i said i went to Thailand and battled Toth-Amona and found the ruby skull that was needed to enter The Sea Temple in Iraq, well, sure, that seems like adventure travel. But what if i just went to Thailand and got drunk and lost my shoe? Is an adventure to reclaim a shoe adventure enough?
– bharal
Sep 4 '14 at 12:10
@BalogPal: can you point us to some site? :)
– tomasb
Nov 27 '14 at 1:21
@bytebuster, I am in a similar situation. I took a year off from programming, after 4+ years of employment, because I was doing nothing new and I was afraid of reaching a dead-end too soon. Instead of jumping at the first shiny new job, I decided to take time away from the screen, and work on a 2nd bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then a series of negative events occurred (like a car accident, hospitalization) in late 2014 which left me depressed and playing Steam for a month. 1 not a good liar, however, there must be a point of T.M.I. so giving a straight, succinct answer is how I read u
– user2973
May 7 '15 at 22:48
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
It's to your advantage right now that the poor economy in the US right now has led to many people having lengthy gaps in their resume due to unemployment. Initial HR screeners will usually take this into account at most companies (there are exceptions). I had nearly a 6 month gap in my employment due to illness followed by a period of temporary disability and this gap never came up during interviews. Someone else I know had nearly a year off for similar reasons and it didn't come up for them either.
So, it may never come up although if all you have is a year experience it will probably be more likely to come up in an interview. If it does come up, just explain, honestly, why you took the time off.
I think it reflects well on you that you saved up to do this and didn't run up huge debts doing this or going to school (I'm assuming this is correct). Few people can afford take time off after college these days since they have enormous school loans to pay and other heavy debt and don't have the financial discipline to save money to achieve a goal.
Edit in response to your edit:
I don't think you need to mention it on your resume unless there's something related to the position you're apply for. For example, if you were applying at a travel company or if foreign language knowledge was a plus. Otherwise, it's like other personal info, you leave it off.
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
2
agreed, I probably wouldn't mention a gap of only a year on the resume either. I would expect the interviewer(s) to be curious about the gap, so have an explanation prepared, but it needn't be on the resume itself.
– Jessica Brown
Sep 4 '12 at 18:19
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
don't be concerned about this at all. I work in Silicon Valley where this is not unusual. A lot of programmers/computer people do this. It has no impact at all on your employability. On your resume don't put anything in that gap, or simply put "world travel." The people who read your resume and who interview you will think it's cool.
in other professions this might be an issue, but in our profession, this is actually a "merit badge"
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
A resume doesn't have to conform to any format or layout or even the information it contains. Admittedly it needs to contain the right content to get you an interview, but that is the only thing it needs. A resume serves no other purpose.
For your situation just put travel in as experience too, it's a perfectly acceptable reason for not working. If your resume uses the subject heading "Work Experience" then change it, to just be "Experience". If you traveled a long way, list the countries you visited too. This entire entry shouldn't be more than 1 bullet point unless you're applying for a travel agent position, as it's fairly irrelevant to most jobs but does give a good explanation for a long gap in working and may provide additional talking points at the interview.
The same can go for any valid reason for unemployment, like studying, volunteer work, injury, etc. Though if the study is relevant to the job you're applying for it should be more than a single line.
People who were fired, lost their house/accommodation, and had to move back in with their parents for several months or more need to be creative. There is nothing saying you have to put dates on your resume at all. Employers mainly want to know how long you did that work for, that's why you see employers asking for things like "have 5 years experience" and not "worked in the industry for the last 5 years". In Australia I believe it is illegal for an employer to ask how old you are before they offer you the job. So if you don't tell them (this includes year of graduation from school), they can't work out if there are gaps.
You can also not use the full date, just include what year it was. So if you stopped work at your last job in say Feb 2013, and it's now Feb 2014, just put that you finished your last job in 2013. To make it look less like you're hiding something make all of you dates of employment like this.
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
add a comment |Â
StackExchange.ready(function ()
$("#show-editor-button input, #show-editor-button button").click(function ()
var showEditor = function()
$("#show-editor-button").hide();
$("#post-form").removeClass("dno");
StackExchange.editor.finallyInit();
;
var useFancy = $(this).data('confirm-use-fancy');
if(useFancy == 'True')
var popupTitle = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-title');
var popupBody = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-body');
var popupAccept = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-accept-button');
$(this).loadPopup(
url: '/post/self-answer-popup',
loaded: function(popup)
var pTitle = $(popup).find('h2');
var pBody = $(popup).find('.popup-body');
var pSubmit = $(popup).find('.popup-submit');
pTitle.text(popupTitle);
pBody.html(popupBody);
pSubmit.val(popupAccept).click(showEditor);
)
else
var confirmText = $(this).data('confirm-text');
if (confirmText ? confirm(confirmText) : true)
showEditor();
);
);
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
15
down vote
accepted
Present a cover letter explaining the gap. Indicate your lengthy planning and willingness to save for the trip. Make sure they understand this is something you've wanted to do for quite some time and isn't a result of burning-out after only one year of work (Maybe the nature of your previous project required an excessive amount of hours, so you prepared yourself?). Make sure you indicate the amount of notice you gave your previous employer. Hopefully, you left on good terms and can possibly get a recommendation from them.
You made a sacrifice and did something enviable (especially in the US) Don't give anyone any indication it's because you're a slacker. Address these concerns upfront and show them you have the skills to do the job.
IMO splitting info to two places is only good to lose it or create confsuion
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:39
+1 for mentioning planning and delayed gratification
– P.M
Apr 22 '14 at 23:46
add a comment |Â
up vote
15
down vote
accepted
Present a cover letter explaining the gap. Indicate your lengthy planning and willingness to save for the trip. Make sure they understand this is something you've wanted to do for quite some time and isn't a result of burning-out after only one year of work (Maybe the nature of your previous project required an excessive amount of hours, so you prepared yourself?). Make sure you indicate the amount of notice you gave your previous employer. Hopefully, you left on good terms and can possibly get a recommendation from them.
You made a sacrifice and did something enviable (especially in the US) Don't give anyone any indication it's because you're a slacker. Address these concerns upfront and show them you have the skills to do the job.
IMO splitting info to two places is only good to lose it or create confsuion
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:39
+1 for mentioning planning and delayed gratification
– P.M
Apr 22 '14 at 23:46
add a comment |Â
up vote
15
down vote
accepted
up vote
15
down vote
accepted
Present a cover letter explaining the gap. Indicate your lengthy planning and willingness to save for the trip. Make sure they understand this is something you've wanted to do for quite some time and isn't a result of burning-out after only one year of work (Maybe the nature of your previous project required an excessive amount of hours, so you prepared yourself?). Make sure you indicate the amount of notice you gave your previous employer. Hopefully, you left on good terms and can possibly get a recommendation from them.
You made a sacrifice and did something enviable (especially in the US) Don't give anyone any indication it's because you're a slacker. Address these concerns upfront and show them you have the skills to do the job.
Present a cover letter explaining the gap. Indicate your lengthy planning and willingness to save for the trip. Make sure they understand this is something you've wanted to do for quite some time and isn't a result of burning-out after only one year of work (Maybe the nature of your previous project required an excessive amount of hours, so you prepared yourself?). Make sure you indicate the amount of notice you gave your previous employer. Hopefully, you left on good terms and can possibly get a recommendation from them.
You made a sacrifice and did something enviable (especially in the US) Don't give anyone any indication it's because you're a slacker. Address these concerns upfront and show them you have the skills to do the job.
answered Sep 3 '12 at 23:45
user8365
IMO splitting info to two places is only good to lose it or create confsuion
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:39
+1 for mentioning planning and delayed gratification
– P.M
Apr 22 '14 at 23:46
add a comment |Â
IMO splitting info to two places is only good to lose it or create confsuion
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:39
+1 for mentioning planning and delayed gratification
– P.M
Apr 22 '14 at 23:46
IMO splitting info to two places is only good to lose it or create confsuion
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:39
IMO splitting info to two places is only good to lose it or create confsuion
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:39
+1 for mentioning planning and delayed gratification
– P.M
Apr 22 '14 at 23:46
+1 for mentioning planning and delayed gratification
– P.M
Apr 22 '14 at 23:46
add a comment |Â
up vote
23
down vote
Handling gaps in your employment may be tricky. Here are several ideas that may help:
Never lie. Employers usually check details, and dates are the easiest to compare.- A good wording may be helpful. Here are some hints:
- Personal Travel
- Adventure Travel
- Full-time Study and Travel
- Emphasize positive aspects. Indeed, you weren't just watching TV all that time, were you?
What have you learned? Language? Culture? Architecture? You may have interests in different aspects of life, so it is normal if you dedicated one year for another interest.
Take into account how your past activity was related to a position you are seeking. If it is not too much related, don't be wordy. - If you had some part-time activity for your former employer, mention this in CV. They would value you as a current employee.
Stay up to date with your technical level. If you have studied a new technology, that would be a great accomplishment during a vacation.
Stay in touch with your professional associations (nowadays, you may just restore it). If you took part in any online meetings, conferences, etc., mention them in CV.
Be prepared for questions during an interview. Provide a clear rationale for taking time off if the break was voluntary. Don't let people thinking you've been fired.
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
1
never lie -- indeed, read up C.N. Parkinson showing all methods of misleading while you tell only the truth ;-)
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:43
adventure travel is awesome. But do you need to have adventures to use the descriptor? I mean, if i said i went to Thailand and battled Toth-Amona and found the ruby skull that was needed to enter The Sea Temple in Iraq, well, sure, that seems like adventure travel. But what if i just went to Thailand and got drunk and lost my shoe? Is an adventure to reclaim a shoe adventure enough?
– bharal
Sep 4 '14 at 12:10
@BalogPal: can you point us to some site? :)
– tomasb
Nov 27 '14 at 1:21
@bytebuster, I am in a similar situation. I took a year off from programming, after 4+ years of employment, because I was doing nothing new and I was afraid of reaching a dead-end too soon. Instead of jumping at the first shiny new job, I decided to take time away from the screen, and work on a 2nd bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then a series of negative events occurred (like a car accident, hospitalization) in late 2014 which left me depressed and playing Steam for a month. 1 not a good liar, however, there must be a point of T.M.I. so giving a straight, succinct answer is how I read u
– user2973
May 7 '15 at 22:48
add a comment |Â
up vote
23
down vote
Handling gaps in your employment may be tricky. Here are several ideas that may help:
Never lie. Employers usually check details, and dates are the easiest to compare.- A good wording may be helpful. Here are some hints:
- Personal Travel
- Adventure Travel
- Full-time Study and Travel
- Emphasize positive aspects. Indeed, you weren't just watching TV all that time, were you?
What have you learned? Language? Culture? Architecture? You may have interests in different aspects of life, so it is normal if you dedicated one year for another interest.
Take into account how your past activity was related to a position you are seeking. If it is not too much related, don't be wordy. - If you had some part-time activity for your former employer, mention this in CV. They would value you as a current employee.
Stay up to date with your technical level. If you have studied a new technology, that would be a great accomplishment during a vacation.
Stay in touch with your professional associations (nowadays, you may just restore it). If you took part in any online meetings, conferences, etc., mention them in CV.
Be prepared for questions during an interview. Provide a clear rationale for taking time off if the break was voluntary. Don't let people thinking you've been fired.
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
1
never lie -- indeed, read up C.N. Parkinson showing all methods of misleading while you tell only the truth ;-)
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:43
adventure travel is awesome. But do you need to have adventures to use the descriptor? I mean, if i said i went to Thailand and battled Toth-Amona and found the ruby skull that was needed to enter The Sea Temple in Iraq, well, sure, that seems like adventure travel. But what if i just went to Thailand and got drunk and lost my shoe? Is an adventure to reclaim a shoe adventure enough?
– bharal
Sep 4 '14 at 12:10
@BalogPal: can you point us to some site? :)
– tomasb
Nov 27 '14 at 1:21
@bytebuster, I am in a similar situation. I took a year off from programming, after 4+ years of employment, because I was doing nothing new and I was afraid of reaching a dead-end too soon. Instead of jumping at the first shiny new job, I decided to take time away from the screen, and work on a 2nd bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then a series of negative events occurred (like a car accident, hospitalization) in late 2014 which left me depressed and playing Steam for a month. 1 not a good liar, however, there must be a point of T.M.I. so giving a straight, succinct answer is how I read u
– user2973
May 7 '15 at 22:48
add a comment |Â
up vote
23
down vote
up vote
23
down vote
Handling gaps in your employment may be tricky. Here are several ideas that may help:
Never lie. Employers usually check details, and dates are the easiest to compare.- A good wording may be helpful. Here are some hints:
- Personal Travel
- Adventure Travel
- Full-time Study and Travel
- Emphasize positive aspects. Indeed, you weren't just watching TV all that time, were you?
What have you learned? Language? Culture? Architecture? You may have interests in different aspects of life, so it is normal if you dedicated one year for another interest.
Take into account how your past activity was related to a position you are seeking. If it is not too much related, don't be wordy. - If you had some part-time activity for your former employer, mention this in CV. They would value you as a current employee.
Stay up to date with your technical level. If you have studied a new technology, that would be a great accomplishment during a vacation.
Stay in touch with your professional associations (nowadays, you may just restore it). If you took part in any online meetings, conferences, etc., mention them in CV.
Be prepared for questions during an interview. Provide a clear rationale for taking time off if the break was voluntary. Don't let people thinking you've been fired.
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
Handling gaps in your employment may be tricky. Here are several ideas that may help:
Never lie. Employers usually check details, and dates are the easiest to compare.- A good wording may be helpful. Here are some hints:
- Personal Travel
- Adventure Travel
- Full-time Study and Travel
- Emphasize positive aspects. Indeed, you weren't just watching TV all that time, were you?
What have you learned? Language? Culture? Architecture? You may have interests in different aspects of life, so it is normal if you dedicated one year for another interest.
Take into account how your past activity was related to a position you are seeking. If it is not too much related, don't be wordy. - If you had some part-time activity for your former employer, mention this in CV. They would value you as a current employee.
Stay up to date with your technical level. If you have studied a new technology, that would be a great accomplishment during a vacation.
Stay in touch with your professional associations (nowadays, you may just restore it). If you took part in any online meetings, conferences, etc., mention them in CV.
Be prepared for questions during an interview. Provide a clear rationale for taking time off if the break was voluntary. Don't let people thinking you've been fired.
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
edited Sep 2 '12 at 21:25
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
answered Sep 2 '12 at 17:28
bytebuster
2,60222146
2,60222146
1
never lie -- indeed, read up C.N. Parkinson showing all methods of misleading while you tell only the truth ;-)
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:43
adventure travel is awesome. But do you need to have adventures to use the descriptor? I mean, if i said i went to Thailand and battled Toth-Amona and found the ruby skull that was needed to enter The Sea Temple in Iraq, well, sure, that seems like adventure travel. But what if i just went to Thailand and got drunk and lost my shoe? Is an adventure to reclaim a shoe adventure enough?
– bharal
Sep 4 '14 at 12:10
@BalogPal: can you point us to some site? :)
– tomasb
Nov 27 '14 at 1:21
@bytebuster, I am in a similar situation. I took a year off from programming, after 4+ years of employment, because I was doing nothing new and I was afraid of reaching a dead-end too soon. Instead of jumping at the first shiny new job, I decided to take time away from the screen, and work on a 2nd bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then a series of negative events occurred (like a car accident, hospitalization) in late 2014 which left me depressed and playing Steam for a month. 1 not a good liar, however, there must be a point of T.M.I. so giving a straight, succinct answer is how I read u
– user2973
May 7 '15 at 22:48
add a comment |Â
1
never lie -- indeed, read up C.N. Parkinson showing all methods of misleading while you tell only the truth ;-)
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:43
adventure travel is awesome. But do you need to have adventures to use the descriptor? I mean, if i said i went to Thailand and battled Toth-Amona and found the ruby skull that was needed to enter The Sea Temple in Iraq, well, sure, that seems like adventure travel. But what if i just went to Thailand and got drunk and lost my shoe? Is an adventure to reclaim a shoe adventure enough?
– bharal
Sep 4 '14 at 12:10
@BalogPal: can you point us to some site? :)
– tomasb
Nov 27 '14 at 1:21
@bytebuster, I am in a similar situation. I took a year off from programming, after 4+ years of employment, because I was doing nothing new and I was afraid of reaching a dead-end too soon. Instead of jumping at the first shiny new job, I decided to take time away from the screen, and work on a 2nd bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then a series of negative events occurred (like a car accident, hospitalization) in late 2014 which left me depressed and playing Steam for a month. 1 not a good liar, however, there must be a point of T.M.I. so giving a straight, succinct answer is how I read u
– user2973
May 7 '15 at 22:48
1
1
never lie -- indeed, read up C.N. Parkinson showing all methods of misleading while you tell only the truth ;-)
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:43
never lie -- indeed, read up C.N. Parkinson showing all methods of misleading while you tell only the truth ;-)
– Balog Pal
Jun 9 '13 at 16:43
adventure travel is awesome. But do you need to have adventures to use the descriptor? I mean, if i said i went to Thailand and battled Toth-Amona and found the ruby skull that was needed to enter The Sea Temple in Iraq, well, sure, that seems like adventure travel. But what if i just went to Thailand and got drunk and lost my shoe? Is an adventure to reclaim a shoe adventure enough?
– bharal
Sep 4 '14 at 12:10
adventure travel is awesome. But do you need to have adventures to use the descriptor? I mean, if i said i went to Thailand and battled Toth-Amona and found the ruby skull that was needed to enter The Sea Temple in Iraq, well, sure, that seems like adventure travel. But what if i just went to Thailand and got drunk and lost my shoe? Is an adventure to reclaim a shoe adventure enough?
– bharal
Sep 4 '14 at 12:10
@BalogPal: can you point us to some site? :)
– tomasb
Nov 27 '14 at 1:21
@BalogPal: can you point us to some site? :)
– tomasb
Nov 27 '14 at 1:21
@bytebuster, I am in a similar situation. I took a year off from programming, after 4+ years of employment, because I was doing nothing new and I was afraid of reaching a dead-end too soon. Instead of jumping at the first shiny new job, I decided to take time away from the screen, and work on a 2nd bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then a series of negative events occurred (like a car accident, hospitalization) in late 2014 which left me depressed and playing Steam for a month. 1 not a good liar, however, there must be a point of T.M.I. so giving a straight, succinct answer is how I read u
– user2973
May 7 '15 at 22:48
@bytebuster, I am in a similar situation. I took a year off from programming, after 4+ years of employment, because I was doing nothing new and I was afraid of reaching a dead-end too soon. Instead of jumping at the first shiny new job, I decided to take time away from the screen, and work on a 2nd bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then a series of negative events occurred (like a car accident, hospitalization) in late 2014 which left me depressed and playing Steam for a month. 1 not a good liar, however, there must be a point of T.M.I. so giving a straight, succinct answer is how I read u
– user2973
May 7 '15 at 22:48
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
It's to your advantage right now that the poor economy in the US right now has led to many people having lengthy gaps in their resume due to unemployment. Initial HR screeners will usually take this into account at most companies (there are exceptions). I had nearly a 6 month gap in my employment due to illness followed by a period of temporary disability and this gap never came up during interviews. Someone else I know had nearly a year off for similar reasons and it didn't come up for them either.
So, it may never come up although if all you have is a year experience it will probably be more likely to come up in an interview. If it does come up, just explain, honestly, why you took the time off.
I think it reflects well on you that you saved up to do this and didn't run up huge debts doing this or going to school (I'm assuming this is correct). Few people can afford take time off after college these days since they have enormous school loans to pay and other heavy debt and don't have the financial discipline to save money to achieve a goal.
Edit in response to your edit:
I don't think you need to mention it on your resume unless there's something related to the position you're apply for. For example, if you were applying at a travel company or if foreign language knowledge was a plus. Otherwise, it's like other personal info, you leave it off.
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
2
agreed, I probably wouldn't mention a gap of only a year on the resume either. I would expect the interviewer(s) to be curious about the gap, so have an explanation prepared, but it needn't be on the resume itself.
– Jessica Brown
Sep 4 '12 at 18:19
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
It's to your advantage right now that the poor economy in the US right now has led to many people having lengthy gaps in their resume due to unemployment. Initial HR screeners will usually take this into account at most companies (there are exceptions). I had nearly a 6 month gap in my employment due to illness followed by a period of temporary disability and this gap never came up during interviews. Someone else I know had nearly a year off for similar reasons and it didn't come up for them either.
So, it may never come up although if all you have is a year experience it will probably be more likely to come up in an interview. If it does come up, just explain, honestly, why you took the time off.
I think it reflects well on you that you saved up to do this and didn't run up huge debts doing this or going to school (I'm assuming this is correct). Few people can afford take time off after college these days since they have enormous school loans to pay and other heavy debt and don't have the financial discipline to save money to achieve a goal.
Edit in response to your edit:
I don't think you need to mention it on your resume unless there's something related to the position you're apply for. For example, if you were applying at a travel company or if foreign language knowledge was a plus. Otherwise, it's like other personal info, you leave it off.
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
2
agreed, I probably wouldn't mention a gap of only a year on the resume either. I would expect the interviewer(s) to be curious about the gap, so have an explanation prepared, but it needn't be on the resume itself.
– Jessica Brown
Sep 4 '12 at 18:19
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
It's to your advantage right now that the poor economy in the US right now has led to many people having lengthy gaps in their resume due to unemployment. Initial HR screeners will usually take this into account at most companies (there are exceptions). I had nearly a 6 month gap in my employment due to illness followed by a period of temporary disability and this gap never came up during interviews. Someone else I know had nearly a year off for similar reasons and it didn't come up for them either.
So, it may never come up although if all you have is a year experience it will probably be more likely to come up in an interview. If it does come up, just explain, honestly, why you took the time off.
I think it reflects well on you that you saved up to do this and didn't run up huge debts doing this or going to school (I'm assuming this is correct). Few people can afford take time off after college these days since they have enormous school loans to pay and other heavy debt and don't have the financial discipline to save money to achieve a goal.
Edit in response to your edit:
I don't think you need to mention it on your resume unless there's something related to the position you're apply for. For example, if you were applying at a travel company or if foreign language knowledge was a plus. Otherwise, it's like other personal info, you leave it off.
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
It's to your advantage right now that the poor economy in the US right now has led to many people having lengthy gaps in their resume due to unemployment. Initial HR screeners will usually take this into account at most companies (there are exceptions). I had nearly a 6 month gap in my employment due to illness followed by a period of temporary disability and this gap never came up during interviews. Someone else I know had nearly a year off for similar reasons and it didn't come up for them either.
So, it may never come up although if all you have is a year experience it will probably be more likely to come up in an interview. If it does come up, just explain, honestly, why you took the time off.
I think it reflects well on you that you saved up to do this and didn't run up huge debts doing this or going to school (I'm assuming this is correct). Few people can afford take time off after college these days since they have enormous school loans to pay and other heavy debt and don't have the financial discipline to save money to achieve a goal.
Edit in response to your edit:
I don't think you need to mention it on your resume unless there's something related to the position you're apply for. For example, if you were applying at a travel company or if foreign language knowledge was a plus. Otherwise, it's like other personal info, you leave it off.
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
edited Sep 3 '12 at 3:20
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
answered Sep 3 '12 at 3:11
jfrankcarr
1,71698
1,71698
2
agreed, I probably wouldn't mention a gap of only a year on the resume either. I would expect the interviewer(s) to be curious about the gap, so have an explanation prepared, but it needn't be on the resume itself.
– Jessica Brown
Sep 4 '12 at 18:19
add a comment |Â
2
agreed, I probably wouldn't mention a gap of only a year on the resume either. I would expect the interviewer(s) to be curious about the gap, so have an explanation prepared, but it needn't be on the resume itself.
– Jessica Brown
Sep 4 '12 at 18:19
2
2
agreed, I probably wouldn't mention a gap of only a year on the resume either. I would expect the interviewer(s) to be curious about the gap, so have an explanation prepared, but it needn't be on the resume itself.
– Jessica Brown
Sep 4 '12 at 18:19
agreed, I probably wouldn't mention a gap of only a year on the resume either. I would expect the interviewer(s) to be curious about the gap, so have an explanation prepared, but it needn't be on the resume itself.
– Jessica Brown
Sep 4 '12 at 18:19
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
don't be concerned about this at all. I work in Silicon Valley where this is not unusual. A lot of programmers/computer people do this. It has no impact at all on your employability. On your resume don't put anything in that gap, or simply put "world travel." The people who read your resume and who interview you will think it's cool.
in other professions this might be an issue, but in our profession, this is actually a "merit badge"
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
don't be concerned about this at all. I work in Silicon Valley where this is not unusual. A lot of programmers/computer people do this. It has no impact at all on your employability. On your resume don't put anything in that gap, or simply put "world travel." The people who read your resume and who interview you will think it's cool.
in other professions this might be an issue, but in our profession, this is actually a "merit badge"
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
don't be concerned about this at all. I work in Silicon Valley where this is not unusual. A lot of programmers/computer people do this. It has no impact at all on your employability. On your resume don't put anything in that gap, or simply put "world travel." The people who read your resume and who interview you will think it's cool.
in other professions this might be an issue, but in our profession, this is actually a "merit badge"
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
don't be concerned about this at all. I work in Silicon Valley where this is not unusual. A lot of programmers/computer people do this. It has no impact at all on your employability. On your resume don't put anything in that gap, or simply put "world travel." The people who read your resume and who interview you will think it's cool.
in other professions this might be an issue, but in our profession, this is actually a "merit badge"
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
answered Mar 12 '14 at 18:38
Michael Martinez
33927
33927
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
A resume doesn't have to conform to any format or layout or even the information it contains. Admittedly it needs to contain the right content to get you an interview, but that is the only thing it needs. A resume serves no other purpose.
For your situation just put travel in as experience too, it's a perfectly acceptable reason for not working. If your resume uses the subject heading "Work Experience" then change it, to just be "Experience". If you traveled a long way, list the countries you visited too. This entire entry shouldn't be more than 1 bullet point unless you're applying for a travel agent position, as it's fairly irrelevant to most jobs but does give a good explanation for a long gap in working and may provide additional talking points at the interview.
The same can go for any valid reason for unemployment, like studying, volunteer work, injury, etc. Though if the study is relevant to the job you're applying for it should be more than a single line.
People who were fired, lost their house/accommodation, and had to move back in with their parents for several months or more need to be creative. There is nothing saying you have to put dates on your resume at all. Employers mainly want to know how long you did that work for, that's why you see employers asking for things like "have 5 years experience" and not "worked in the industry for the last 5 years". In Australia I believe it is illegal for an employer to ask how old you are before they offer you the job. So if you don't tell them (this includes year of graduation from school), they can't work out if there are gaps.
You can also not use the full date, just include what year it was. So if you stopped work at your last job in say Feb 2013, and it's now Feb 2014, just put that you finished your last job in 2013. To make it look less like you're hiding something make all of you dates of employment like this.
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
A resume doesn't have to conform to any format or layout or even the information it contains. Admittedly it needs to contain the right content to get you an interview, but that is the only thing it needs. A resume serves no other purpose.
For your situation just put travel in as experience too, it's a perfectly acceptable reason for not working. If your resume uses the subject heading "Work Experience" then change it, to just be "Experience". If you traveled a long way, list the countries you visited too. This entire entry shouldn't be more than 1 bullet point unless you're applying for a travel agent position, as it's fairly irrelevant to most jobs but does give a good explanation for a long gap in working and may provide additional talking points at the interview.
The same can go for any valid reason for unemployment, like studying, volunteer work, injury, etc. Though if the study is relevant to the job you're applying for it should be more than a single line.
People who were fired, lost their house/accommodation, and had to move back in with their parents for several months or more need to be creative. There is nothing saying you have to put dates on your resume at all. Employers mainly want to know how long you did that work for, that's why you see employers asking for things like "have 5 years experience" and not "worked in the industry for the last 5 years". In Australia I believe it is illegal for an employer to ask how old you are before they offer you the job. So if you don't tell them (this includes year of graduation from school), they can't work out if there are gaps.
You can also not use the full date, just include what year it was. So if you stopped work at your last job in say Feb 2013, and it's now Feb 2014, just put that you finished your last job in 2013. To make it look less like you're hiding something make all of you dates of employment like this.
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
A resume doesn't have to conform to any format or layout or even the information it contains. Admittedly it needs to contain the right content to get you an interview, but that is the only thing it needs. A resume serves no other purpose.
For your situation just put travel in as experience too, it's a perfectly acceptable reason for not working. If your resume uses the subject heading "Work Experience" then change it, to just be "Experience". If you traveled a long way, list the countries you visited too. This entire entry shouldn't be more than 1 bullet point unless you're applying for a travel agent position, as it's fairly irrelevant to most jobs but does give a good explanation for a long gap in working and may provide additional talking points at the interview.
The same can go for any valid reason for unemployment, like studying, volunteer work, injury, etc. Though if the study is relevant to the job you're applying for it should be more than a single line.
People who were fired, lost their house/accommodation, and had to move back in with their parents for several months or more need to be creative. There is nothing saying you have to put dates on your resume at all. Employers mainly want to know how long you did that work for, that's why you see employers asking for things like "have 5 years experience" and not "worked in the industry for the last 5 years". In Australia I believe it is illegal for an employer to ask how old you are before they offer you the job. So if you don't tell them (this includes year of graduation from school), they can't work out if there are gaps.
You can also not use the full date, just include what year it was. So if you stopped work at your last job in say Feb 2013, and it's now Feb 2014, just put that you finished your last job in 2013. To make it look less like you're hiding something make all of you dates of employment like this.
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
A resume doesn't have to conform to any format or layout or even the information it contains. Admittedly it needs to contain the right content to get you an interview, but that is the only thing it needs. A resume serves no other purpose.
For your situation just put travel in as experience too, it's a perfectly acceptable reason for not working. If your resume uses the subject heading "Work Experience" then change it, to just be "Experience". If you traveled a long way, list the countries you visited too. This entire entry shouldn't be more than 1 bullet point unless you're applying for a travel agent position, as it's fairly irrelevant to most jobs but does give a good explanation for a long gap in working and may provide additional talking points at the interview.
The same can go for any valid reason for unemployment, like studying, volunteer work, injury, etc. Though if the study is relevant to the job you're applying for it should be more than a single line.
People who were fired, lost their house/accommodation, and had to move back in with their parents for several months or more need to be creative. There is nothing saying you have to put dates on your resume at all. Employers mainly want to know how long you did that work for, that's why you see employers asking for things like "have 5 years experience" and not "worked in the industry for the last 5 years". In Australia I believe it is illegal for an employer to ask how old you are before they offer you the job. So if you don't tell them (this includes year of graduation from school), they can't work out if there are gaps.
You can also not use the full date, just include what year it was. So if you stopped work at your last job in say Feb 2013, and it's now Feb 2014, just put that you finished your last job in 2013. To make it look less like you're hiding something make all of you dates of employment like this.
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
edited Jan 25 '14 at 5:29
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
answered Jan 25 '14 at 5:20
BeowulfNode42
1012
1012
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f3692%2fhandling-a-gap-in-your-r%25c3%25a9sum%25c3%25a9-travel-experience%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
