Career Gap on Your Resume? Here’s How to Explain It.

Have you been away from the workforce for six months? Six years? Even longer? Well, explaining your career gap may not be as difficult as you think.

In more recent years, hiring managers and recruiters have more frequently seen career gaps in resumes, minimizing what once were considered red flags. Regardless of this shift, it’s still important to address it head-on, no matter the length of your career gap.

What Is a Career Gap?

A career gap refers to a period during one’s career when they were unemployed. This period can last a few months to as long as a few years, whether voluntary or involuntary. While a career gap is no longer seen as a negative factor in itself, employers may still want to understand the circumstances surrounding the gap and how you’ve continued to cultivate your professional development during this period. 

Common Reasons for a Career Gap

There are a number of reasons why a career gap can occur, but it’s important to explain this reason — or reasons — to employers. Below are a few acceptable reasons why someone may take an extended break from the workforce: 

• Recovering from a long-term medical issue 
• Being affected by company layoffs 
• Returning to school to pursue a degree 
• Participating in certification and training programs
• Taking on parenting or caregiving duties 
• Making time for personal development

Why Career Gaps Are No Longer Seen as Red Flags

Career gaps were once an ongoing concern for employers. They could signal a prospective employee could be a short-timer or someone who was not focused on their career, Yuletta Pringle, an HR advisor at the Society for Human Resource Management, told Built In.

Or, they’d wonder how the job candidate spent their time while they were out of the workforce and whether they are ready to resume work, Amy Mangan, vice president and branch director at recruiting firm Robert Half, told Built In.

But since the pandemic, employers have become more accepting of career gaps because they are now increasingly viewed as part of life, said Tracy Stone, director of diversity, equity and inclusion in tech at fintech company Intuit.

At the peak of the pandemic, more than 30 million U.S. workers remained unemployed and more than 120K businesses temporarily shuttered, leading to the Great Resignation. Many workers who lost or left their jobs chose not to return to the workforce, citing reasons like taking care of family, relying on government aid and only looking for remote work. And younger workers opted to delay entering the workforce altogether, focusing instead on personal growth. 

Massive layoffs have also helped normalize career gaps. Specifically, tech layoffs have continued into 2025, with Google, Microsoft and Siemens joining the list of major tech companies to trim their workforces. In addition, layoffs across the federal government have pushed even more workers into the unemployment line.  

“In an economic downturn or market where there are more layoffs, career gaps can be seemingly more common,” said Jason Buss, vice president of talent acquisition at game development platform company Roblox.

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How to Explain a Career Gap in a Resume

When writing or updating a resume, include a start month and year and end month and year for each time period you were in the workforce. Include the start and end dates for any career gaps if they lasted six months or longer as well.

These periods when you were working and not working should be laid out in chronological order on your resume under your professional experience, Mangan said. Include any relevant activities, experience or skills you picked up during your career gap and tie them to the job you are seeking. By accounting for any type of career gaps on your resume, recruiters and hiring managers can quickly understand the sequence of events.

“It really goes a long way to prompt folks to say, OK, I get it. I can see what they were up to and how they’re ready to go back to work,” said Mangan.

For current job seekers, consider using your spare time to update your skills, volunteer for industry organizations, mentor, sit on a board or engage in activities that could potentially tie into the future work you wish to do.

“As the six-month mark approaches, I would start to think about what you can add to your resume to show you weren’t just sitting at home,” Mangan told Built In. “Did you sit on a board? Were you involved in an industry networking group? All of these could be included in your resume.”

Resume Examples

Cloud Security Student and Volunteer                               January 2018-August 2018
Attended cloud security courses at ISC(2) and became a Certified Cloud Security Professional. Volunteered at the RSA Conference for programs on cloud security and worked with high school students on cybersecurity best practices.                 

PTA President and Caregiver                                              March 2020-November 2021
Organized and ran the PTA at my child’s school and collaborated with 45 parents to hold fundraising events and other programs, while also devoting time to my child’s online schooling.

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How to Explain a Career Gap in a Cover Letter 

Although addressing a career gap in a cover letter is optional, it can provide additional space to share insights and information about the reasons for your career gap and any relevant activities you performed while out of the workforce. This is especially important if you don’t mention your career gap in your resume. 

For example, maybe you spent six months or more focused solely on finding a job and have nothing else to list for that time period on your resume. You can address it in your cover letter with a simple sentence that states you spent that time as a job applicant. You can also note cases in your cover letter like spending time out of the workforce to recharge your batteries, helping your family members or traveling. 

Other activities can also be noted in your cover letter in a single sentence or paragraph, depending on how relevant they are to the position you are seeking. Make sure to couch your words in a positive tone that shows you are eager to address your next opportunity. 

Cover Letter Example

During the pandemic, I paused my career to assist my children with their online schooling. I also formed a virtual school co-op to support my children and their classmates. I organized, collaborated and led activities and programs for the children with the help of other co-op parents and developed a shared resource system to address student needs. I am very interested in applying these skills and my past software engineering experience to the team lead software engineering role at your organization.

How to Address a Career Gap in a Job Interview

To prepare for addressing a career gap in a job interview, ask friends or family to conduct a mock job interview with you in the days leading up to the interview. Or record yourself practicing how you would respond to an interviewer’s questions, including an inquiry about your career gap. 

An interviewer may ask questions like, “Can you walk me through your work history?” or “I noticed this gap in your work history, can you tell me about it?” These types of questions come from their curiosity and aren’t designed to put you in a hot seat. If they don’t ask you about your career gap, there’s no need to bring it up. 

If it does come up, Intuit’s Stone advised calling your career gap a pause. Careers are long and ever changing, so think about your career as chapters with a pause in between, she said. Briefly explain why you left and how — after your pause — you are looking forward to your next chapter.

“A break sounds more definitive but framing it as a pause can be helpful,” Stone said. “It’s a very positive way to frame it and own it. I love it when I hear people talk about it that way.”

Don’t go into great detail about why you have a career gap — address it briefly, with transparency and confidence, she added. Answer the question about your career gap directly, rather than sidestepping the question with a vague response. After briefly touching on your career gap, segue into your interest and enthusiasm for the job you’re interviewing for.

Example Job Interview Responses

• If you were laid off: I was part of a reduction in force that laid off 10 percent of the workforce. I would be very excited to have an opportunity to leverage my experience at your organization for this role. 
• If you left for caregiving: My child needed additional attention and support at home, so I took a pause from work to assist. But since she no longer requires that additional support, I am eager to return to the workforce and your opportunity is especially appealing.
• If you took some time to reset: Due to some changes in my life at the time, I decided to take a pause from the workforce. Those changes no longer require my time and I am very interested to learn more about this opportunity and your company.

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Consider Upskilling During a Career Gap

If you are just leaving the workforce or are someone who has been out for months or years and has a plan to reenter, take time to update your skills. Broadening your skill set can help account for your career gap on your resume and make you an even stronger candidate.

Roblox’s Buss said there are a number of things people can do while waiting for their next job. That includes continuing education, like classes at Udacity or bootcamps at Fullstack Academy, to fill the skill gaps you have for those positions you are most interested in.

Tech courses and certifications, like Built In’s Learning Lab, are another way to enhance your skill set. And there are a number of programs available based on industry sector. For example, trade association (ISC)2 offers cybersecurity certifications, the Blockchain Council provides blockchain certifications and Coursera offers AI certifications in partnership with IBM.

If a person with a career gap has kept their skills current, whether it’s getting Google Career Certificates training or doing something like LinkedIn Learning, that is going to separate them from someone who has not upskilled and only had a consistent job without ever taking time off, Mangan said.

Frequently Asked Questions