27 October 2026
Reading time: 6 minutes
You open the job advert and everything fits. The hours, the commute, the work itself. Then you open your CV and your eye catches on that one spot: 2022 to 2024, and then nothing. You know exactly what happened during that time. An employer doesn't. And suddenly that gap in your CV feels much bigger than it is.
Perhaps you were caring for someone. Perhaps you spent a long time job hunting, or simply needed time. Whatever the reason, you don't need to hide it, and you don't need to write an essay about it either. A few well-chosen sentences are enough. In this blog you'll read which ones, with examples you can use straight away.
Usually not, as long as you explain it. The gap itself is rarely the issue. A period with nothing written about it does raise questions, and then the reader fills in the answer themselves.
You're also in good company. In a LinkedIn survey (2022) of over 23,000 employees, 62% said they had taken a career break at some point. That's more than six in ten. A gap in your career is therefore more common than suspicious.
What does matter is how you present it. An employer who reads "2023: caring for my mother" sees someone who took on responsibility. An employer who sees only a blank space starts guessing. And guessing rarely works in your favour.
Take Sanne, 34. She doesn't exist, but many people recognise her story. She worked for six years as a planner at a wholesaler. When her mother became ill, she stopped working to care for her. A year and a half later, she wants to get back to work.
On her old CV, her work experience ran until March 2023. After that: nothing. Her first instinct was to leave it that way. If she didn't say anything about it, maybe no one would ask either.
That's understandable, but it usually works the other way round. A recruiter spots the gap within seconds. Without an explanation, the question lingers, and sometimes Sanne wouldn't even get to the interview where she could have explained it.
So she added one line, exactly as she would note a job:
2023 to 2024: caring for my mother. Scheduled appointments with doctors and home care, arranged medication and administration.
Suddenly it shows what the gap actually was: a year and a half of planning, arranging and keeping an overview under pressure. Exactly the kind of things a planner also does.
Give the period its own line, just like a job. Add the years and a few words about what you did. That way, the employer reads a story instead of a silence.
What you write depends on your situation. Someone who spent a long time job hunting might write "2024: job seeking, completed an Excel course, volunteered at the food bank". Someone who travelled might note "2022: travelled through South America for six months, learned Spanish to B1 level". And someone who stayed home with the children: "2021 to 2023: full-time parent, treasurer of the parents' association".
Was it about your health? Then share only what you want to. "2023: deliberate break, now fully available" is a complete line. You don't need to mention a diagnosis, not on your CV and not in the interview.
A short break of a few months often doesn't even need to be mentioned. Simply list your work experience in years rather than months. That's very common and not a trick. For a longer break, honest disclosure works better.
Want to see how such a line looks in a complete CV? In our CV examples you'll find CVs for different situations.
One or two sentences, no more. Mention the break, say what you gained from it, and then return quickly to the job. The letter is about what you bring to the employer, not about what lies behind you.
Sanne first wrote this:
"Unfortunately, I have not been able to work for the past year and a half due to various personal reasons, but I hope you will still give me a chance."
There's nothing untrue in it. It's just that it sounds like an apology, and the reader mainly remembers "unfortunately" and "still give me a chance". Her second version:
"After a year and a half of caring for my mother, I'm ready for a new step. During that time, I planned, arranged and kept an overview every single day. I'd like to do that again, in a team like yours."
Same facts, a completely different feel. The first version asks for understanding. The second shows what she brings. For more help with your letter, see writing a cover letter.
Keep it to three sentences: what happened, what you did during that time, and why you're ready now. Practise that answer out loud, so it sounds calm. Then steer the conversation back to the role yourself.
The moment usually comes early. "I see a period without work here, can you tell me about it?" Anyone who then starts searching for words turns a normal question into an awkward moment. Anyone with a ready answer is done in twenty seconds.
Take Mark, 47, another example. His role was made redundant during a reorganisation and he spent a year looking for work. His answer: "My position was made redundant in a reorganisation. I used that year to get my category C driving licence, and I helped out at a local transport company. Now I'm looking for a permanent position, and this role fits that perfectly." No complaint about his old employer and no lengthy explanation. He answers the question and moves on.
Three things help keep it calm. Don't apologise, because a choice or a situation doesn't need a sorry. Don't give too many details: the longer the explanation, the more follow-up questions. And don't lie. A fabricated job or stretched dates will come out sooner or later, for example through a reference, and then you'll lose more than just the gap.
Perhaps most important of all: tell the same story on your CV, in your letter and in the interview. That way everything lines up, and the employer notices.
More than you think. Almost no one does absolutely nothing for a whole year. It's just that in our heads it doesn't count as real work. An online course, volunteer work, a language you picked up, odd jobs for the neighbours or a project of your own: it all belongs on your CV, either within the period itself or under courses and skills.
Write it down the way you describe work experience, with what you did. "Maintained membership administration for the football club" says more than "volunteer". That way your gap isn't just explained, it's also filled.
Usually not. A few months between two jobs is normal. List your work experience in years. If the employer does ask about it in the interview, you'll have one sentence ready.
Say it matter-of-factly and without criticising your old employer, as Mark did. Then explain what you've done since.
You can keep it brief. You don't need to give medical details. "Personal circumstances, which are now behind me" is a complete answer.
You now know what to say about your break. What still needs to be right is the CV around it. With CV-Refresher you can turn your existing CV into a polished document in a few minutes, from ยฃ4.99. Then you'll go into the interview with a story that holds up and a CV that shows it.
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