Employment Gap Forum

[blugirl400]

How long of an employment gap warrants explanation? I have a six month gap because I moved. Also, how would I explain an employment gap. What would it look like on a resume?

[atcushman]

Need more specifics...was it the first 6 months after ug graduation? was it 6 months following a layoff from a job you had worked 10 years?

I would say 0-6 months no explanation 6-12 months brief explanation, 1year+ maybe half page about what you were doing and how you benefited.

If you were to explain it simply state why you left your position, what you did during this period, how you benefited, and then what you did after the gap (after settling into my new home I began working as x)

[bluepenguin]

Some schools specifically say "account for all time periods." Use your judgment.

[AntipodeanPhil]

Like other posters have already said, it depends on the details.

If you were doing something interesting during the period (travelling, volunteering, etc), you should explain it. If you were just looking for work, I wouldn't state that unless an application explicitly asks you to account for all gaps. In this economy, no one is going to think worse of you if it took you six months to find a job in your hometown.

What would it look like on a resume?

If this is a concern about how a gap will appear to employers, don't worry. Law school resumes don't need to be detailed. A lot of people just write the years for each of their jobs (i.e., "Testmasters LSAT Instructor, 2010-2012"), which should hide any gap of less than 12 months.

I was worried about this (I have a gap of six months and a gap of five months), but I just listed the years for each of my jobs on my resume. I've had three interviews with law firms already, and no interviewer has shown any interest whatsoever in the specifics of my employment history.