How do I address a resume gap of doing nothing currently? Forum

[smokeylarue]

Some background, quit my job in April. Studied for and took the June 2011 LSAT. Since then I've done some traveling and a lot of bumming at home. How can I address this in my resume?

[monkey85]

For what - applying to law school? applying for jobs?

Either way shouldn't really be an issue.
- Law school: they just look at LSAT/GPA
- Jobs: mostly GPA, then if they ask you just say you took time off to travel before law school.

It is exactly what I did before law school (travel for months) and it did not cause any problems with either getting into law school or getting an SA position.

[smokeylarue]

This is for applying to law schools. I know LSAT/GPA is like 90% of the decision. But if they were to look at my resume, it would show I've been jobless and doing nothing for 6 months now, wondering how bad that looks.

[bport hopeful]

I wouldnt address it at all.

[theadvancededit]

You can mention your travel experience as an added bonus, like athletics. Other than that, you shouldn't have to explain anything.

[ilovesf]

Some background, quit my job in April. Studied for and took the June 2011 LSAT. Since then I've done some traveling and a lot of bumming at home. How can I address this in my resume?

the same was my problem. i took time off to travel for around six months. i took language classes while i was abroad and i added that under my other skills section. otherwise, don't mention it. it didn't seem to really matter in my cycle, i did as expected for my numbers.

[PDaddy]

Some background, quit my job in April. Studied for and took the June 2011 LSAT. Since then I've done some traveling and a lot of bumming at home. How can I address this in my resume?

I don't think your empty time is fatal, but it's impossible to do "nothing". You are doing something, or you can make yourself busy and useful during down time.

Are you caring for a sick relative living in the home? Have you been seeking work? Doing yard work for your parents? Tutoring a sibling?

Would it be possible to offer your services as a volunteer at a non-profit or with the homeless going forward? Do something. Enroll in a community college course. Offer to be someone's research assistant. Work as a tutor. Apply for your real estate license. Do something productive to fill your time. There are lots of things you can do.

If you have nothing to fill the time with, studying for the LSAT, writing essays and filling out apps can sometimes be enough to impress adcoms, because it shows that you have invested a lot of time nd effort into the process. The caveat is that your apps had better be really, really strong.

Other suggestions:

Start reading some of the recommended books/novels for first-year law students. Go on some school visits, that's a great way to fill your time, because you can spend a few months doing that, and it shows initiative and dedication.

If your free time is really short, and you are a strong applicant, it's not a bad thing to say that you are just taking a temporary break...you're human, and that's allowed.

[American_in_China]

Solution- go do something. There are plenty of organizations looking for volunteers.