To think that "we require a 5 year job history with no gaps"

[PyongyangKipperbang]

is effectively saying "We dont want anyone with young kids"?

And it will disproportionately affect women who are usually the ones who give up work for a few years when the kids are little?

It’s usual to ask for explanations for gaps in job history. I don’t think it’s discrimination

It means you need to explain all gaps, not that you can’t have employment gaps. A mum who took a year or two to keep her kid at home, or someone who spent a few years travelling or caring, will usually be viewed really positively.

I have a job which, for safeguarding reasons, requires me to account for all of my time since leaving full-time education (30 years ago)! During those 30 years I have had full and part-time roles, I have had maternity leave for two children, chosen to take a career break and had two short periods of unemployment. I am also disabled. None of those are an issue – beyond the fact it’s a real pain writing it all out with correct dates!

YABU and over thought that to the next level.

In my line of work employment history must be complete, gaps have to be explained. Any long gap- e.g. several years- could mean that validation had lapsed or that a return to work programme could be needed, or at the very least evidence of keeping up to date with current guidelines etc. Not discriminatory, it’s required to ensure competency and up to date knowledge for patient safety.

We used to ask for this as part of our safer recruitment procedures. Being at home caring for children or as a carer for a relative was fine. It was unexplained gaps that were of concern.

Technically ML may not be counted as a "gap" but it sounds very much like this employer is going to do their damnedest to weed out anyone with young children anyway. There are ways of finding out.

I have had many jobs in a 5 year period and hate listing them I know it's something they need but I feel like they judge before they meet you.

Education jobs have to have no gaps - so any time you have not been in work you have to say why / where you were.

I don't see this as unreasonable, you don't really want to employ somebody who's going to go travelling for a year when you've spent time and money training them for a job. The only way it could really be seen as unfair is if it excludes people who've been seriously ill.

I was once questioned about a 4 week gap over 7 years previously, it was so bizarre I had to get up and look at my application form to see what they were actually on about - I have never had a 'gap' since.

I don't think they include maternity leave because you are still employed. They wouldn't want me because I had a six year break.

When I worked in HR for the NHS a few years ago this was a nightmare. You need references that covered the previous 5 years without gaps. If you had an employment gap you needed to explain AND provide a character reference from “upstanding member of the community” similar to passport signing. We sometimes had to then refuse employment if they couldn’t, it was particularly a problem with domestic cleaners who often really struggled and couldn’t provide any people like that as a reference.

I think a gap is an unaccounted for time when you don't specify anything. I didn't work for eight years and just put stay at home parent on my CV, I still got interviews and a job. I never tried to dress up the parenting either although actually I learned a lot about myself and new skills during that period.

My neighbour and another friend provided me with character references.

What's the job?

I do understand the need to weed out those with dodgy criminal convictions they are trying to hide but it also makes me really cross that it’s seen as some kind of character flaw to have a ‘gap’ for your one reasons!

In what industry? If aviation or something that can attract a real terrorist threat then the 5 year history without gaps isn’t about your jobs it’s about accounting for where you were when not working, in that instance you’d need a professional/tax office etc to vouch that you weren’t in boot camp learning how to be a terrorist

I've just applied for a job. It asked for full employment history with explanations for any gaps. The gaps in mine are explained by maternity leave/ having young children. (I took 2 months over the one year maternity leave after one child, and a year and 4 months after the second child.) In most cases having I'm sure that young children is enough of a reason. I guess in some jobs a large gap could potentially mean being out of touch with the latest guidance etc?

I took that to mean gaps had to be explained. My daughter applied for security work and had to get a letter from HMRC listing all employers in last 5 years and state what she was doing in between, ie benefits in her case. Employer had no probs with her replies

Depends on the job
Very few women in my profession take a career break except for ML as you need to maintain CPD & registration without a break (yep I had to keep it up whilst on ML & that's when CPD couldn't be done online) or you have to retake your professional exams (not something to consider lightly) and the easiest way to do that is through working

I lived in a town many years ago, and most jobs were low rank jobs and dead men's shoes... Most jobs appeared when someone old died, and everyone else shuffles up, and a low job becomes available.

It was also at a time of v high unemployment nationally. I often scraped by on temping jobs via an agency. So.my history was very gappy.

I came across many applications where they wanted a full work history, 5 or more often a 10 year history.

What I learned to do was LIE! I'd make a 2 week temp job last longer, so I had no chronological gaps. if.id.onlynhad a couple posts for one year, I'd exagorate lengths of service. I'd also write, it might seem like a lot, but I was a temping staff.

Anyone who.for whatever reason who may have a happy job history. I think the forms are from.old school, where people got jobs and stuck to the same job until retirement. That's not how it is now.

You are fine to write career break. They just want you to include all the jobs you've had and not edited highlights. I used to do short contracts so my form would be three pages. A career break to spend time with your kids when they were small is not going to get you thrown in a bin. One question you might get asked is why you are returning to work. Mine was that we weren't matching income with expenditure. I originally said stuff like new challenge or ready to get back to work, but saying we needed money got me the jobs! They want to know that you need the job too and won't flake off after a couple of months. Unexplained short employment looks like you were asked to leave or quit so make sure you explain any employment under six months fully too.

I think they are saving time for both themselves and you, as long as it is being honest within the law I see no harm! They are the employer and you would be the employee, thus they know what they do not want and will just move on to the next applicant!

Employers can ask and hope for this but it really is stupid. People get made redundant, companies close down, and who's to say which applicant is best for a particular job despite not having an unbroken 5 years job history. It is a silly rule that the company have made and it will harm them.