To ask how to explain a gap year on my CV?

[gapyearstudent]

I graduated last November and planned to have a few months off to rest and maybe travel as I was suffering really badly with anxiety and panic attacks and felt I needed a bit of time off. The next "phase" of my career will be very intense so I wanted to have a little break before starting that.

However the coronavirus has made what should have been a few months into a whole year. I managed to get a part-time retail job in the last few months to get some money but I have not had any experience in my field for a year now.

Things in my field have slowly returned now although because of strict social distancing there are not many jobs available as they have to strictly limit how many people can come in at one time (it's not a job you can do from home).

Having this empty year on my CV is really stressing me out because I don't know how to reframe it in a positive way? I can't exactly say "dealt with anxiety and covid-19" if they ask in an interview what I did during the year.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

You went “travelling” then covid happened and you came back. Now ready for action.

Did you get support for anxiety or just being out of stressfully studying did the trick? Some employers are better than others. These days mental health isn’t something you necessary have to lie about but I understand why you wouldn’t want it to come out unless you have to.

A well spun version of the truth.

You planned to have a nice relaxing break then travel. You are a hard worked so had managed to save enough money to make this possible. Unfortunately covid happened and your travel plans were shelved. You aren't the type to sit around doing nothing so you did your utmost to get a job, which was tricky in lockdown of course.

Working in retail has given you a fascinating insight to consumer behaviour along with exposure to how a business must react when faced with an external shock like an epidemic.

See?

I think it is completely understandable this year to have a longer gap than usual. You only graduated in November and then lockdown started in March.

All you need to say is you decided to take a month or so off post exams (completely normal for people to do this) and had started looking for a role when lockdown struck so that led to a longer break than expected

Lots of people go travelling post graduation.

Just say what you did - because it will come out during any work you get.

I don’t think that amount of time would even raise an eyebrow, especially for a recent graduate

Sorry for the delay in responding. Thank you so much for your replies, they have made me feel much more optimistic. :)

I was feeling quite hopeless as this break seemed like it would go on forever and it would completely ruin my career before it had even begun.

Can I just ask, do you think I should include an explanation of this gap in my CV or just wait for it to be picked up and asked about in an interview?

@2020isnotbehaving Finishing university helped the anxiety a lot, it still rumbles in the background a little but it has eased a lot just by having the stress of university off of my plate.

When I graduated I did a similar type of thing, part time job for some of it, some travelling but also just some staying home playing playstation and reading! I put the part time job dates down and left everything else off, only once got asked about just in the context of "do anything fun? My son took a year off after graduation too". I wouldn't worry it's very common for a gap, from people doing dedicated gap years but also people just struggling to find jobs after graduating

I think you should be absolutely candid about the work-gap on your CV. There really isn’t any stigma in admitting that events overtook your plans, but there could be one in not being truthful.

A family member got their first job-offer more than a year after graduating. A dream job, well-paid. What had they been doing since graduation? Sitting on their arse for the most part, living off a parent rent-and-bills-free, applying for dream-jobs with no intention of applying for something below their skill-set to earn an honest crust. I have more respect for you than I do them

Always explain a gap in your CV; there are lots of good reasons for a gap, but also some spectacularly bad ones (e.g. serving time in prison), and you don't want a perspective employer imagining the worst!

To clarify - you graduated in November but were you also working at that point?

Although really, I don't see this as an issue at all. You could simply say that post graduation you planned to take some time off which was extended as a result of Covid and so took a part time/temporary job. The fact that you did work during this time is also a plus for you - shows that while you couldn't work in your chosen field you were still focused on finding employment/being productive etc.

For the next ten years no one will question an employment gap in 2020 too closely. A break after uni is normal and stating that COVID interrupted gap year travel plans will not be seen as a bad thing. Neither will working in retail during that time.
Survival jobs after uni are normal for many people while they try to land a career role.

@gapyearstudent

Sorry for the delay in responding. Thank you so much for your replies, they have made me feel much more optimistic. :)

I was feeling quite hopeless as this break seemed like it would go on forever and it would completely ruin my career before it had even begun.

Can I just ask, do you think I should include an explanation of this gap in my CV or just wait for it to be picked up and asked about in an interview?

@2020isnotbehaving Finishing university helped the anxiety a lot, it still rumbles in the background a little but it has eased a lot just by having the stress of university off of my plate.

I work for a large company and our application forms have a compulsory box asking you to explain any gaps in education or employment history. Very rarely does this impact on the decision as to whether the candidate will be shortlisted, and it doesn't often come up in interview. Candidates can usually adequately explain it (similar to posters above). Your reason (short break due to travelling plans, COVID impact) wouldn't be a concern in the slightest for us.

Just explain the travel but, but that Covid stopped that and that when you could, you got a retail job.
As long as you have a reason they won’t mind to much!

Explain the gap, but don't dwell on it. It shouldn't be the main point in your CV.

When I recruit people the very first thing I do is scan the CV for gaps. If there is one and it is briefly explained (a sentence or two compared to maybe 5-10 sentences for relevant experience) , then I move on to look for more relevant detail.

Be truthful, travel, covid, pt job. Nobody with blink this year (if it was 3 years travelling it's harder!)

Definitely be truthful.
Just before covid I had an amazing job offer even though I had almost 7 years of staying at home being a mum and carer for my mum.
Unfortunately covid meant they had to withdraw the offer, but the explained gap was still ok.

You'll be fine. Be honest about what you did - as others say, travelling then CV-19 is enough explanation for practically any purpose. Then dates of your recent job - which shows that you're not just sitting around waiting for the perfect job to turn up. There are always transferable skills from any job - dealing with people, organising your time, working in a team etc. It's all about the spin.

The only thing I'd add would be just making sure that you are as up to date with your career skills and development as you can be - even if you can't get hands on time at the moment, can you make sure you've got any extra certification/home study/whatever to show you're actively pursuing and interested despite the gap. Think creatively!

But mostly, don't worry. Employers are people, and they want to employ other people who they can relate to and who have demonstrated problem-solving and resilience. When you reframe it in those terms, most CV gaps - even of longer periods with less mitigating circumstances - are not a problem.

I have employed people who have taken over 12 months as a gap year whilst they travelled.

I did ask questions around where they had been but more out of interest it certainly wasn't a grilling. I honestly would not worry as @TorkTorkBam. said is a perfect explanation and i would be comfortable with that.