Did you know that a third of UK workers have taken a career break of six months or more? Recent research from Applied, a behavioural science tool for predictive and fair hiring, found that, unsurprisingly, childcare was the most common reason, with 38 per cent of women saying this was why they’d taken an extended break from work, as opposed to 11 per cent of men.
Mental or physical health was the reason for 20 per cent of respondents, and 29 per cent said redundancy or caring responsibilities were why they had experienced a career gap. But there are plenty of other reasons why you might consider taking extended time off work including travel, study or volunteering.
Depending on your sector, you may be entitled to a sabbatical or have an official mechanism allowing you to take a leave of absence.
Less confident
No matter what the reason, half of workers say they don’t want to tell their employer about previous career gaps, with 53 per cent saying they’d be more confident applying for jobs if they didn’t have to disclose a gap with a prospective employer––that rose to 77 per cent among C-suite executives.
Perhaps they are right to be worried: the study also found that 49 per cent of HR professionals and employers think that candidates who have taken a career gap should be “prepared to explain” why to potential employers.
“Candidates should not have to explain their career gap to employers beyond the extent to which the skills they gained qualify them for the role at hand,” says Khyati Sundaram, chief executive of Applied.
Another worry workers have is that they won’t retain their experience, with 35 per cent saying a career gap of a year or longer could result in “skill fade”. However, 51 per cent said they felt like they had actually gained skills due to a break in their work.
Sundaram says that, “The notion of ‘skill fade’ during a career gap is a fallacy”, but the fear factor remains for workers. So how can you explain away a gap on your CV when you’re contacted by a recruiter, or in an interview?
Be open
For starters, don’t attempt to hide it––even a rudimentary browse of your CV will highlight missing experience. Instead, add your break onto your CV along with its start and end dates, as you would any other role. Label it “sabbatical” or “professional development”. That way, it flows with your other work experience.
Spin it
There is no doubt that many people reap huge benefits from a career break. You could say, “I chose to take time away to refocus on my long-term career goals.” Using this style of language sounds confident and puts you in the driving seat.
Show learnings
Huge benefits can come from time away from the workforce, in particular development of your soft skills. If you were in education, you’re likely to have developed better communication and presentation abilities, for example. Ninety-three percent of employers say soft skills play a critical role in their hiring decisions, according to a recent report.
Are you ready to reframe your career break? The London Economic Job Board is a great place to start, with thousands of opportunities. Discover three open roles below.
Program Manager, GoCardless, London
As a Program Manager at GoCardless, you will work with compliance managers to relaunch and run the various compliance programs and drive programmatic structuring and implementation. You’ll predict resources needed to reach objectives, and manage resources in an effective and efficient manner and utilise industry best practices, techniques, and standards throughout. You will need experience in running cross-functional, multi-dimensional programs, and can pick up new tools easily. Preferably, you’ll have some experience in OKRs and other priority setting methodologies. Get full information on this role here.
AWS/Python Software Engineer, E.ON Next, London
E.ON Next is one of the biggest energy providers in the UK and plays a crucial role in shaping the UK energy market. Its solutions are hosted in AWS and are deployed through fully integrated CI/CD pipelines in GitLab Cloud, keeping cycle times short. The AWS/Python Software Engineer will play a crucial role in the backend engineering team, helping to build full-stack cloud apps, using AWS Cloud services with Python and its frameworks, such as Django on the backend. You’ll use a server-less first approach to application design and will work in an agile team with other backend engineers and product designers. Interested? The full job spec can be found here.
Senior GIS Software Engineer, Sopra Steria, United Kingdom
Sopra Steria is on the lookout for a Senior Software Engineer to work on greenfield development work using modern technologies. You will ideally have experience in C# and Microsoft Azure, as well as a good understanding of GIS Mapping and will possess the ability to solve problems with a commercial judgement and communicate feedback. Relevant experience for this role include GIS Web Mapping, C# and Microsoft Azure, plus you’ll need experience in SQL and Agile (Scrum) to apply for this role.
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