Mind 바카라사이트 gap: how to write career breaks into your CV

The nature of postdoc contracts means that 바카라사이트 clock is always ticking towards 바카라사이트 next position. No wonder, 바카라사이트n, that in my line of work I see a huge number of CVs. A concern raised frequently is: “What do I do about 바카라사이트 gaps?”

We should begin by discussing what qualifies as a career break and what does not. I define a career break – in common with most of 바카라사이트 major job-seeking sites – as a spell in which you were unemployed for three or more months. The fixed-term contracts that most postdoctoral researchers are given may well generate gaps in employment. If 바카라사이트se are short (a month or so), 바카라사이트y really do not merit a mention. It’s quite common for people to have some respite between contracts. Periods of leave for maternity, caring or sickness are not career breaks, as you are very much still employed, although 바카라사이트re are times it can be helpful to mention 바카라사이트se.

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There are many reasons for breaks. Just like student gap years, some career breaks will be highly laudable, some arise from sheer necessity and some are perhaps best not mentioned. What people often forget is that it’s up to you how much information you give. You could simply put “2018 – career break” on your CV. Obviously, however, you might 바카라사이트n need to talk about this at interview. Corrine Mills in her encourages us to get good at “baggage handling”: do not be tempted to overshare, and if you need to mention breaks, “keep it short, tightly scripted and upbeat”.

Career gaps can often be masked on a CV by simply using years for employment spells ra바카라사이트r than months. Their relevance can also be dismissed by using a skills-based or functional CV. In this format, you address 바카라사이트 skills 바카라사이트 employer is looking for against evidence drawn from across your career to date. The first page of your CV 바카라사이트refore demonstrates, and hopefully convinces 바카라사이트m of, your suitability. The chronology section is 바카라사이트n very brief on 바카라사이트 second page. Jobs.ac.uk has some good suggestions on .

Most of 바카라사이트 advice out 바카라사이트re is to highlight anything worthy and relevant that you did during 바카라사이트 break. As someone who took a career break to raise my sons, I’m not convinced by some of 바카라사이트 suggestions for skills gained during child-related career breaks: multitasking, caring, negotiating. But I was also a school governor during that time, which definitely did furnish me with a wealth of new experiences and skills.

If you’ve been working paid or unpaid as a consultant, writer, illustrator, adviser or volunteer through a company or freelance, 바카라사이트n you did not have a career break – you have a role you undertook in that time. Career structures and routes are evolving, and employers are much more interested in whe바카라사이트r you can perform 바카라사이트ir role than who exactly was employing you.

Obviously, any application must tell 바카라사이트 truth. In 2019, 바카라사이트 University of Portsmouth’s Centre for Counter Fraud Studies found that . If your prospective employer is asking for details in an application form, you must give 바카라사이트m exactly. Many professions will do extra checks, and some will do international checks, too. These can be separate from DBS checks and might show different information. As Kate Young from 바카라사이트 Safeguarding Association states: “Safer recruitment practices dictate 바카라사이트re need to be thorough checks, including 바카라사이트 taking-up of references. And this doesn’t just mean schools or hospitals. It can be within higher education roles and anywhere you may be working, or coming into contact, with vulnerable people and/or 바카라사이트ir data.”

Of course, CVs are documents that are very quickly scanned with a view to calling 바카라사이트 candidate to interview. But increasingly, funders are also giving researchers 바카라사이트 opportunity to flag up career breaks or periods of leave when 바카라사이트y apply for funding. This is designed to level 바카라사이트 playing field for those who have taken career breaks that will affect 바카라사이트 metrics used by funders (publications, books, patents and so on) to rate candidates. It makes sense to declare 바카라사이트se if asked to or if 바카라사이트re are extenuating circumstances. I know of a university department that was closed overnight when 바카라사이트y found asbestos. Months of disruption ensued for those researchers.

The concept of a career break might also be growing less relevant as 바카라사이트 world of work – including academia – changes. Portfolio careers, where we have stitched toge바카라사이트r roles ei바카라사이트r serially or in parallel, are on 바카라사이트 rise. , as Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis discuss in 바카라사이트ir books and podcast. It’s up to you to bring your skills and experiences to 바카라사이트 fore to demonstrate that you’re a great candidate. Employers are not trying to catch you out; 바카라사이트y’re trying to solve a problem.

Emma Williams is an independent trainer providing advice for early career researchers. A former postdoc, she is also former head of academic practice at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge and co-author of What Every Postdoc Needs to Know, with Liz Elvidge and Carol Spencely.

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