Explaining parts of a CV

Former Member

how would you explain going months without a job or studying on a cv/covering leter?

i decided to do nothing for 2 months. went on a few weeks holiday. then decided to find a job, so i applyed for jsa and spent 2 months searching for a job with no results, then got fed up and dossed for another month. i have quit jsa last month to force myself to get a job. i won't bullshit you.

but i if asked what did i do, i cant see the truth being the best thing to tell a possible employer. so i could:
1) word it differently. explain why i didnt do anything, say i was job searching, building up a portfolio and was depressed. blah blah blah...
2) say i went travelling.
3) just not mention it.

help.

Former Member

I would mention the traveling, and then say something non-descript such as 'a family situation forced me to put job searching to a back burner for a short while'.

Former Member

If I were you I wouldn't mention anything negative, and I definately wouldn't discuss your feelings of depression, in my opinion this is not a good thing for a prospective employer to remember you by.

I would:

Definately mention that you have been travelling and developing a greater understanding of other cultures.

I would put this in my cover letter ie. since leaving blah blah blah at the end of 2006 I have spent time travelling in blah...

Former Member

How old are you?
Have you had a job previously?
Have you recently left full time education?

If you've just left school/uni I wouldnt' worry loads of people have a few months or even years when they are struggling to find work - or not really bothering to look very hard.

If you've left a job or are a bit older then it might be slightly different - you could mention that you have been travelling - or if you have been freelancing you could say you earn't enough to take a few months off do persue XYZ hobby or do up your house or something.

Former Member

Wyetry wrote: »

How old are you?
Have you had a job previously?
Have you recently left full time education?

im 23 next week and left full time education a few months ago. i didnt have a part time job while at uni, and i didnt work last summer cos i couldnt be arsed and i had enough to get by on.

i didn't work summer 2005 cos i broke my leg.
not done a 'proper' days work since sep 2004.


i would like to say i went travelling for a couple of months, and gained this and achieved that.....especially as i plan to actually go before the winter anyway. i could just write some bullshit in the covering letter about stuff i have already researched about and just pretend ive already done it. but if they ask face to face, im not so sure.

if i said id been travelling, i would have to write/talk about what i achieved, and it would be a blatent lie. and then there would be lies covering them up. what if the boss asked me how japan was after id been there a week? i just cant see it being such a great plan.

but as you said, quite a few people dont get a job for a bit after uni....

do you reckon i could get by without even mentioning the gap? just skipping over it?!

Former Member

Hum well it doesn't sound like your in a wildly disadvantaged situation - have you tried signing up to agencies - TBH if you just put down that you were looking for your dream job I think most people would understand - its not very uncommon. I know quite a few people who didn't ahve a job until they finished university and then spend months or years looking for the right on and dossing at home - which might well prove to be better in the long run than what i did which was take the first job you were offerd.

However if your worried about gaps on your CV then i'd definately go the agency route and also try and do some volunteering work.

Former Member

well i signed on to a few agencies after i moved house in september. i checked back every so often, passed all their tests etc....load of balls if you ask me.
i was only looking for a a warehouse job or a driving job, any hours. they never have anything. i got fed up of going to check all the time.

ill try almost anything that isnt in a shirt and tie in an office. not too ibothered about doing anything related to my degree. they bashed any enthusiasm out of me years ago.

could i say i'd worked a few days here and there for different companies through an agency? or would i need to put the agencies name down and state which place i worked at for how many days etc...?

Former Member

Don't include months in the dates, just the year. Problem solved.

Former Member

You don't need to account for every moment of your life, and you're covering letter doesn't need to be an essay, just to the point explaining why you are applying for the job.

I'd put what you've done since you left uni on the CV rather than the covering letter, say you did temp work and travelled a bit, quasi gap year type thing.

Former Member

thanks for the replies so far. it has helped.

@scary monster. could i actually say that i did a few days here and a few days there temping though?

wouldnt they want to contact the agency?

Former Member

You normally have to give two references for any job you apply for and its usual for people to stipulate that at least one has to be your most recent employer - so if you said you had been temping you would have to have quite a good reason why you didn't put the agency down as a refferee.

Former Member

What are you applying for?

You're taking it very very seriously. As long as you can provide 2 reasonable references then they aren't going to stalk you're every movemnt, unless it's the Police, or MI5 or something.