Gaps are normal. Many people step away from work to care for a relative, study, recover from illness, start a business that does not survive, or wait between contracts. What hurts a candidate is not the gap but the vagueness around it.
Show it on the CV
Do not leave a hole in the timeline and do not pad it. Give the gap one short line, in the same format as your other roles.
2023 – 2024 · Career break
Full-time care for a family member. Completed a six-week online course in project management.
Only write what is true. If you did not do a course, leave that line out. A short accurate entry is better than a long invented one.
Common gaps and how to phrase them
- Study or a second degree. Name the programme and the award.
- NYSC, or a wait between jobs. NYSC is a recognised service year. Name the dates and the posting.
- Caring for family. A single line is enough. You do not owe a full account.
- A business that closed. Say so plainly, and name one thing you learned or did well.
- Health recovery. You do not have to disclose the detail. “Took time for health reasons and have now fully returned to work” is a complete answer.
In the interview
Answer in about twenty seconds, then move to what you have done since. Keep the tone factual, the way you would describe a project.
“From March 2023 to June 2024 I stepped away from work to care for my mother after surgery.
She has recovered, and since then I have completed a project management course and returned full-time. What I am looking for now is…”
Which gaps need an explanation
Not every gap needs a note on the page. A few months between roles, a short break after a contract ends, or time spent on a course you can name usually needs one line in the timeline and nothing more. Explaining every month makes the CV look nervous, and it pushes the useful information further down the page.
A longer gap, such as a year or more, is better answered with one plain sentence on the CV and a fuller answer in the interview. Name the reason, say what you did to stay current, and move on to your next role. If the break was because of a family or health matter, you decide how much to share. One sentence is enough.
Freelance work, volunteering, a business you ran, or study all count as activity. If you did any of these during the gap, say so, and say what you produced. A recruiter reads a dated line of work as far more reassuring than an empty space.