- Employers today are more open to candidates with career gaps than before.
- Be clear and confident when explaining your gap, focusing on how you stayed productive.
- Use online courses, certifications, and part-time roles to demonstrate skill growth during the gap.
- Reskill, network, and develop a portfolio to bridge the gap between your old and new skills.
- Employers value your adaptability, resilience, and continuous learning over the length of the gap.
Taking a break from your career, whether for personal growth, health reasons, family responsibilities, or education, is more common than ever before. If you’re wondering how to get a job after a career gap, you may be uncertain about how to explain the break to potential employers or whether it will impact your job prospects.
The truth is, career gaps are no longer a dealbreaker for many employers. The modern workforce is increasingly embracing career gap candidates. With the right strategy, skills, and mindset, you can confidently restart your career after a gap—whether it’s been one year, five years, or even longer.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through proven strategies on how to handle your career gap on your resume, what employers look for when hiring someone after a gap, and how to rebuild your confidence during the job search. By the end of this article, you'll have the tools you need to transform your career break into a stepping stone for your next opportunity.
A career gap is not a flaw—it’s a phase. Before you explain your career break to recruiters, it’s important to understand and accept it yourself. Employers are more receptive when candidates clearly articulate the reason behind their career gap and show how they stayed productive or learned during that period.
There are several valid reasons why a student/recent graduate may have gaps in their employment. The most important thing to remember regarding those gaps is how you present them on your resume and what skills or knowledge you acquired during that period.
Some common categories for why someone has a gap in their employment:
- Obtaining Education and Skills: Preparing for competitive exams, certifications or furthering one's education.
- Taking Care of Family or Personal Obligations: Caring for family members or dealing with personal responsibilities.
- Health and Well-being: Taking time for physical or mental recovery
- Career Exploration or Personal Growth: Self-learning, travel, or reassessing career goals
Employers today focus less on the gap itself and more on transferable skills like adaptability, discipline, and resilience gained during the career break.
One of the most popular inquiries by candidates looking to return to work following a leave is "How Long is Too Long?" Is a career break of two years a dealbreaker? What about after a seventh-year career break? The reality is there isn't a clear-cut answer for that; the key is how candidates value time off or time away from work, and the steps they take to ensure their jobs remain relevant.
The length of your career gap may be something you consider; it is essential to remember that your readiness to return to work should be your primary concern. The longer the gap, the more critical it becomes to demonstrate your readiness by applying your recent learnings and continuing to develop your skill set with relevant skills.
Let’s break down how to approach career gaps depending on the duration:
Short-Term Career Gaps (1–2 Years)
A job after a 1-year gap is very common and typically doesn’t raise concerns with employers. Many candidates successfully return to the workforce after a 2 years gap, especially if they’ve been proactive in staying connected with their industry. Whether it’s through online courses, part-time work, or internships, showcasing recent, relevant experiences helps demonstrate your ongoing professional development.
If you're pursuing a software job after 2 years gap, make sure to stay updated with the latest technologies, tools, and frameworks. Employers will want to know that your skills are current, so having hands-on experience with modern programming languages or frameworks like Python, JavaScript, or cloud platforms like AWS can set you apart.
Mid-Term Career Gaps (3–5 Years)
When looking for a job after a 3-year career gap or a job after a 4-year career gap, every candidate should consider a more thoughtful approach. The employer will want to see evidence that the candidate was involved in some way with their industry while they were out of the workforce, so either through freelancing, volunteering or some other method, an applicant can demonstrate that they have continued to be involved and continue to learn and grow as a professional during that time.
Candidates with a 5-year employment gap should develop a structured reskilling plan before applying for jobs. Many candidates achieve success in landing an IT job within 5 years of their last employment by obtaining additional certifications in high-demand fields, such as cloud computing, data analytics, or security. Candidates may also consider working on real-life projects to help build their resume and demonstrate to potential employers that they are prepared to re-enter the labour market.
Long-Term Career Gaps (7–8+ Years)
There is still a pathway to re-entering the workforce even after working for 7 or 8 years. Throughout the duration of that time period, your previous work experience has become less critical. Instead of your past job titles, potential employers care more about how you now possess the ability to adapt, learn quickly, and contribute positively to their company.
As you consider how you can restart your career after being out of the workforce for a substantial amount of time, think about applying for entry-level jobs, internships, or returnship positions that are geared towards providing people returning to the workforce an opportunity to gain employment. Entry-level positions, internships, and returnship programs will give you a chance to become reacquainted with the workplace environment and provide hands-on training that will help develop your confidence and work skills.
There are also opportunities for project-based learning and short-term contract positions that provide you the ability to ease back into the working world and acquire the experience you need to resume your professional career. Consider exploring project-based learning and/or short-term contract positions if you are considering a software role after being away from your job for a long time. Project-based learning and/or short-term contract positions allow you to complete a project and deliver value to the customer without initially making a long-term commitment to the company.
Quick Recap: Career gaps are a regular part of many people's professional journeys. It’s not about how long you were out of the workforce but how you explain the gap and what you learned during that time. Be prepared to share how the gap helped you grow or develop new skills.
