CV advice - accounting for 'career' break

[Hicks]

I have been out of IT for a couple of years now.

Took the time off due to personal reasons.
During that time, wasn't working but dabbled a little in property developing.

I am now looking to return to IT.
I was previously a permie but am now debating whether to go contracting or to initially return as a permie.

I am in the process of updating my CV but am unsure how to account for the absence I have had from work.

I was thinking of saying that I was property developing for those 2 years. However, am not sure whether I should go into detail and highlight areas where skills I have used in IT in the past (project mngmnt etc) were used in property development and vice versa.

Or should I just put a brief note that I was property developing without going into detail?

[oracleslave]

Or should I just put a brief note that I was property developing without going into detail?

I would either do that or leave it out altogether if it's not relevant to the role you are applying for. You could always go into detail if asked in an interview.

[DiscoStu]

Did you appear on the Sarah Beeny programme?

I so want to mention the banned N word...

[max]

I have been out of IT for a couple of years now.

Took the time off due to personal reasons.
During that time, wasn't working but dabbled a little in property developing.

Make any money?

Better than contracting(£150k+/yr)?

[Hicks]

I would either do that or leave it out altogether if it's not relevant to the role you are applying for. You could always go into detail if asked in an interview.

Would this not look odd or lead to the CV being discarded?

Perhaps something like the below would be better:

Sept 2005 - Jan 2008
Career Break
Details available at interview

[bored]

Leave it out - the client only cares what skills you have that will help you solve his problems, not why and what you did in your spare time.

[KentPhilip]

OK Hicks how much money have you just lost on your buy-to-debts?

[WindyAnna]

Leave it out - the client only cares what skills you have that will help you solve his problems, not why and what you did in your spare time.

It's not exactly spare time if it's how you're earning a living is it?? Also not always true - I have worked with at least 2 managers (one in last contract with large retailer) who believed that "Career Break" meant that you were likely to leave mid-project to go off travelling and that gaps in CV meant you were unemployable! I was also advised to remove "Career Break" from my CV when originally applying to same retailer on the basis that it would have led to my CV going straight on the "reject" pile and replace it with "maternity leave" (which is what my career break actually was but I thought that was more likely be be rejected than career break!!)

Lots of clients don't like unexplained gaps in CVs - I see loads of contractor CVs where even a one month gap is accounted for my "Holiday in Mauritius" (or whatever) and when I've asked why been told that it caused problems in the past where they had unexplained gaps!>! Weird but true.

[NickFitz]

Lots of clients don't like unexplained gaps in CVs - I see loads of contractor CVs where even a one month gap is accounted for my "Holiday in Mauritius" (or whatever) and when I've asked why been told that it caused problems in the past where they had unexplained gaps!>! Weird but true.

I usually find that clients haven't actually read beyond the first few lines of my CV anyway. I'll be chatting to the person who interviewed me and, when I mention a previous client, they'll say "Oh really, you worked there?" - even though it was only two contracts before

[NoddY]

Utterly pathetic how every spare minute of your life has to be accounted for. Just tell the truth and if they don't like it they can lump it.