CV advice - accounting for 'career' break

[mailric]

lie

say you went trekking across patagonia.

[Eliot]

did you find a job in the end?

[Sir_Edward_Matheson]

I can think of some rather more unscrupulous contractors that would put something down like "Greenfield SAP implementation in <insert some middle-eastern country> ..." and go from there, tailoring it to whether they want to go technical or functional. Dangerous but possibly worth it.

[NotAllThere]

The worst thing is to be a lengthy break in, because agents will then try to stiff you on rate. Your last contract lasted until yesterday. It's just you spent the last two years of the contract on holiday.

[NotAllThere]

I can think of some rather more unscrupulous contractors that would put something down like "Greenfield SAP implementation in <insert some middle-eastern country> ..." and go from there, tailoring it to whether they want to go technical or functional. Dangerous but possibly worth it.

Neat idea for reskilling. And when they ask you about what is was like, just look bleak and say "not pleasant".

[expat]

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.

Damn right. I am contracting because it gives me more freedom, and I'm not about to throw that away by worrying that I have to have a good story for everything I've done in my life.

Maybe, as WindyAnna says, there are some who won't take you on if you have a break in your CV: I wouldn't know, I've never worked for them (obviously!) and I can't say I've missed them.

[smiff]

I had 15 months out doing nothing in particular, time seemed to fly...

Anyway, when I started circulating my CV again, a few agencies zeroed in on this time off immediately, OMG!!, WHAT WERE YOU DOING???? We can't possibly put your CV forward....

Funnily enough during my first interview back, the client didn't even ask about it, even although the dates did clearly show a gap. Got the gig.

Bloody pimps.

[bobsyouruncle]

I had 15 months out doing nothing in particular, time seemed to fly...

Anyway, when I started circulating my CV again, a few agencies zeroed in on this time off immediately, OMG!!, WHAT WERE YOU DOING???? We can't possibly put your CV forward....

Funnily enough during my first interview back, the client didn't even ask about it, even although the dates did clearly show a gap. Got the gig.

Bloody pimps.

I had a pimp like that the other day, grilling me about what I had been doing, saying it made me look lazy

Mind you I have had interviews where they have not mentioned it, and I have had interviews where they have made a big deal about it...

sod it, life is too short to work all the time just to fill up your cv

[Moscow Mule]

I had a pimp like that the other day, grilling me about what I had been doing, saying it made me look lazy

Ask him what he did on his holidays. Nosy f*cker.

[oracleslave]

Nosy f*cker.

Tsk tsk. No need for language like that.