CV Advice: Career Break: How to Explain?

[darmstadt]

I don't put months on my CV for contracts, just years so it looks something like this:

2003-ongoing
2003-2004
2004-2005
2004-2006
2006-2009
2009-ongoing

It looks like I've never been out of work and have multiple projects ongoing and seems to work fine although you do get asked about the multiple projects but after explanation then they're fine with it.

[expat]

WHS

In one interview for a contract a few years back some mong pointed out that my CV showed several contracts of six months or a year, and one of only three months, and had the cheek to ask if that indicated incompetence.

Resisting the temptation to punch him, I pointed out that contracts tend to be shorter than permie engagements and most of mine had been extended in three monthly increments. Some permies really are clueless cretins.

You should have pointed out that it showed that you are a contractor; and the question showed that he is not someone you want to do a contract with.

[northernrampage]

I saw a CV last year with a 6 month gap explained as "recovering from an organ donation operation". Don't know if it was true or not as we never got the guy in for interview, but for originality I though it was a good one.

I worked with a guy before he had one done... I'd never seen someone smoke/drink so much and be so ill and still work (the smoking and drinking hadn't caused his probs, I think he just did that). Afterwards he was like a new man, very sprightly.

Thanks all for your tips, I think I was just panicking, will re-arrange my CV. General gist I've got from this is just act as if not a big deal, no matter what I do.

Now to hope there's actually some contracts out there.