How to Write a CV for a Job You’re Slightly Underqualified For
Missing a few listed requirements doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply — it means your CV needs to work…
Career gaps are common. What matters is how clearly and confidently you address them — not whether you had one.
Career gaps — from a few months to a few years — are far more common than most job seekers assume, and most hiring managers have seen plenty of them. What actually affects how a gap is perceived is less about the length and more about how it’s presented: vague, hidden, or awkwardly explained gaps raise more questions than ones addressed directly and briefly. Here’s how to format a gap on your CV and example wording for common situations.
Three Ways to Format a Gap on Your CV
| Approach | Best For |
|---|---|
| Label the gap directly in your work history | Shorter, more straightforward gaps (a few months to about a year) |
| List the gap as its own “entry” with relevant activity | Gaps where you did meaningful things — courses, freelance work, caregiving, volunteering |
| Use a skills-based (functional) CV format | Longer or multiple gaps, where you’d rather lead with capabilities over a strict timeline |
Tip: Use full years rather than exact months in your work history dates (e.g., “2023–2025” instead of “March 2023–January 2025”) if your gap is short relative to your roles — this is a standard, non-deceptive convention that avoids drawing unnecessary attention to a brief gap.
Example Wording by Situation
Health-Related Gap
“2023–2024: Personal medical leave. Focused on recovery and returned to full health; maintained industry knowledge through [relevant course/reading/certification] during this period.”
Caregiving Gap
“2022–2024: Full-time caregiver for a family member. Managed household logistics, budgeting, and scheduling — skills directly transferable to project coordination and operations work.”
Layoff or Redundancy
“2023: Position eliminated due to company-wide restructuring. Used the transition period to complete [certification] and sharpen [specific skill] ahead of re-entering the workforce.”
Further Study or Career Change Preparation
“2022–2023: Completed a postgraduate certificate in [field] to build toward a transition into [new field], including a capstone project on [relevant topic].”
Travel or Personal Time
“2023: Took a planned career break for personal travel and reflection. Returned with renewed focus and completed [relevant online course] during this period to stay current in the field.”
Entrepreneurial Venture That Didn’t Continue
“2021–2023: Founder, [Venture Name]. Built and operated an independent business, managing budgeting, client relationships, and day-to-day operations before returning to full-time employment.”
Job Search Difficulty / Market Conditions
“2023–2024: Actively job searching during a challenging hiring period in [industry]. Used the time to complete [certification], take on select freelance projects, and stay current with [relevant tools/trends].”
How to Talk About It in an Interview
Your CV wording should match what you say out loud if asked — keep both brief, honest, and forward-looking. A strong verbal answer follows a simple pattern: state the reason plainly, mention briefly what you did during that time (if relevant), and pivot quickly to your readiness now.
Sample Spoken Answer
“I took about a year away from full-time work to care for a family member. During that time, I kept my skills sharp through a couple of online courses, and I’m excited now to bring that experience — plus my background in [core skill] — back into a full-time role.”
What Not to Do
- Don’t leave a long, unexplained blank space in your timeline — it invites more speculation than a brief, honest explanation would.
- Don’t over-explain or apologize excessively. One or two sentences is enough; dwelling on it draws more attention to the gap, not less.
- Don’t fabricate dates or roles to disguise a gap — this can be discovered during reference or background checks and damages trust far more than the gap itself ever would.
- Don’t assume every employer will react negatively. Many hiring managers have had gaps themselves or have hired people with them successfully before.
Strengthening Your CV Around the Gap
- Highlight any activity during the gap — courses, volunteering, freelance work, or projects — even informally, since it shows continued engagement with your field or new skills.
- Lead your CV with a strong professional summary that focuses on your current skills and what you bring now, so the gap isn’t the first thing a reviewer’s eye lands on.
- Make sure the rest of your CV is fully updated — outdated tools or terminology elsewhere can compound the impression of a gap, even a short one.
Preparing to discuss your gap in an interview? Register a free account on PSCJobs for interview tips, HR advice, and surveys designed to sharpen your job-search readiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to explain every gap on my CV, even short ones?
Not necessarily — gaps of a few months are common and often don’t need a specific explanation. Focus your explanation efforts on gaps of six months or longer.
Should I put the gap explanation on my CV or save it for the interview?
Either can work. A brief note on the CV can pre-empt the question and control the narrative; leaving it for the interview works well if you’d rather explain it in your own words and tone.
Is it better to use a chronological or skills-based CV format if I have a long gap?
A skills-based (functional) format can work well for longer or multiple gaps, since it leads with your capabilities rather than a strict timeline — though some recruiters still prefer chronological formats, so weigh this against your specific industry’s norms.
What if I genuinely did nothing productive during my gap?
That’s okay — you don’t need to manufacture activity that didn’t happen. A brief, honest explanation followed by a clear statement of your readiness now is enough; most employers care more about your skills going forward than a detailed accounting of every month away.
Bottom line: Explaining a career gap on your CV comes down to brevity and honesty — pick a format that fits the length and nature of your gap, use a short, confident line of wording rather than an extended justification, and let the rest of your CV do the work of showing you’re ready for what’s next.
PSC Jobs Kenya
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