The Gap She Tried to Hide
For two years, Lisa deleted and rewrote her LinkedIn About section every month, trying to find a way to explain the 18-month career gap linkedin between her VP Marketing role and her current consulting work. Should she mention it? Ignore it? Make up dates?
The anxiety was paralyzing. Every time a recruiter viewed her profile, she worried they'd notice the gap and assume the worst.
Then her coach asked a simple question: "What were you actually doing during that time?"
Lisa paused. "Taking care of my mom through cancer treatment. Learning Python and SQL because I wanted to understand data better. Consulting for three small businesses part-time. Honestly... I learned more in those 18 months than I did in the three years before."
Her coach smiled. "So why are you hiding the most interesting part of your story?"
Here's the uncomfortable truth: career gaps are only red flags when you treat them like red flags. When you frame them with confidence and clarity, they become proof of resilience, learning, and intentionality—exactly what hiring managers want to see.
Should You Explicitly Mention Career Gaps?
The short answer: it depends on the gap's length, recency, and your goals.
When to Address Directly
Address your career gap linkedin explicitly if:
- The gap is 6+ months and recent: Recruiters will notice and wonder. Get ahead of the question by framing it yourself.
- You gained relevant skills during the gap: Courses, certifications, volunteer work, or consulting projects strengthen your profile.
- The reason is relatable and positive: Parental leave, sabbatical, caregiving, or health recovery are increasingly normalized.
- Your gap story demonstrates growth: If you used the time intentionally, it becomes a differentiator, not a liability.
When to Minimize or Omit
You can downplay or skip mentioning career gap linkedin if:
- The gap is under 6 months: Brief breaks are standard and often unremarkable.
- The gap is 10+ years old: Ancient history rarely matters unless there's a pattern.
- You stayed active in your field informally: Consulting, volunteering, or project-based work can be listed as experience.
- You're pivoting industries: The gap becomes less relevant when you're repositioning anyway.
The key principle: own your narrative. Silence invites assumptions. Confident framing invites understanding.
The 3-Stage Career Gap Strategy
Stage | Focus | Action Items |
---|---|---|
Stage 1: Frame | Control the narrative | Name the gap, state the reason briefly, emphasize intentionality |
Stage 2: Fill | Show productivity | Highlight skills maintained, courses taken, projects completed |
Stage 3: Forward | Redirect to readiness | Position gap as preparation for your next role, not a setback |
Stage 1: Frame the Gap Honestly and Briefly
Don't bury the gap or make excuses. Name it, state the reason in 1-2 sentences, and move on. The goal is clarity without drama.
Examples:
- Parental leave: "I took 14 months off to care for my newborn and chose to extend my leave to be fully present during her first year."
- Caregiving: "I stepped away from full-time work for 18 months to support my father through a health crisis."
- Layoff/job search: "After my role was eliminated in a restructuring, I took time to evaluate my next career move strategically rather than rushing into the wrong fit."
- Health break: "I took a career break to address a health issue and am now fully recovered and energized to return to work."
- Sabbatical: "After 12 years in fast-paced agency environments, I took a planned sabbatical to recharge, learn new skills, and explore international markets."
Notice the pattern: state the reason + signal intentionality or resolution. You're not apologizing—you're explaining.
Stage 2: Fill the Gap with Relevant Activity
This is where most professionals miss an opportunity. Even during employment gaps, you were likely doing something that kept your skills current or built new ones. Surface those activities.
Skills Maintenance:
- "During this time, I completed certifications in Google Analytics and HubSpot to deepen my marketing analytics capabilities."
- "I stayed current in my field by attending industry webinars, reading extensively, and maintaining active participation in professional communities."
Consulting/Freelancing:
- "I provided fractional CMO services to three early-stage startups, helping them build go-to-market strategies and launch their first paid campaigns."
- "I took on project-based design work for nonprofits, completing 8 website redesigns while maintaining flexibility for family commitments."
Learning & Development:
- "I used this period to learn Python and SQL through Coursera and built several data analysis projects to transition into a more technical role."
- "I enrolled in an executive leadership program at [University] to develop strategic management skills for my next role."
Volunteer Work:
- "I volunteered as marketing director for a local nonprofit, leading their rebrand and digital fundraising campaign that raised $150K."
- "I served on the board of [Organization], where I chaired the finance committee and implemented new budgeting processes."
Pro Tip: You can add these activities as official Experience entries on LinkedIn. Title them "Independent Consultant," "Freelance [Role]," or "Volunteer [Role]" to fill the employment timeline visually while accurately representing what you did.
Stage 3: Redirect to Your Readiness
The final step is pivoting from "here's what I was doing" to "here's why I'm ready now." This is especially important in your About section and in interviews.
Examples:
- "This experience taught me resilience, time management, and the importance of prioritization—skills I'm excited to bring to my next leadership role."
- "Now that my family situation has stabilized, I'm eager to return to full-time work and apply everything I learned during my time away."
- "This career break gave me perspective on what I want from my next role: impact, autonomy, and the chance to build something meaningful."
- "I'm now looking for opportunities to apply my updated skill set in [specific role/industry], where I can contribute immediately while continuing to grow."
The message: the gap is behind me, my skills are current, and I'm focused forward.
6 Scenario-Specific Approaches for Career Gaps
Scenario 1: Layoff/Company Restructuring
Frame: "My role was eliminated in a company-wide restructuring affecting 30% of staff. I've used this time to evaluate my next move strategically."
Fill: Mention job search activities, skill-building, networking, or short-term projects.
Forward: "I'm now targeting senior product roles in B2B SaaS where I can leverage my 10 years of experience building 0-to-1 products."
Scenario 2: Parental Leave
Frame: "I took 12 months of parental leave after the birth of my daughter."
Fill: "During this time, I stayed connected to my industry through webinars, completed a Product Management certification, and consulted part-time for a former client."
Forward: "Now that my daughter is in childcare, I'm returning to full-time work with renewed energy and a fresh perspective on work-life integration."
Scenario 3: Health Break
Frame: "I took time off to address a health issue that has since been resolved."
Fill: "I used my recovery period to upskill in [area], stay current with industry trends, and prepare for my return to work."
Forward: "I'm now fully recovered, energized, and ready to bring my 15 years of experience back to a high-performing team."
Scenario 4: Planned Sabbatical
Frame: "After 10 years in high-growth startups, I took a planned 6-month sabbatical to recharge and gain new perspectives."
Fill: "I traveled through Southeast Asia, volunteered with tech education nonprofits, and learned about emerging markets firsthand."
Forward: "This experience gave me fresh insights into international expansion strategies, which I'm excited to apply in my next go-to-market role."
Scenario 5: Caregiving for Family
Frame: "I stepped away from full-time work to care for an aging parent during a critical health period."
Fill: "I maintained my skills through online learning, consulted part-time for two clients, and served on a nonprofit board."
Forward: "With my family situation now stable, I'm eager to return to full-time leadership roles where I can make an impact."
Scenario 6: Career Change Preparation
Frame: "I took a career break to transition from finance to tech and acquire the skills needed for a successful pivot."
Fill: "I completed a coding bootcamp, built three full-stack projects, and contributed to open-source repositories to build my portfolio."
Forward: "I'm now ready for junior developer roles where I can apply my technical skills and 8 years of business acumen to build impactful products."
For more on career pivots, see our guide on how to reposition your LinkedIn profile for a career change.
Using the Experience Section Creatively
You don't have to leave gaps blank in your LinkedIn experience timeline. Here's how to fill them accurately:
- Consulting/Freelancing: Create an entry titled "Independent Consultant" or "Freelance [Your Role]" with start and end dates covering the gap.
- Sabbatical: Add an entry called "Professional Sabbatical" or "Career Break" and describe what you did.
- Volunteer Work: List significant volunteer roles as experience entries (e.g., "Volunteer Marketing Director, [Nonprofit]").
- Education: If you were in school, list it prominently. Degrees and certifications count as productive gap-fillers.
- Personal Projects: If you built a business, created content, or worked on substantial projects, list them as experience.
The goal isn't to deceive—it's to accurately represent what you were doing in a way that fills the visual timeline and demonstrates continued engagement.
How ANDI Helps You Address Career Gaps
Figuring out how to talk about a career gap linkedin confidently is hard. You're often too close to the situation to frame it objectively. ANDI helps you:
- Draft neutral, confident explanations that state facts without over-explaining or apologizing
- Identify skills and activities from your gap period that you might be overlooking or undervaluing
- Reframe the gap as a growth period by surfacing learnings, resilience, or intentionality
- Tailor your gap explanation based on your target audience (recruiters, clients, hiring managers)
- Test different framing approaches to see what feels authentic and confident
Instead of agonizing over how to explain your career gap linkedin or hiding it awkwardly, you'll have clear, confident language that positions you as someone who used the time productively and is ready for what's next.
Gaps Don't Define You—How You Frame Them Does
When Lisa finally rewrote her About section to address her career gap linkedin honestly, something unexpected happened. Instead of crickets, she got messages from recruiters saying, "I love that you were so transparent about your career break—it shows character and resilience."
One hiring manager told her: "The fact that you learned Python and SQL while caring for your mom tells me more about your drive than any job title ever could."
She landed a VP Marketing role three months later—at a company that valued her whole story, not just her resume.
Here's the truth: career gaps are common, normal, and human. Layoffs happen. Health issues arise. Caregiving is necessary. Sabbaticals are smart. What separates candidates who struggle from those who thrive isn't the gap—it's how they talk about it.
Frame it briefly and confidently. Highlight what you did during the gap. Redirect to your readiness for what's next. And remember: the right employer or client will see your gap not as a liability, but as proof of resilience, intentionality, and the kind of life experience that makes you better at what you do.
Your career gap linkedin doesn't define you. Your ability to own your story and move forward does.
Next step: Take control of your LinkedIn relationships — Try ANDI Free.