how to explain resume gaps
January 4, 2011 3:11 PM Subscribe
Well, that was dumb. I spent the past two summers spending time with my (now) ex-girlfriend. No jobs. No internships. How do I explain the resume gaps to employers/grad schools in the future?
My ex and I were in a long-distance relationship while in college. I made every effort to come home during breaks and spend time with her. Yeah, it was a stupid thing to do, and I don't have excuses other than that it was my first serious relationship, and I naively thought we'd be together forever (no judgment here, please? Haha...). After our relationship ended, I devoted quite a bit of time reading all the relevant breakup posts on MeFi, too.
It's not like I didn't do anything else during the summers. I was trying to be there for my family (I go to school on the opposite coast) as they were going through hard times. I have a strong passion for music recording/producing, so I spent some time learning how to use the related programs as well. But to me this doesn't seem enough to explain two summers (a whooping 6 months in total). And I have to admit that the thought of hanging out with my ex was what primarily made me come home, and it discouraged me from looking out for opportunities elsewhere or even at home.
I want to find a job after graduation (I have one more semester to go), take some extra classes, and apply to grad schools a few years later. To employers (who may be offering a job or even an unpaid internship) and grad schools, how do I explain these gaps? Just be honest? I hate that I'm in this situation right now, and I'm worried that I won't find anything to do. Am I screwed?
My ex and I were in a long-distance relationship while in college. I made every effort to come home during breaks and spend time with her. Yeah, it was a stupid thing to do, and I don't have excuses other than that it was my first serious relationship, and I naively thought we'd be together forever (no judgment here, please? Haha...). After our relationship ended, I devoted quite a bit of time reading all the relevant breakup posts on MeFi, too.
It's not like I didn't do anything else during the summers. I was trying to be there for my family (I go to school on the opposite coast) as they were going through hard times. I have a strong passion for music recording/producing, so I spent some time learning how to use the related programs as well. But to me this doesn't seem enough to explain two summers (a whooping 6 months in total). And I have to admit that the thought of hanging out with my ex was what primarily made me come home, and it discouraged me from looking out for opportunities elsewhere or even at home.
I want to find a job after graduation (I have one more semester to go), take some extra classes, and apply to grad schools a few years later. To employers (who may be offering a job or even an unpaid internship) and grad schools, how do I explain these gaps? Just be honest? I hate that I'm in this situation right now, and I'm worried that I won't find anything to do. Am I screwed?
Are you looking for a job in a profession that prizes internships, related jobs in the summers, etc? (I'm thinking along the lines of when a law student leaves law school, s/he needs to have an internship or two, that kind of thing.)
If the above doesn't apply, I may be totally naive here, but I honestly cannot think of any reason why anyone would care what you did with your summers as long as it wasn't stealing cars and getting arrested. What you do between your undergrad degree and applying to grad school probably matters more, but then again - I have friends who've applied to grad school after nothing but working and deciding they had a passion for architectural renovation and restoration (for example).
It's hard for everyone to find a job right now, but I don't think you've made some huge, indelible mistake by being a teenager/kid in his early 20's for a few years. Crazy as it may seem, we do get some time to screw around, and trust me, most of it happens before you're 30.
posted by Medieval Maven at 3:18 PM on January 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
If the above doesn't apply, I may be totally naive here, but I honestly cannot think of any reason why anyone would care what you did with your summers as long as it wasn't stealing cars and getting arrested. What you do between your undergrad degree and applying to grad school probably matters more, but then again - I have friends who've applied to grad school after nothing but working and deciding they had a passion for architectural renovation and restoration (for example).
It's hard for everyone to find a job right now, but I don't think you've made some huge, indelible mistake by being a teenager/kid in his early 20's for a few years. Crazy as it may seem, we do get some time to screw around, and trust me, most of it happens before you're 30.
posted by Medieval Maven at 3:18 PM on January 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
10 minutes ago I was helping my wife craft a resume that somehow de-emphasizes the last 14 years that she has dedicated to staying home and raising our kids. And you are worried about a couple of summers?
Relax. You don't have a problem.
posted by COD at 3:19 PM on January 4, 2011 [7 favorites]
Relax. You don't have a problem.
posted by COD at 3:19 PM on January 4, 2011 [7 favorites]
You were in school full-time? I doubt anyone will ask you to explain "gaps" - you wer in school from 2008-2010 or whatever - no gaps.
If anyone specifically asks what you did over the summer, just say you pursued your hobby interest in music recording/producing.
posted by muddgirl at 3:19 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
If anyone specifically asks what you did over the summer, just say you pursued your hobby interest in music recording/producing.
posted by muddgirl at 3:19 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
I got some resume advice from a recruiter at Boeing who specifically told me to nix all the odd jobs I had over the summer. I guess it looked pretty "unprofessional" to have jobs like dog walker and house painter on my engineering CV.
Of course, they never offered me a job. I still think the advice is sound, though.
posted by backseatpilot at 3:28 PM on January 4, 2011
Of course, they never offered me a job. I still think the advice is sound, though.
posted by backseatpilot at 3:28 PM on January 4, 2011
If I were hiring a recent college grad, I wouldn't care what he did on his summer vacations.
What I would care about are the tons of little projects he was doing in his spare time, such as your music / recording projects, which you of course have ready to download from your personal site, correct? ;-)
Guy with degree + nothing else = interview, but no job.
Guy with degree + Web site with downloadable goodies showing me his passion and talent = job.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:32 PM on January 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
What I would care about are the tons of little projects he was doing in his spare time, such as your music / recording projects, which you of course have ready to download from your personal site, correct? ;-)
Guy with degree + nothing else = interview, but no job.
Guy with degree + Web site with downloadable goodies showing me his passion and talent = job.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:32 PM on January 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
There are no such things as "gaps" in employment. There are only: sabbaticals, traveling, or freelancing. Choose the option that fits the best if you are ever asked to "explain yourself" - Which, trust me, you won't be...so its really not a problem. Understand that when it comes to jobs, the truth can be bent within reason to suit your needs - as long as you aren't lying about credentials / capabilities.
posted by jnnla at 3:58 PM on January 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by jnnla at 3:58 PM on January 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
What? I had two summers in college where I didn't work and had no problem getting a great grad school placement, an excellent internship and a good job in a competitive field.
No one ever asked me what I did those two summers.
However, I did have someone ask me why I got that low grade in that one statistics class in a job interview 8 years after I graduated.
posted by Jahaza at 4:04 PM on January 4, 2011
No one ever asked me what I did those two summers.
However, I did have someone ask me why I got that low grade in that one statistics class in a job interview 8 years after I graduated.
posted by Jahaza at 4:04 PM on January 4, 2011
The music-related projects will look better on your resume than the time you could have spent working a summer job at a banana stand.
posted by KokuRyu at 4:11 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by KokuRyu at 4:11 PM on January 4, 2011
Like everyone else said, I can't imagine anyone cares. But if asked, you could always say, "Family responsibilities." They can interpret that how they wish - kids, looking after elderly parents, whatever.
posted by lollusc at 4:22 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by lollusc at 4:22 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Most people's college summer jobs are things like camp counselor. Sure, it makes you look like you can handle a roomful of eight-year-olds, but the impact of that is so small as to be negligible when compared to your coursework, senior project, and other things that are more related to your field of potential work.
posted by salvia at 4:23 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by salvia at 4:23 PM on January 4, 2011
I might not be in the same field as you (I'm a programmer), but it's not at all a big problem to not have anything listed for your summers. Obviously work experience related to your field or other outside of class projects are helpful, but generally there's not an expectation for you to have done something during every summer, and I would guess that no one will even bring it up. Internships in most fields in this economy are not exactly easy to get anyway, so it would not be surprising to see a resume from a new grad with no previous work experience.
My ex and I were in a long-distance relationship while in college. I made every effort to come home during breaks and spend time with her. Yeah, it was a stupid thing to do, and I don't have excuses other than that it was my first serious relationship, and I naively thought we'd be together forever (no judgment here, please? Haha...)
Honestly if you told me that you had a chance to spend those summers with your long-distance girlfriend and instead spent them working some crappy job I would be more likely to think you were an idiot, not less. Having summers off to do whatever you want (including messing around with music projects and hanging out with your girlfriend) is a pretty standard part of the college experience.
posted by burnmp3s at 4:24 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
My ex and I were in a long-distance relationship while in college. I made every effort to come home during breaks and spend time with her. Yeah, it was a stupid thing to do, and I don't have excuses other than that it was my first serious relationship, and I naively thought we'd be together forever (no judgment here, please? Haha...)
Honestly if you told me that you had a chance to spend those summers with your long-distance girlfriend and instead spent them working some crappy job I would be more likely to think you were an idiot, not less. Having summers off to do whatever you want (including messing around with music projects and hanging out with your girlfriend) is a pretty standard part of the college experience.
posted by burnmp3s at 4:24 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
I was trying to be there for my family (I go to school on the opposite coast) as they were going through hard times. I have a strong passion for music recording/producing, so I spent some time learning how to use the related programs as well.
These are all reasonable. Did you do any travel? "I went to Europe/Asia/Whereever" doesn't hurt at all.
Provided you haven't been out of work due to being imprisoned, you should be fine - especially in this economy, being out of work for a few months doesn't even register.
posted by yeloson at 4:27 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
These are all reasonable. Did you do any travel? "I went to Europe/Asia/Whereever" doesn't hurt at all.
Provided you haven't been out of work due to being imprisoned, you should be fine - especially in this economy, being out of work for a few months doesn't even register.
posted by yeloson at 4:27 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Nobody is going to call you out on those "gaps". It's less a matter of "you're missing something" if you don't have internships, but more a matter that nowadays, that extra experience you get from an internship can be seen as valuable and give people more opportunities to to gain skills. If you have other relevant things to talk about, people aren't going to wonder why you didn't work in the summers. Plenty of people take summer school. Or they work odd jobs because they need to money, and they don't include it on their resume. You are not doomed and you don't need to explain yourself. You might not have that extra boost of a very prestigious internship, but plenty of people don't, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just list on your resume relevant classes, projects, extracurriculars, etc. If you're interested in grad school, you might consider asking a professor to help with research (if that's the type of grad school you mean).
posted by lacedcoffee at 4:28 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by lacedcoffee at 4:28 PM on January 4, 2011
I seriously have never, ever considered that my summers home from college should have been spent doing anything other than hanging with friends, working a crappy job, spending time with my family, and trying to work on my hobbies. I got a job just fine after college. Don't worry!
posted by coupdefoudre at 4:33 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by coupdefoudre at 4:33 PM on January 4, 2011
Tell them you had family responsibilities or that your mother/father were ill. I don't think lying is generally a good idea, but it's one explanation.
posted by anniecat at 4:41 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by anniecat at 4:41 PM on January 4, 2011
Taking the summer off in college is completely understandable. It's your vacation.
Talking about cool things you did or hobbies you pursued or travel is awesome, but it's gravy--not everyone has meaningfully career-related work in their summer vacation, and interviewers don't necessarily want to read or hear about non-career-related work ("I did double shifts at Denny's" is certainly a testament to one's work ethic, but otherwise not so salient to an interview for grad school or whatever).
Certainly don't lie about it! There's nothing that needs to be explained.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:19 PM on January 4, 2011
Talking about cool things you did or hobbies you pursued or travel is awesome, but it's gravy--not everyone has meaningfully career-related work in their summer vacation, and interviewers don't necessarily want to read or hear about non-career-related work ("I did double shifts at Denny's" is certainly a testament to one's work ethic, but otherwise not so salient to an interview for grad school or whatever).
Certainly don't lie about it! There's nothing that needs to be explained.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:19 PM on January 4, 2011
Just like nobody gives a shit what you did during the summer when you go back to school, no employers give a shit what you did in the summer either.
Unless for some reason you think employers would care that you did an awesome job cutting lawns or serving coffee or whatever other summer job you might have otherwise had. Most typical summer jobs are irrelevant to your current job search, so it won't matter that you haven't done them.
posted by Kololo at 5:33 PM on January 4, 2011
Unless for some reason you think employers would care that you did an awesome job cutting lawns or serving coffee or whatever other summer job you might have otherwise had. Most typical summer jobs are irrelevant to your current job search, so it won't matter that you haven't done them.
posted by Kololo at 5:33 PM on January 4, 2011
Nthing that you have nothing to worry about. Sounds like you were a full time student. People just out of college talk about what they DID do during their summers, not what they didn't do.
Also, as mentioned by backseatpilot, it's usually not worth mentioning your summer experiences on your resume unless they were pretty awesome.
Here's what you DO do: make a list of all the things you have done in school - big projects, leadership roles in organizations, memberships in professional organizations. Pull from that list to build your resume.
posted by jander03 at 6:07 PM on January 4, 2011
Also, as mentioned by backseatpilot, it's usually not worth mentioning your summer experiences on your resume unless they were pretty awesome.
Here's what you DO do: make a list of all the things you have done in school - big projects, leadership roles in organizations, memberships in professional organizations. Pull from that list to build your resume.
posted by jander03 at 6:07 PM on January 4, 2011
You're tripping. You don't mention what you want go to grad school for, but least half the people I've met in my law school and other law schools were admitted without ever having worked a day in their lives.
Do an internship in your final semester, or, if you can't find an internship, find a way to volunteer doing something related to the kinds of jobs you want to get, make yourself a better candidate, and then try again. Just build it up bit by bit, and you will be just fine. Just remember if you don't get what you want right away, keep finding other ways to building yourself up as a candidate.
posted by Ashley801 at 6:29 PM on January 4, 2011
Do an internship in your final semester, or, if you can't find an internship, find a way to volunteer doing something related to the kinds of jobs you want to get, make yourself a better candidate, and then try again. Just build it up bit by bit, and you will be just fine. Just remember if you don't get what you want right away, keep finding other ways to building yourself up as a candidate.
posted by Ashley801 at 6:29 PM on January 4, 2011
I can't imagine anyone asking a recent college graduate about their summer vacation "gap". If I were interviewing someone fairly senior with actual experience that had 3 months between jobs, I wouldn't think anything of it.
That said, whatever you do, don't volunteer any "explanation" involving your girlfriend, family, etc. If you're asked (which I seriously doubt), talk about the music projects you were doing.
posted by sfkiddo at 7:42 PM on January 4, 2011
That said, whatever you do, don't volunteer any "explanation" involving your girlfriend, family, etc. If you're asked (which I seriously doubt), talk about the music projects you were doing.
posted by sfkiddo at 7:42 PM on January 4, 2011
You're not screwed. You just took advantage of a couple of the last truly free summers you'll ever have in your life. Don't worry about it, don't even think about it.
posted by Glendale at 9:00 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Glendale at 9:00 PM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
I didn't even start working in college until my junior year. Nobody will care.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:08 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:08 PM on January 4, 2011
You didn't have summer jobs during a massive economic upheaval in which the unemployment rate skyrocketed. No one's going to comment upon it.
posted by honeydew at 10:45 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by honeydew at 10:45 PM on January 4, 2011
I really, really think you're fine. Especially if you snare an internship before you graduate it's all good.
posted by Neofelis at 1:20 AM on January 5, 2011
posted by Neofelis at 1:20 AM on January 5, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by thebestsophist at 3:15 PM on January 4, 2011 [6 favorites]