Resume Examples for Employment Gaps
See a skills-first layout, a trimmed chronological layout, and a cover letter opening, each marked as a template with the edits you still have to make.
By Marguerite Dunlevy · Oct 05, 2026 · 9 min read
A gap in your work history changes how you lay out a resume more than it changes what goes in it. The two resume templates below show the same material arranged two ways — one that leads with grouped skills, one that keeps dates in front but limits how far back they go — plus a short cover letter opening for when you want to name the gap yourself.
Every sample is a template with bracketed placeholders. Nothing here is ready to submit, and the second section lists the specific lines you have to change before you reuse any of it.
Example Resumes & Cover Letters
Both resumes below assume the same underlying facts — real job titles, real dates, real duties. The difference is the arrangement. Most employers understand that the common reasons for a gap are continuing education or gaining new skills, caregiving, or a significant health issue, and it isn't necessary to explain the reason on the resume itself, though you might address it in a cover letter or interview (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated).
Example 1: Skills-first resume — gap of a year or more, or several short contracts
TEMPLATE — replace every bracketed field before you use this
[YOUR NAME] [City, State] | [Phone] | [Email]
SUMMARY [Target job title] with [X] years in [industry]. Returning to full-time work and currently [studying / volunteering / holding a part-time role] in [field].
KEY SKILLS
[Skill 1 — use the wording from the job posting, e.g. Patient Care] - Supported [X] clients per shift with [task], maintaining a [X%] on-time documentation rate - Trained [X] new team members in [procedure], cutting onboarding questions by about [X%]
[Skill 2 — e.g. Scheduling & Coordination] - Coordinated [X] appointments per week across [X] sites, reducing missed visits by [X%]
[Skill 3 — e.g. Records & Compliance] - Audited [X] files per month against [standard], resolving [X%] of errors before review
WORK HISTORY [Job title], [Employer name], [City, State] — [Month Year] to [Month Year] [Job title], [Employer name], [City, State] — [Month Year] to [Month Year] [Course, certificate, or volunteer role], [Provider name] — [Month Year] to [Month Year]
EDUCATION [Credential], [Institution], [Year]
If you've had frequent job changes, significant employment gaps, or several contract jobs, CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated, suggests starting with a skills section listing three to four major skills for your targeted job title, with related experience under each — which is what the Key Skills block does here. The dated history still appears, because leaving it out reads as evasive, but it sits below the proof rather than above it. CareerOneStop also publishes a sample in which a Certified Nursing Assistant uses a functional format to highlight strong caregiving skills, while a Supply Chain Manager uses a chronological format for consistent manufacturing experience (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated).
Example 2: Trimmed chronological resume — long career, gap early on or under a year
TEMPLATE — replace every bracketed field before you use this
[YOUR NAME] [City, State] | [Phone] | [Email]
SUMMARY [Target job title] with [X] years in [industry], focused on [specialism] and [specialism].
EXPERIENCE
[Job title] — [Employer name], [City, State] [Month Year] – Present - Managed [X] accounts worth [$X] annually, lifting renewal rates by [X%] - Rebuilt [process], cutting turnaround time from [X] days to [X] days
[Job title] — [Employer name], [City, State] [Month Year] – [Month Year] - Led a team of [X] through [project], delivering [X%] under budget
[Job title] — [Employer name], [City, State] [Month Year] – [Month Year] - Processed [X] orders per week with a [X%] accuracy rate
EARLIER EXPERIENCE [Job title], [Employer name] and [Job title], [Employer name] — [industry], [Year]–[Year]
EDUCATION [Credential], [Institution], [Year]
A chronological format is best for a steady work record and has the disadvantage that it emphasizes gaps in employment (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated) — so this version limits the exposure. It includes or emphasizes only the jobs that add the most value from the past 12–15 years and gives older, unrelated jobs a brief description (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated); if you're an experienced professional whose gap occurred early in your career, you don't need to list every job, and you can leave off the job before the gap (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated). Dates are right-justified on the role line, which CareerOneStop recommends so they're easy to find.
Example 3: Cover letter opening and closing — when you'd rather name the gap than leave it
TEMPLATE — replace every bracketed field before you use this
Dear [Hiring manager name],
I am writing to apply for the [exact job title] position at [Employer name], which I saw advertised on [where you saw it]. I spent [Month Year] to [Month Year] away from paid work for [reason you're comfortable giving — e.g. full-time caregiving / a health matter now resolved / completing a certificate in [subject]], and I have since [refresher step you actually took].
[Middle paragraph: two or three sentences matching your experience to the posting's requirements.]
My resume is enclosed. I would welcome the chance to meet and discuss how my [skill] and [skill] would serve your [team or function]. You can reach me at [phone] or [email].
Sincerely, [Your name]
The structure follows the pattern in CareerOneStop's sample letter (U.S. Dept. of Labor, undated): the first paragraph states the reason for writing, names the specific position, and says how you learned of the opening, and the closing mentions the enclosed resume and a desire to meet. Putting the gap in one sentence of the opening lets you control the wording and keeps the resume itself uncluttered. Say only what is true — rephrasing for clarity is fine, inventing a role, a date, or a course is not.
How to Customize These Examples
Work down the list before you send anything.
- Rewrite the three Key Skills headings in Example 1. Replace [Skill 1], [Skill 2] and [Skill 3] with wording lifted from the posting you're answering — three to four major skills for the targeted job title (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated) — not the generic placeholders shown.
- Replace every bracketed number in the bullets. Lines like "maintaining a [X%] on-time documentation rate" exist to show the shape: action verb, task, result. Put in figures you can defend in an interview, and drop the measure entirely if you don't have one rather than guessing.
- Decide on months versus years in the WORK HISTORY block of Example 1 and the role lines of Example 2. If your gap was less than a year, you can choose to include only the years, but some Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software looks for month or even day of employment dates (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated). Pick one convention and use it on every line.
- Cut or keep the EARLIER EXPERIENCE line in Example 2. Keep it as a single condensed line if those roles are unrelated; delete it if the gap sits right before it and the jobs add nothing (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated).
- Change the SUMMARY line in both resumes. "Returning to full-time work and currently [studying / volunteering / holding a part-time role]" only belongs there if it's accurate; otherwise delete that clause rather than softening it.
- Rename the sections to match your field. "KEY SKILLS" may read better as "Areas of Expertise" or "Core Competencies" in some industries; "WORK HISTORY" may read better as "Experience." Keep the headings as plain text lines.
- Replace the three bracketed fields in the cover letter's first paragraph — job title, where you saw the opening, and the gap dates — because that paragraph is the one most likely to be read closely.
- Rebuild the right-justified dates with a right tab stop, not with spaces or a two-column table. Companies use ATS software to receive and sort applications, and because it's so common, resumes should be formatted to be machine-readable (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated); tables, columns, and text placed in headers or footers are the elements documented as parsing badly.
- Delete the bold TEMPLATE line at the top of each sample. It's there so the file can't be mistaken for a finished document.
Frequently asked questions
Should I send these as .docx or PDF?
Judge both on the same two things: whether the employer named a format, and how the software handles it. On instructions, both are equally governed — check the job posting for accepted resume file formats (Indeed, undated) and the employer's application instructions (EduAvenues, undated), and follow whatever they say. On software handling, .docx may be best for ATS compatibility, though some systems accept PDFs (Indeed, undated); most ATS handle both, but some older systems struggle with PDFs (EduAvenues, undated). With no instruction either way, .docx is the safer default for both templates here, since neither relies on layout effects a PDF would need to preserve.
How do I cut Example 2 down to one page?
Length depends on your level and field, so there's no single rule to apply. If you're early in your career or applying in a field that expects a short document, take the page out of Example 2 by condensing the EARLIER EXPERIENCE line to a single sentence, dropping any role outside the most recent 12–15 years (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated), and keeping two bullets per recent role instead of three. If you're an experienced professional in a field where longer resumes are normal, don't cut real relevant roles just to hit a page count.
Can I use the skills-first layout if my gap was short?
You can, but it isn't usually necessary. A chronological format emphasizes gaps in employment and suits a steady work record (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated), so a short break inside an otherwise continuous history is often better handled by Example 2 plus the date convention you chose. CareerOneStop also publishes a sample in which someone picks a combination style — chronological with functional headings — because she has a steady work history with no break between jobs and her transition is a logical progression (U.S. Dept. of Labor, undated); you can borrow that middle setting by keeping Example 2's dated roles and adding one grouped skills block above them.
Do I have to explain the gap anywhere in these documents?
Not on the resume. It isn't necessary to explain the reason there, though you might address it in a cover letter or interview (CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor), undated). Example 3 gives you a one-sentence way to do it in the letter if you'd rather raise it yourself. If you leave it out, make sure your dates are still accurate and consistent — fill the space with a course or volunteer role only if you actually did it.
Sources
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor) — Resumes
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor) — Resume styles
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor) — Work experience
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor) — Special tips
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor) — Cover Letter Template
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Dept. of Labor) — Sample resumes
- Indeed — How to Write an ATS Resume (With Template and Tips)
- EduAvenues — ATS resume format: getting past the robots
Written by
Marguerite Dunlevy
Marguerite oversees coverage of job hunting and career pivots, with a focus on how people make decisions when the path forward isn't obvious. She's drawn to the messy middle of a career change more than the tidy success story. Her writing tends to ask what a 'good job' even means to the person doing it.
