When reviewing a CV, it is easy to focus on what is missing; Gaps in Employment.

Gaps in employment can sometimes stand out immediately, particularly when employers are comparing multiple candidates for the same position. But a gap on a CV only tells you that someone wasn’t working during a particular period. It doesn’t tell you why, and more importantly, it doesn’t tell you whether they can do the job.

In recruitment, particularly across technical sectors, it is important to look beyond a perfectly linear career history and understand the person behind the CV.

The Current Recruitment Climate: Why Gaps in Employment Are Becoming More Common

It is important to consider the wider recruitment and economic climate when looking at a candidate's employment history.

Over the last few years, the UK job market has been genuinely challenging across a number of sectors. Hiring levels have been more cautious, businesses have delayed recruitment decisions, budgets have been scrutinised more closely and recruitment processes have, in many cases, become longer.

Redundancies and restructures have also affected talented professionals who, under different market conditions, may have moved relatively quickly into another position.

There was a period following the immediate post-COVID recruitment boom when demand for talent was exceptionally high. In 2022 and into parts of 2023, candidates in certain sectors could leave a role on a Friday and potentially have another opportunity lined up almost immediately – often with the leverage to secure a significant salary increase in the process.

That is not the recruitment market many candidates are experiencing today.

Businesses are being more selective. Hiring managers are taking longer to make decisions. Some vacancies are being put on hold, while others go through multiple stages of approval before an offer is even made.

As a result, a candidate who is actively looking for work can quite reasonably find themselves searching for significantly longer than they expected.

That distinction is important.

A longer period of job searching does not automatically mean a lower-quality candidate.

Why Do Candidates Have Gaps on Their CV?

There are many perfectly legitimate reasons why someone may take time away from employment.

These can include:

• Redundancy
• Family or caring responsibilities
• Relocation
• Further education or professional study
• Burnout
• Personal circumstances
• Health-related reasons
• Taking time to reassess their career
• Contract or project work coming to an end
• A difficult or changing job market
• Taking longer to find the right role

Sometimes a career break is a personal choice.

Sometimes it is completely outside the candidate’s control.

And increasingly, a gap can simply reflect the fact that finding the right job is taking longer.

A highly experienced candidate may not want to accept the first available position simply to remove a gap from their CV. They may be looking for a role that matches their level of experience, salary expectations, technical specialism, location or long-term career ambitions.

That process can take time – particularly in a more cautious recruitment market.

Either way, the gap itself doesn't tell you enough to make an informed hiring decision.

The Danger of Making Assumptions

Recruiters and hiring managers often have limited time when reviewing applications, so it can be tempting to make quick decisions based on what is visible on a CV.

However, assuming that an employment gap indicates a lack of commitment, capability or reliability can lead to overlooking strong candidates.

Assumptions are not a hiring strategy.

A candidate who has been looking for work for six months may have just as much, or more, to offer than someone whose CV shows continuous employment.

Their previous experience, technical knowledge, qualifications, achievements and attitude are far more relevant to their ability to succeed in the role.

In fact, the length of someone's job search can sometimes say more about the market they are searching in than the quality of the candidate themselves.

Don't Confuse the Length of a Job Search With Candidate Quality

This is one of the biggest points employers should consider when reviewing CVs.

A candidate who has been available for several months is not necessarily less employable than someone who has only recently started looking.

They may have:

• Been made redundant as part of a wider business restructure
• Been affected by a slowdown in their sector
• Had multiple recruitment processes cancelled or delayed
• Reached final interview stages without receiving an offer
• Turned down unsuitable roles rather than accepting a position purely to get back into work
• Been looking for a role at the appropriate seniority
• Been restricted by salary expectations or geographical requirements
• Taken time to find a company and position that genuinely matches their experience

For employers, the important question should therefore not simply be "How long have they been out of work?"

It should be:

"Why have they been out of work, and what can they bring to our business?"

Those are two very different questions.

Careers Aren't Always Linear

The traditional idea of a career progressing neatly from one job to the next doesn't reflect how many people work today.

This is particularly true within construction, architecture and property, where careers can be heavily influenced by project pipelines, market conditions, development activity and economic uncertainty.

Projects finish. Companies restructure. Contracts end. Businesses change direction. People relocate.

The last few years have also demonstrated just how quickly employment markets can change.

A candidate's career history should therefore be viewed as a journey rather than a timeline.

A non-linear career doesn't necessarily represent a lack of progression. In many cases, it can demonstrate adaptability and the ability to navigate change.

The Right Role Can Take Time to Find

There is also an important difference between being unemployed and being unsuitable for employment.

A candidate may be deliberately selective about their next move.

For someone with ten, fifteen or twenty years of industry experience, accepting the wrong position simply because it is available may not make sense.

They may be looking for a particular salary level, management responsibility, company culture, project type or location. They may have specialist technical experience that means there are fewer suitable vacancies available to them.

This can naturally result in a longer job search.

It would be a mistake to assume that because someone has been searching for longer, they have somehow become less capable.

The market may have changed. The candidate hasn't necessarily changed.

Ask the Question

Rather than immediately rejecting a candidate because of a gap, take the opportunity to understand it.

What happened during that period?

The answer may provide valuable context that isn't visible on the CV.

Perhaps they were caring for a family member. Perhaps they relocated. Perhaps they were studying for a professional qualification. Perhaps they were made redundant during a difficult market.

Or perhaps they have simply been waiting for the right opportunity rather than accepting the first role available.

None of these things automatically make someone a weaker candidate.

In fact, some experiences can demonstrate qualities that employers actively look for, including resilience, adaptability, problem-solving and determination.

Look at the Whole Candidate

A CV should be the starting point of a recruitment conversation – not the final decision.

Instead of asking:

"Why is there a gap?"

Ask:

"What does the candidate bring to the role?"

Look at their experience, technical skills, qualifications, achievements and career progression. Consider the value they could bring to your business today, rather than allowing one period of their employment history to define them.

This is particularly important in a competitive market, where businesses may already be struggling to find candidates with the right combination of technical expertise, experience and cultural fit.

Rejecting someone based on a gap before having that conversation could mean losing access to exactly the talent your business needs.

Where a Recruitment Specialist Can Help

This is where working with an experienced recruitment specialist can make a difference.

A CV provides the dates and the job titles. It doesn't always provide the context.

We can understand what happened between positions, discuss a candidate's circumstances, assess their experience against the requirements of the role and help employers see the wider picture before making a decision.

That context becomes particularly valuable when the market itself has contributed to a candidate's longer period between roles.

Rather than simply presenting a CV, recruiters can help employers understand why the candidate is available, what they have been doing and whether their skills genuinely match the opportunity.

A Gap Is Worth Discussing – Not Automatically Rejecting

A gap on a CV is worth asking about.

It isn't necessarily worth rejecting someone over.

The same applies to the length of a candidate's job search.

Don't mistake the length of someone's job search for the quality of the candidate.

The recruitment market has changed significantly over the last few years. Hiring decisions are taking longer, businesses are being more cautious and talented professionals can find themselves searching for longer than they ever expected.

That doesn't erase their experience.

It doesn't remove their technical knowledge.

And it certainly doesn't mean they suddenly become a weaker candidate.

The strongest hiring decisions come from understanding the full story, rather than making assumptions based on a few dates on a page.

In a competitive talent market, overlooking a strong candidate because their career hasn't followed a perfectly straight line could mean missing out on exactly the person your business needs.

Ask the question. Have the conversation. Look beyond the gap.

You might find that the answer tells you more about a candidate's resilience than their risk.

At Bennett & Game, we take the time to understand the people behind the CV, helping businesses find the right talent based on experience, skills and potential – not simply how straightforward their career timeline looks.

Looking for your next hire? Get in touch with our team of recruitment specialists to discuss your recruitment requirements.