How to Explain Employment Breaks on Your Australian Resume

You took time away from work. Perhaps you raised children, cared for an ageing parent, recovered from illness, or simply needed a breather after years of continuous work. Now you’re ready to return, but that gap on your resume feels like a glaring problem.

Here’s the truth: career breaks are common, and they don’t have to hold you back.

According to Harvard Business School’s Hidden Workers research, employment gaps affect up to 48% of job applicants. In Australia, where ATS software screens most resumes before human review, how you present these gaps can determine whether your application moves forward or gets filtered out.

Why Australian Employers Care About Career Gaps

Hiring managers and ATS systems look for consistent work history because it suggests reliability and current skills. An unexplained gap raises questions:

• Did this person leave their last role under difficult circumstances?
• Have their skills become outdated during time away?
• Will they need extra training or support to get back up to speed?

These concerns are understandable. But a well-presented career break can address them before they’re even raised.

The Australian Approach to Resume Gaps

In the Australian market, honesty works best. Trying to hide a gap by djusting dates or leaving periods unexplained often backfires. Background checks and reference calls will reveal the truth, and employers value integrity highly.

Instead, own your break and present it strategically.

Reframe Your Gap as Active Experience

Think about what you accomplished during your time away. Most career breaks involve valuable transferable skills:

During Your Break	Skills You Developed
Raising children	Time management, budgeting, negotiation, crisis management
Caring for a relative	Organisation, patience, healthcare coordination, advocacy
Travel	Adaptability, cross-cultural communication, planning
Illness recovery	Resilience, self-management, prioritisation
Study	New knowledge, discipline, research skills
Volunteering	Teamwork, community engagement, specific task skills

These are not empty years. They are periods of growth that shaped who you are.

How to Write Career Gaps on Your Australian Resume

1. Be Transparent About the Timeline

Don’t leave months or years blank. Include the period in your employment history with a clear, professional label.

Instead of:

2019–2021: [Blank]

Use:

2019–2021: Career Break — Full-Time Parenting

• Managed household operations and budgets for a family of four
• Coordinated schedules for children’s education, health, and activities
• Maintained professional networks and industry awareness through online forums

2. Focus on Transferable Skills

Every experience teaches something. Identify skills from your break that apply to your target role.

For a return to administration:

2020–2022: Career Break — Family Care

• Organised complex schedules including medical appointments and school activities
• Managed household budgets and expense tracking
• Communicated effectively with healthcare providers, teachers, and family members

For a return to management:

2021–2023: Career Break — Relocation & Community Volunteering

• Led a team of 12 volunteers for local community events
• Coordinated logistics for fundraising activities raising over $15,000
• Adapted quickly to a new city while maintaining professional connections

3. Show You Stayed Connected

Demonstrate that you maintained professional awareness during your break.

• Mention industry newsletters you followed
• Note any short courses or webinars you completed
• Include professional memberships you maintained
• Reference networking events you attended when possible

Example:

Throughout my career break, I:

• Completed three LinkedIn Learning courses in project management fundamentals
• Attended quarterly industry webinars to stay current with Australian marketing trends
• Maintained active membership with the Australian Marketing Institute

4. Keep the Focus Forward

Your resume should emphasise readiness to return, not just explain the past. Close your career break section with a statement about your current focus:

“Now fully available and eager to apply my organisational skills and recent professional development to a challenging role in office administration.”

What If Your Gap Was Difficult?

Not all career breaks are positive experiences. You may have dealt with illness, redundancy, or personal challenges you’d rather not detail on paper.

That’s completely fine. You can be honest without being specific.

Use a simple, professional description:

2020–2021: Career Break — Personal Health
Successfully managed recovery and return to full-time availability. Used this time for professional development including [specific course or skill].

This approach maintains honesty while protecting your privacy.

Australian ATS and Career Gaps

Will the ATS penalise you for a career break? It depends on how you present it.

Most ATS systems in Australia scan for:

• Consistent employment dates
• Relevant keywords throughout the resume
• Skills that match the job description

A well-written career break section that includes relevant keywords and shows continued development can actually work in your favour. It demonstrates self-awareness and the ability to frame challenges positively — qualities Australian employers value.

The ExpertsCentre Approach

At ExpertsCentre, we understand that careers aren’t always linear. Life happens. The best candidates often have rich life experiences that make them more capable, not less.

Our Resume Upgrade Package is designed specifically for Australian job seekers with complex career histories. We help you:

• Identify transferable skills from non-traditional experience
• Frame career breaks as periods of growth and development
• Optimise your resume for Australian ATS systems
• Present your complete professional story authentically

Debra O’Brien and her team have helped hundreds of Australians return to work after career breaks. We know what local employers and ATS systems look for.

“After five years at home with my children, I was terrified my skills were obsolete. ExpertsCentre helped me see what I’d actually learned during that time and present it professionally. Within a month, I had two job offers.” — Sarah, returning mother, Melbourne.

Your Career Break Is Part of Your Story

Every professional journey has chapters. Some are about climbing the ladder, and some are about stepping back to focus on what matters. Both have value.

The key is presenting your complete story in a way that Australian employers understand and appreciate. With the right approach, your career gap becomes not a weakness but evidence of your resilience, adaptability, and life experience.

Ready to present your career journey with confidence?
👉 Get Your Resume Professionally Optimised