5 Tips For Addressing A Gap In Your MBA Resume

A gap in your MBA resume can raise questions for admissions committees, prompting them to dig deeper to understand the context. Without an explanation, such gaps may leave room for speculation, potentially creating a negative impression and raising concerns about your candidacy.

Instead of avoiding the topic, addressing it thoughtfully can demonstrate your integrity and self-awareness – qualities that MBA programs value highly. At Fortuna Admissions, our team of former MBA admissions officers has firsthand experience with these situations. We’ve seen how candidates who acknowledge and frame resume gaps effectively can sometimes turn a potential weakness into an opportunity to highlight resilience, growth, or a thoughtful career pivot.

By owning your narrative and providing clarity, you can turn an otherwise risky element of your application into a neutral factor, or potentially even an asset that strengthens your candidacy.

Silence is not a strategy. Hoping your admissions reviewer just won’t notice rarely works and won’t win you any favors. Admissions professionals are practiced at both incisively assessing the whole of a candidate’s background while simultaneously scrutinizing the details in your application. They will instinctively check the chronology of your accomplishments and how it matches what’s on your resume and application form.

5 TOP TIPS: ADDRESSING A GAP IN YOUR RESUME 

1. Don’t spark their speculation.  

The absence of clear information creates speculation at best. At worst, it leads application readers to speculate about the reason itself, but also about your motivations for omitting it. 

The truth is a better option. Don’t leave it to the admissions committee to draw their own conclusions nor prompt them to question your motives. You also don’t want to give the impression you drifted around aimlessly during that time.

2. Be sincere and straightforward.  

Maybe you took time off to start an entrepreneurial venture, initiated a career switch or got laid off. Or maybe illness or other personal circumstances were to blame. Whatever the reason, it’s best to provide a straightforward explanation versus an excuse. 

Provide appropriate context for the pause between jobs and what you were doing during that time. You want the admissions committee to assess your candidacy from a place of understanding as they review your entire application. Your explanation should display honesty and reflection, which will help alleviate any concerns.

3. Convey Lessons Learned.

Using a reflective tone and approach can actually be a point in your favor. Articulate not just the circumstances surrounding any employment gap, but what you learned from the experience. 

For example, if you were laid off, perhaps the unexpected break gave you an opportunity for valuable introspection instead of rushing into another job that may or may not have been a good fit. If you took the time to reassess your career evolution, next steps and the kind of impact you wanted your next position to have on your career, this can suggest both maturity and clarity of purpose.

4. Use the Optional Essay to Your Advantage.

The optional essay is an excellent place to proactively address any gaps in your employment from a reflective standpoint. Not all schools have an optional essay; some provide a field for additional information pertinent to your background.

 In either case, space may be limited, so keep it concise and straightforward rather than going into exhaustive detail. Did you spend this time on other meaningful activities? Examples might be studying for the CFA exam or conducting informational interviews with individuals in a role you aspire to. Perhaps you took a gap year immediately after undergraduate studies to volunteer abroad, imparting renewed purpose and ambition. This kind of detail can provide great insight into your personal development and motivations.

5. Don’t Overthink It.

It’s common to feel anxious about how a school will perceive an employment gap. Keep in mind that in today’s volatile labor markets, it’s not unusual if you were not productively employed every month since graduation. And while the broader panorama of your career evolution is certainly of interest, the last couple years of your work history will likely receive the most scrutiny.

Emphasize the periods when you were working by showcasing your achievements and growth. Flesh out your employment background with as much detail as possible on your accomplishments, leadership potential, and readiness for business school. 

Finally, keep in mind that the admissions committee will take a holistic view of your profile and narrative, as well as your evolution over time. How you choose to frame your challenges and upsets as opportunities and learning lessons can make all the difference. 

For more on how to address gaps in your MBA resume, view this seven-minute video strategy session. Also, learn how to make your resume stand out and get tips for critical resume dos and don’ts from Fortuna’s resume expert Jody Keating.

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Fortuna Director Patty Keegan is a Former Associate Dean at Chicago Booth and former admissions committee member at Stanford GSB.  For more free advice from Fortuna Admissions in partnership with Poets&Quants, check out these videos and articles. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a free consultation.