Resume gap

[Four Seasons]

What should I do about the gap year on my resume?

I want to change careers to get into financial planning. I am currently doing invoicing/admin work at an advertising agency and studying for my Diploma of Financial Planning. I have seen a few admin roles in financial planning firms that I would like to apply for, but I'm worried about how my resume looks. Basically it goes like this:

2002 - Completed Bachelor of Arts

Jan 03 - Sept 03 - Account Coordinator at a catalogue distribution company. (This was basically an admin/marketing type role)

Sept 03 - Nov 04 - I worked in retail for most of the time and travelled overseas for a couple of those months

Nov 04 - Current - Admin Coordinator at an advertising agency doing invoicing/admin/some financial reports (budgets, forecasts etc).

Should I extend the dates I worked at my first job to cover the gap? Should I pretend I travelled the entire gap period? Or should I admit to having worked in retail? Do you think it won't matter anyway because none of it really relates to financial planning anyway?

What should I do?

[ugarachel82]

Definitely wouldn't lie. Particularly because you just graduated. I think it's common to have a gap after graduating, and it's not harmful to say that you worked in an entry level position such as retail. You were doing something, gaining customer service experience, and showing the world that you don't like to sit still. For a recent grad, that's admirable to employers, particularly in your field, I think. Wasn't 2002 a tough market to get hired. I think employers should understand the gap if you say you were actively searching for a job while maintaining your college job. But that's a voice from someone completely unfamiliar to the business world.

[ugarachel82]

And your gap isn't really that much of a gap, IMO. Assuming you graduated in May and your first job started six or seven months later, it's less than a year. Which is very common for recent grads from the people I've talked to.

[bridgetjones]

2002 was a rough year to get hired. I know that for a fact as I also graduated that year!

I do mention the half year of travel after graduation in my interests section of the resume. I also do list the call centre job that I used to pay for half my trip on my resume. The travel was a point of interest with interviewers that finally hired me. The call centre experience was also a good point on the resume too. I am sure that you too can spin both the travelling and the retial experience in a good way.

[Four Seasons]

Actually, I forgot to mention I live in Australia and our academic year ends in November. So the first job I had starting in Jan 2003 is logical.

What I'm worried about explaining is the fact that I went from a full-time graduate position and then back to retail for a bit, and then I returned to a full-time graduate position where i am now.