Taking a career break can be a positive move for many professionals, allowing time for rest, rejuvenation, pursuing new skills or interests, travel, volunteering, or spending time with family. However, career breaks can also raise questions around how best to represent that time on your resume and professional profiles like LinkedIn.
Should you include a career break on your LinkedIn profile?
In most cases, it is recommended to include career breaks on your LinkedIn profile for the sake of transparency and providing a full picture of your professional journey. Here are some key advantages to highlighting a career break:
- Demonstrates openness and honesty about your background
- Avoids potential perception of a resume “gap”
- Shows you have nothing to hide about periods out of work
- Provides context for what you were focused on during that time
- Illustrates abilities like time management, planning, motivation in taking a break
Including career break details also allows you to shape the narrative and reinforce strengths that could appeal to employers. For example, highlighting volunteer work or skills developed.
How to add a career break section on LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, career breaks can be added to your profile in the Experience section using the following steps:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click “Add profile section”
- Select “Experience”
- Click “Career break”
- Enter title like “Career Break January 2021 – March 2021”
- Add description summarizing how you spent the time, skills gained, etc.
- Be sure to include the duration of your career break
As an alternative, you can also include your career break details in the Summary or Background sections of your profile. The key is to make sure the information is highlighted somewhere.
What to include in your career break description
When writing the description for your career break on LinkedIn, aim to provide details that present it in a positive light. Here are some items you may want to include:
- Timeframe when the break started and ended
- Purpose or reason for taking a break from work
- How you spent your time – travels, volunteering, learning, family, etc.
- New skills or competencies developed during the break
- Any relevant courses, training, or certifications completed
- Ways you stayed professionally engaged or up-to-date on industry news
You want to emphasize that even though you were not employed, you were active and productive during your career break.
Examples of good LinkedIn career break descriptions
Here are a few examples of strong career break descriptions on a LinkedIn profile:
Travel and volunteer work focus
Career Break, June 2020 – August 2021
Took an extended career break to pursue personal interests and give back to causes important to me. Spent 6 months volunteering with Habitat for Humanity building houses in Fiji, then traveled across Southeast Asia for 8 months. The break allowed me to recharge, gain cultural awareness, and develop new skills in construction, time management, and interpersonal communication.
Skills development and family focus
Career Break, May 2019 – September 2020
After 15 years in the technology industry, I took an extended break to spend time with family and develop new skills. Completed several courses in User Experience Design and JavaScript development through General Assembly. Also dedicated time to supporting my children’s school and extracurricular activities and developed event planning abilities through extensive volunteer work.
Sabbatical
Sabbatical, January 2022 – June 2022
After completing a decade at ABC Company, I was granted a 6-month sabbatical to rest, recharge, and pursue personal development. Focused on creative pursuits and published my first photography book highlighting national parks. Also spent time learning new data visualization skills in Tableau and R. Returned energized with new expertise to apply in the workplace.
What not to include about a career break
While you want to put a career break in the best light, there are some details you generally want to avoid including:
- Health issues – Keep descriptions focused on what you did during the break rather than medical reasons
- Family problems – Vague references are fine but avoid details about conflicts, divorce, etc.
- Financial struggles – Don’t highlight gaps due to being unemployed or unable to find work
- Legal issues – Keep descriptions positive and avoid references to lawsuits, arrests, etc.
- “Took time off” – Avoid framing a break as just “time off” without purpose
The key is to be truthful but strategic – emphasize the skills gained over the exact circumstances that led to taking a career break.
Where to position your career break section
Where you place the career break section chronologically on your LinkedIn profile will depend on your specific circumstances and priorities. Here are some common options:
| Section | Reasons to use |
|---|---|
| At the very top | If it’s very recent and you want to explain a lack of current professional experience |
| Under your most recent job | To maintain continuity between jobs and explain why you left your last role |
| At the bottom | If it was earlier in your career and less relevant to current job search |
| In Summary or Bio section | To briefly mention without giving it undue focus |
Think about what makes the most sense for your own career story and current goals. The key is that it’s visible somewhere.
Should you include short gaps between jobs?
For very brief gaps of a month or less between jobs, you may not need to create a separate career break section. A few options for handling short gaps include:
- Simply listing jobs consecutively without gaps in dates
- Adjusting date ranges slightly to close 1-2 week gaps
- Using text like “Contract work” to summarize freelancing or temping
- Listing “Career Development” for time focused on courses or skills building
However, gaps longer than a month may benefit from a dedicated career break section to provide hiring managers needed context.
Should you include multiple career breaks?
If you have taken multiple extended career breaks, include all of them in your LinkedIn experience section. The key is to highlight each one in a positive way focused on skills gained rather than solely time off. For example:
Career Breaks
Sabbatical, January – July 2018
Took a 6-month sabbatical to travel through South America and study Spanish full-time, becoming fluent. Immersed myself in the cultures of Argentina, Chile and Peru.
Career Break, March – September 2020
Spent 6 months focusing on personal development and creative pursuits. Completed a digital marketing certificate through Google and launched a small Etsy shop selling handmade crafts and artwork.
The combination of multiple breaks shows you are committed to lifelong learning and continuous skills building even during periods out of traditional employment.
Should you list hobbies or volunteer work during career breaks?
Including select hobbies, interests or volunteer work pursued during a career break can further strengthen your LinkedIn profile. However, be strategic in what you highlight – choose activities that best reinforce professional strengths and skills. For example:
- Volunteering can emphasize leadership, teamwork, communication
- Travel shows cultural awareness, independence, time management
- Language learning illustrates commitment to growth and development
- Art or music may showcase creativity and passion
Just be sure that any hobbies or interests are framed in a way that relates back to supporting your career – not just personal pursuits.
Should career breaks be on your resume too?
In addition to adding career breaks to LinkedIn, it’s generally a good idea to include them on your resume as well. This ensures consistency across platforms. Options for incorporating a career break on a resume include:
- A dedicated “Career Break” section
- A bullet point under your most recent role
- Briefly mentioned in the resume summary or profile
As on LinkedIn, focus the description on skills gained, activities pursued, and professional development. And keep resume career break descriptions concise – provide enough context without unnecessary detail.
Pro tips for career breaks on LinkedIn
Here are some additional expert tips for effectively presenting career breaks on LinkedIn:
- Keep it short but descriptive – aim for 2-3 concise sentences or bullets summarizing the break
- Use keywords related to skills developed so it’s findable for recruiters searching profiles
- Mention any relevant courses, certifications or educational pursuits
- Frame as “Career Break” or “Professional Development Period” rather than “time off”
- Place strategically on profile based on career priorities and current job search
- Link to any blogs, publications, or portfolios created during the break period
- List any speaking engagements or conferences attended to stay professionally connected
Common questions and answers about career breaks on LinkedIn
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about highlighting career breaks on LinkedIn:
Will a career break hurt my LinkedIn profile?
Adding a thoughtfully crafted career break section should not damage your LinkedIn presence. It provides transparency for resume gaps and shows off skills developed during your time off. Just be sure to emphasize professional pursuits and accomplishments over leisure.
Do I have to add specific dates for my career break?
Being as specific as possible with start and end dates is recommended. However, you can simply provide months or seasons if you took an informal break. Listing at least the year can help provide needed context.
Should I say why I took the career break?
Avoid oversharing specific private reasons for taking time off. Focus instead on how you spent your break productively. If relevant, brief mentions of “sabbatical” or “family reasons” are appropriate.
What if I don’t have much to highlight from my break?
Even periods of rest and personal focus have value. You can mention briefly strengthening relationships with family, pursuing wellness or recharging. No need to overexplain simple time off.
Do career breaks matter less later in your career?
Breaks can happen at any career stage. Even for senior professionals, showcasing how you maximized time off can reinforce continued dedication to learning and development.
Conclusion
Adding career breaks to your LinkedIn profile provides important context for employment gaps that will likely strengthen, not hurt, your professional presence. Be transparent, highlight skills gained, and frame breaks as purposeful periods of development whenever possible. With strategic positioning and messaging, career breaks on LinkedIn can become valuable assets showcasing your well-rounded experience.
