How to write a return to work CV after a career break
Coming back after time out caring for children or a relative? Here is how to set out your CV so an employer sees what you can do now, with example wording to adapt and what to say at interview.
Before you start
Taking time out to raise children or care for someone is common, and employers see it often. The break itself is rarely what decides an application. What matters more is whether your CV makes it easy to see what you can offer today, and whether you sound ready when you talk about it.
This guide covers the CV as a whole: how to lay it out, how to open it, how to show your skills are current and when to raise flexible hours. The example wording is about a made-up returner, so change it to fit your own story.
How to handle it on your CV
Step by step, from the layout to the last line. Take what fits your own story.
Want a clean layout to start from? See our simple CV templates.
Pick a structure that leads with your strengths
Most returners do best with a normal UK CV, most recent first, with a short key skills section under the profile. It keeps your timeline clear, which recruiters like, and still puts what you can do at the top. If your most relevant experience is from before the break, three or four skills headings, each backed by an example, help it get noticed before the dates do.
Write a profile that looks forward
Open with your profession and the job you want, then mention the break in a few words and what you have done to get ready. Three or four lines is enough. Lead with what you do, not the break: "Marketing executive with five years’ experience", not "Parent returning to work".
Give the break one honest line
Show the break in your work history with dates, like a job, and a short neutral reason such as "Career break: raising my family". You do not need to explain your childcare or a relative’s health. Our guide to explaining gaps in your CV has wording for different reasons.
Show your skills are current
Add anything recent that proves you are up to date: a refresher or short course, a qualification, newer software, volunteering, temp or freelance work, or a committee role that used real skills, such as treasurer or secretary. Put courses in a training section with the year, so the reader sees how recent they are.
Make your earlier experience count
Your last job before the break is still your best evidence. Write it up with results, as you would have done at the time, and use today’s names for tools and tasks if they have changed. Cut very old roles down to a line each.
Be clear about hours, if it matters
If you want part-time or set hours, saying so in your profile or cover letter saves time on both sides, for example "looking for a part-time role of around 20 hours a week". If you would rather, you can raise it once you have an offer. In the UK, employees can ask for flexible working from their first day in a job, and the employer has to consider the request properly.
Look for returner programmes
Some employers run returner programmes, sometimes called returnships: paid, fixed-term roles with training and support for people coming back after a long break, which can lead to a permanent job. You will mostly find them at larger employers. Search for "returner programme" with the name of your field.
Example wording to adapt
An example about a made-up person, to show the shape and the tone. Swap in your own facts, dates and words.
Marketing executive with five years’ experience planning email and social campaigns for retail brands. Returning to work after a three-year career break with my young children, with a recent course in Google Analytics 4 and a year running social media for a local food bank. Looking for a role in a small, friendly marketing team.
Career break: raising my family | 2023 to 2026
- Completed a short course in Google Analytics 4 and email automation (2025)
- Volunteer social media lead for a local food bank: weekly posts, a volunteer recruitment drive and a winter appeal
- Planned and sent the monthly customer email for a chain of 40 shops, testing subject lines and send times to improve click-throughs over the year
I am returning to work after a three-year career break with my children, and I have spent the last year getting ready, with a course in Google Analytics 4 and running social media for a local food bank, which I would love to build on in this role.
What to say at interview
Expect a friendly question about the break, and some checks on whether you are up to date and available. Prepare short answers, say them out loud a few times, then bring the conversation back to the job.
-
Tell us about your career break.
Keep it to two or three sentences: what you did, what you did to get ready and why now is the right time. Then talk about the job.
An example to adapt
I took three years out when my children were small. Over the last year I have done a course in Google Analytics and run social media for a local food bank, so I am back up to speed. My youngest has started school, and I am ready to get back to the work I enjoy.
-
How have you kept your skills up to date?
Name specific things, with dates, and say what you can do now as a result.
An example to adapt
I finished a short course in email automation in the spring, and I use the same tools at the food bank every week. I have also kept up with what has changed in the field, such as the move to Google Analytics 4, so I know what is different from when I last worked in a team.
-
What hours can you work?
Be clear and positive about what you can offer. If you need flexibility, say what would work and show you have thought about reliability.
An example to adapt
I am looking for around 25 hours a week, ideally in school hours. I have childcare in place for those days, and with some notice I am happy to be flexible around busy periods.
Preparing for a particular job? See our interview questions by job.
What to leave out
- Apologising for the break, or explaining your family arrangements in detail.
- Leaving the break out, or stretching dates to hide it.
- Old software or job titles with no current name alongside them.
- A profile that is all about the break and not about the job you want.
- Underselling yourself. Volunteering, committee roles and courses are real evidence when they used real skills.
Read next
Returning to work: your questions
Should I mention maternity or parental leave on my CV?
If you were on maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave and then went back to the same job, you do not need to mention it: you were still employed. If you left and took a longer break, show it as a career break with dates.
How do I explain a long career break, such as ten years?
In the same way as a short one: one honest line with dates, then put the weight on what you can do now. Lead with recent learning, volunteering or work, and summarise older roles briefly. A returner programme can be a good route back after a long break.
Is a skills-based CV better for returners?
Sometimes, but most UK recruiters prefer to see a clear timeline. A good middle way is a short key skills section with examples at the top, followed by your work history and career break in date order.
Do I have to say why I want part-time or flexible hours?
No. You can simply say the hours you are looking for. You do not have to explain your caring responsibilities, though some people find a short reason helps the conversation.
What if my references are out of date?
A former manager can still give a reference for your work before the break, and many are happy to. For something recent, ask a person from a course, volunteering role or committee who has seen you work. Our guide to references on a CV has more.
Keep going
- Simple CV templatesFree designs that keep your story clear, with no watermark.
- Cover lettersExample letters by job: a good place to explain your situation in a sentence or two.
- Free CV checkerA CV Score out of 100 and the fixes to make first, in about 30 seconds.
Other CV guides: After redundancy Over 50 Moving into management No degree Leaving the armed forces
Ready to update your CV?
Pick a free design, add your experience and download it as a PDF, plus a Word copy.