Could/should you recommend lying about going travelling on your CV to explain a gap?

If your really worried about the gap, why not start volunteering somewhere? That's what I did until I got paid work. I would highly doubt that the gap as it stands is what's leading to the rejections, there will almost certainly be some aspect of your answers you can improve on.

Gaps on CVs don't look fantastic but neither does quitting your job at 26 to go travelling. I would recommend volunteering even just one day a week which gives you at least something for the gap, plus it also keeps your unemployed life more structured and productive.

However, you've still got EY, BDO and RSM so it's a little premature to be worrying - and I certainly wouldn't be too disappointed about Kingston Smith (that's a fairly large jump down from PwC anyway). If you made it through to the partner interview at PwC you've got a very good chance of at least one offer from the above three. Did you get helpful feedback from the partner to ensure you don't make the same mistake? And I presume this is the Audit stream?

Basically I (think) I did more-or-less everything right in the senior interview for PwC, but massively screwed up when it came to my chance to ask questions at the end. I asked (in a fairly vague and haphazard way I suppose) how they balanced the obvious incentive to upsell services to large clients with the regulation preventing them from doing so and the director took the question really badly - (as if I was asking him how they get around the regulation i.e - get away with breaking the law) I of course didn't mean it that way at all but I suppose I communicated it badly. He suddenly asked me 'why would I ask him that?' and said he 'was getting a little nervous now' etc.

I can't be sure that I'd have got the job with PwC if it weren't for that, but I'd be very surprised. It really seemed fine up until that point.

I should mention that I interviewed with PwC when I was still working, so this wasn't an issue then.

Volunteer work does sound like a good shout in all this. I'm going to have a look at some of the charities I can maybe do some volunteering for in the next few weeks.

You had the right idea of highlighting your technical understanding - just avoid compliance in the future as it's a particularly sensitive topic.

Hey,

Looks like your doing well with the interviews and applications! Keep on trying and you will get something eventually!!

In regards to the gap, if you apply for any finance/bank company they may ask for passport stamps as proof. Do you know anyone who has started there own company? family/friends... if so, just say you did some voluntary admin work there

Good Luck

This might be a little blunt, but if your interview questions are like your posts, there is a strong chance your answers may lack conciseness or just be overly descriptive. That could be the issue more than anything else you are worried about.

1) I think you are unlikely to get such a question. If you did, you focus on the positives/opportunities it allowed you to do instead.

2) just get across you have been proactive and kept yourself busy. That might not just be applying for jobs, but learning more about the sector, whether formally or informally (with the latter, things like networking events). I think this could be where you are coming up a little short from what you have said so far.


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2) I'm very conscious of the fact that the interviewer might be very unimpressed with my honest answer.

Sure, I do need to work on being concise both in my posts and in interviews.

Nevertheless, I'd be keen for anyone's input into how they'd word an answer to 'and why did you leave that?' ...and 'but couldn't you have still applied for jobs whilst you were there?'

I think what puts me on the back foot with both questions is 1) I feel like I'm making excuses and 2) I'm very conscious of the fact that the interviewer might be very unimpressed with my honest answer.

Why do you say a 2.1 isn't a good degree? I think that it is a great degree!

Ha! Thanks very much.

The degree itself is fine, but I had chronic insomnia (for which I was prescribed medication) throughout first/second year. First year I did enough to scrape a pass, but I then failed my second year due to really bad withdrawal effects from the drugs I was prescribed and subsequently taken off (I was often too sick/exhausted to attend classes and exams etc.).

Happily enough the uni were v. understanding and allowed me to re-take second year, which meant that I managed to get a decent grade at the end of it all.

So whilst a 2:1 from Southampton looks fine on paper, for applications where I have to put the grade breakdowns, the numbers do look quite unflattering. I must admit it did take me by surprise that the Kingston Smith partner brought them up.

Now as I say, I'm very happy to defend myself on the topic - but its still one of those things where (even though they shouldn't), I can still imagine a recruiter or partner being put-off.

If it's going to put you off doing so, somebody at my work has just lied about a degree they had (when they were actually travelling) and the job doesn't even need a degree but they're getting their P45 very soon. They only started 4 weeks ago.

Oh really? Wow. That's awful.

I have heard 'funny stories' about people lying about their degree and getting a job but I guess its just too big a risk to take. I would never lie about the degree anyway.

Oh - one last question guys.

Obviously given that I'll tell the truth (and say that I left my job to pursue other opportunities - which is true, I technically wasn't sacked and could have held on and tried to turn things around (though I'm not sure if I'd have realistically been able to in reality)) - what would you recommend I say to the inevitable question of:

"Well, why did you quit your job to pursue other opportunities? Why not apply to jobs whilst in a job?"

Now, the honest answer is that there are tonnes of stages to job applications for which you have to take time off. Phone interviews can't always be done in a lunchtime as often those times are fully booked up, plus for an AC or partner interview you need to take the day/half-day off. As such, if you're taking the odd Wednesday off here or Thursday off there, it becomes really obvious you're job hunting. And of course, its nice to be able to devote yourself to chasing jobs you really, really want!

Plus, there's always a chance your employer can technically deny your holiday request and essentially kill a potential job application.

This is all true and there are some senior staff that acknowledge it, but nevertheless, there are some who (I worry) might be less sympathetic. I post on a different forum about my job applications and a lot of the posters there (being mid-thirties upwards) are shocked at how many stages are involved in a job app these days. Similarly, the partner at Kingston Smith had worked there for his entire career, starting as a graduate originally, so whilst I'm sure he technically knew this stuff, I do worry that an honest answer might not be the most convincing answer. (EDIT: I should add, he did ask the question above - and I'm not totally sure if he was just testing me, or if he was genuinely unimpressed)

Any advice on how I can best answer this question in terms of how I should put it?