Unaccounted Period of Time

hi guys, im on a gap year, basically from September 2006 till March 2007 i wasnt working or studying, what could i put down on this form i need to fill in? basically i wasnt doing much, just at home lol, did a little travelling to friends Universities, researching on careers etc, but basically bumming around. this is a law firm and so need to sound like i was using my time productively?

Reply 1

KwungSun

13

Dr Shrestha

hi guys, im on a gap year, basically from September 2006 till March 2007 i wasnt working or studying, what could i put down on this form i need to fill in? basically i wasnt doing much, just at home lol, did a little travelling to friends Universities, researching on careers etc, but basically bumming around. this is a law firm and so need to sound like i was using my time productively?

Prayer and meditation

Reply 2

simon123

Well sorry but to sound harsh you have just wasted a whole year of your life when you could have been building up some great work experience. Makes me think your not really cut out for law when you fail to recongize the need to work yourself into the ground for it. As regards to making stuff up I would suggest travelling is your only option, make up you went around Europe or something but by god make sure you read up and learn about some places you can pretend to have visited otherwise you will get caught out!

Reply 3

Howard

5

Working at a home for street children in the slums of San Salvador is always a good one.

Reply 4

ThePants999

14

Personally I'm all in favour of bumming around on a gap year. Whatever you enjoy doing, is a worthwhile activity.

Reply 5

simon123

ThePants999

Personally I'm all in favour of bumming around on a gap year. Whatever you enjoy doing, is a worthwhile activity.

Yes and then damage your career prospects because you have a gapping wide hole in your CV. Fine to doss around for a year if you want to work a rubbish job. However if you want to go into law as the OP does its a ridiculous thing to do as everyone knows how competitive it is.

Reply 6

ThePants999

14

It's a small oddity on the CV, but I wouldn't call it a gaping hole. Were I recruiting, I'd have many more questions to ask before I got around to "why weren't you working during these six months".

Reply 7

simon123

ThePants999

It's a small oddity on the CV, but I wouldn't call it a gaping hole. Were I recruiting, I'd have many more questions to ask before I got around to "why weren't you working during these six months".

Well perhaps, but I astil lthink they would wonder about it. Really its more the point the OP could have used the time to build his CV but isntead chose not to, and when law is so competitve its a slighty silly thing to have done.

Reply 8

soap dodger

It really isn't such a massive problem as Simon123 is making out. Most professionals have a gap year to go travelling. Its practically expected these days. I went travelling around Australia doing voluntary work on Organic farms for 12 months. Nothing at all related to my Computer Science degree.

However it was a great ice breaker at interviews. It also demonstrates you can set yourself personal goals and targets and are willing to adapt to different and challenging situations.

If had the choice of choosing between two theoretically identical candidates except that one had gone travelling for a year and one had not I would chose the one with a gap year every time. Why? Merely because I would prefer someone who had life experiences over someone who had never left academia.

Obviously the original OP did not actually do any travelling so some creative thinking is going to be needed. So here is a tip, search for WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), which is what I did. Telling your interviewer that you worked for 7 weeks on a 500,000 acre cattle farm in North Australia that you had to get to by light aircraft and helped rounding up steers on quad bikes impresses them no end.

Reply 9

simon123

soap dodger

It really isn't such a massive problem as Simon123 is making out. Most professionals have a gap year to go travelling. Its practically expected these days. I went travelling around Australia doing voluntary work on Organic farms for 12 months. Nothing at all related to my Computer Science degree.

However it was a great ice breaker at interviews. It also demonstrates you can set yourself personal goals and targets and are willing to adapt to different and challenging situations.

If had the choice of choosing between two theoretically identical candidates except that one had gone travelling for a year and one had not I would chose the one with a gap year every time. Why? Merely because I would prefer someone who had life experiences over someone who had never left academia.

Obviously the original OP did not actually do any travelling so some creative thinking is going to be needed. So here is a tip, search for WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), which is what I did. Telling your interviewer that you worked for 7 weeks on a 500,000 acre cattle farm in North Australia that you had to get to by light aircraft and helped rounding up steers on quad bikes impresses them no end.

Well yes that is essentially what I said, that he should make up that he went travelling, that will of couse look good but the OP needs to be very careful he doesnt trip himself up and should learn a cover story . My point is that the OP didnt actually do this! :smile:

Reply 10

olibubble

I personally wouldnt lie about going places- it will 9 times out of ten get you caught out.

Presuming that you have good exam rwults etc, it would be plausible to say that after a period of intense study/exams etc you felt the need to get your bearings, take a break and research what your next career step will be to make absolutely certin you make the best decision rather than rushing in.

I dont think it is that big a problem... I am planning to start law degree in september, and i left school in 2000 so i have a 7 yr gap to account for!

Reply 11

soap dodger

Simon, the OP was asking what he should put down on the form. He hasn't actually filled it in yet.

Reply 12

nepali_babu

OP

i think i may have nto mentioned, i have been working fo ra cash management firm since march and im internsing at an investment bank since today! yeah when speakign to the people etc, i realised that its a minor thing! and i handed in the form no problems hehe *for now :P)

Reply 13

simon123

Dr Shrestha

i think i may have nto mentioned, i have been working fo ra cash management firm since march and im internsing at an investment bank since today! yeah when speakign to the people etc, i realised that its a minor thing! and i handed in the form no problems hehe *for now :P)

haha those are 2 quite big details to not mention! Interning at an IB, that gives you a huge plus point

Reply 14

Purple

18

Say you went travelling?

Reply 15

bcr8iv

olibubble

I personally wouldnt lie about going places- it will 9 times out of ten get you caught out.
[

Where did you get this figure from, the ONS? Maybe I'm just a great lier...! If you've got holes in your CV, fill them! Obviously you can't say you were working but say you went traveling. Also if you have two jobs either side of this gap, increase the fist job ending date by a month, and reduce the second start date by a month, making your gap/holiday two months shorter, making it less unusual.

Unaccounted Period of Time

Related discussions

Articles for you