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Returning to work CV example

A CV for returning to work names the break once, with its dates and reason, and then gets on with the evidence.

Lead with your years of experience, show anything you did or learned during the break, and keep your earlier jobs in full. This example is an office manager going back to work after six years at home with her children.

Professional design1 page
Returning to work CV example: fictional example, page 1. Full text is available below.
Read the example as text
Claire Donnelly
Office Manager
Reading · 07700 900240 · [email protected]

Profile

Office manager with nine years at a busy solicitors' office, six of them running it: staff, budgets, suppliers and the systems a team relies on every day. Returning after a six-year career break raising two children; kept the PTA's accounts and completed AAT Level 2 Bookkeeping and a Microsoft 365 course during the break. Looking for an office manager post, full time or four days a week.

Career break

Career break to raise two children, Reading 2019–2025

Treasurer of Hillside Primary School PTA for four years: kept the accounts for a budget of about £9,000 a year and reported to each committee meeting.

Organised the school's summer fair with a team of 20 volunteers, raising £4,200 in 2024.

Employment

Office Manager, Wexcombe & Hart Solicitors, Reading 2013–2019

Ran the office for 32 staff: reception, post, facilities, supplies and the IT and phone suppliers.

Managed the office budget of £180,000 a year and reported spending to the partners each month.

Recruited, trained and appraised a team of four administrators and receptionists.

Moved the firm's paper files to a case management system with the IT supplier, with no lost files.

Office Administrator, Wexcombe & Hart Solicitors, Reading 2010–2013

Qualifications and training

AAT Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping (2024)

Microsoft 365 for the workplace, online course (2025)

BA (Hons) English, 2:1, University of Reading (2010)

Skills

Office budgets, supplier contracts and invoices

Recruiting, training and appraising staff

Microsoft 365: Outlook, Excel, Word and Teams

Calm, clear communication with clients and staff

Fictional example for an office manager returning to work. Every person and employer in it is invented. Replace every detail with your own.

What employers hiring returners look for, and where this CV shows it

The job asks you toWhere this CV shows it
Organise and co-ordinate day-to-day office operationsReception, post, facilities and suppliers for 32 staff
Manage an office budget and expensesA £180,000 office budget; the PTA's accounts during the break
Help to recruit and train new staffRecruited and trained four administrators and receptionists
Carry out staff appraisals and monitor performanceAppraisals for the office team
Prepare reports for the senior management teamMonthly spending reports to the partners
Work closely with other departments, like finance and human resourcesThe move to a case management system with the IT supplier

The left column follows the National Careers Service job profile for an office manager.

Average pay: £25,000 a year for a starter and £40,000 for an experienced office manager, working 37 to 42 hours a week (National Careers Service, checked 14 October 2026).

Facts checked against GOV.UK: Returner toolkit: helping you back to work on and National Careers Service: Office manager on .

Skills to list for this job

The skills the National Careers Service lists for an office manager, in CV wording. Put down only the ones you can show, each with where you used it.

  • Business management
  • Administration
  • Organising time and workload
  • Thorough, with close attention to detail
  • Working well with others
  • Clear spoken communication
  • Patient and calm in stressful situations
  • Clear, logical reasoning
  • Confident with computers and everyday software
Choose them in the editor

From the National Careers Service profile, checked 17 October 2026.

Inside this example
  • Profile: 67 words here
  • Career break: 49 words here
  • Employment: 75 words here
  • Qualifications and training: 23 words here
  • Skills: 25 words here

How to write yours

01

Name the break once

One line with the dates and the reason (raising children, caring for a parent, illness) answers the question before it is asked. You do not need to explain it further.

02

Count your experience in years

“Nine years' experience running an office” in the profile puts your experience first. The GOV.UK returner toolkit cites research finding that years of experience drew more positive replies than dates alone.

03

Show what you did during the break

Volunteering, a committee role or a course shows current skills and recent dates. Give them the same detail as a job: what you did and how much.

04

Refresh, then say so

A short course in the software employers use now, like Microsoft 365, answers the worry that your skills are out of date.

Rules and checks for a returner's CV

Should I explain my career break on my CV?

If you apply to a returner programme, include a section on your career break with its reason, because the employer needs to see that you meet the programme's rules (GOV.UK returner toolkit).

Should I list courses I did during the break?

List any qualifications or relevant experience you gained during the break, with the year (GOV.UK returner toolkit).

How long should a returner's CV be?

The toolkit suggests no more than two pages: the highlights most relevant to the job.

Which professional body should I name?

The National Careers Service names the Institute of Administrative Management for office managers' training; give any membership with its grade.

Professional and one page: the profile and the career break line sit where a reader looks first, so the break is explained before the reader reaches the dates. Older jobs at the same firm shrink to one line.

Guides for this CV

Explaining a gap in your CV Volunteering as experience Personal statement examples How to write a cover letter

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