Portfolio vs. Resume: How to Document Your Skills During a Career Gap

Six months after I quit my job, I sat down to update my resume for a role I actually wanted. I stared at a blank page where my "recent experience" should go.

What was I supposed to write? "Unemployed, took online courses, thought about my career"? That wasn't going to get me an interview.

But here's the thing: during those six months, I'd actually learned a lot. I'd built two side projects to teach myself new skills. I'd volunteered with a nonprofit on their marketing. I'd taken courses and completed certifications. I had real work to show—it just didn't fit the traditional resume format.

If you took a career break—whether planned or forced—you're facing the same problem: how do you document what you did when it doesn't look like a normal job?

The answer depends on what you did and what kind of role you're targeting. Sometimes you need a portfolio. Sometimes a resume works fine. Sometimes you need both. Let me break it down.

Portfolio vs. Resume: When to Use Which

First, let's be clear about what these are:

Use a RESUME if:

• You're applying to traditional corporate roles
• Your career gap was short (3 months or less)
• You did things during your break that fit into resume categories (courses, certifications, volunteer work)
• You're in finance, operations, HR, sales, or other fields where portfolios aren't standard

Use a PORTFOLIO if:

• You're in a creative or technical field where showing work matters more than listing experience
• You built tangible projects during your gap
• Your work is visual or code-based and needs to be seen to be understood
• You're trying to pivot careers and need to prove you can do the new role

Use BOTH if you're in design, development, writing, marketing, or any field where both credentials and work samples matter.

How to Handle Career Gaps on Your Resume

The gap itself isn't the problem. The problem is when your resume makes the gap look like you did nothing or were just unemployed and hoping something would happen.

Strategy 1: Add a "Professional Development" Section

If you took courses, earned certifications, or learned new skills, create a section that highlights this.

Strategy 2: Frame Volunteer Work Like a Job

If you did meaningful work for nonprofits or organizations during your gap, list it like employment.

Strategy 3: Use Functional Resume Format (If Necessary)

If your career break is long or your work history is choppy, consider a functional resume that emphasizes skills over chronological work history.

Structure:

• Summary statement at top
• Skills organized by category (not by job)
• Brief work history at bottom with just company names and dates

What NOT to Do on Your Resume

• Don't lie about dates. Extend your last job's end date to cover the gap? Bad idea. Background checks catch this.
• Don't write "Career Break" with no explanation. Give context: "Career Break - Professional Development" or "Sabbatical - Family Care"
• Don't apologize. Don't write "Unfortunately took time off" or "Due to circumstances beyond my control." State it matter-of-factly.
• Don't list irrelevant activities. "Traveled Europe" doesn't belong on a resume unless you're applying for travel industry jobs.

Building a Portfolio That Gets You Hired

If you're building a portfolio, you need to show work that proves you can do the job you're applying for. Here's how to structure it.

What to Include in Your Portfolio

Where to Host Your Portfolio

Portfolio Mistakes to Avoid

• Too many projects. Quality over quantity. 4-6 strong projects beat 15 mediocre ones.
• No context. Don't just show the final product. Explain the problem, your approach, the results.
• Outdated work. If your most recent project is from three years ago, either update it or build something new.
• Broken links or demos. Test everything before sending your portfolio to anyone.
• Overly complex navigation. Make it dead simple to find your best work.

Getting Started

If you're stuck between portfolio and resume, start with what you can build fastest. You need momentum more than perfection.

Update your resume this week—add a professional development section, frame volunteer work properly, clean up the format. That takes a few hours.

Then, if your field benefits from a portfolio, commit to building one project or writing sample per week until you have 3-5 solid pieces. Set deadlines. Share work-in-progress with people who'll give honest feedback.

The gap doesn't define you. What you did during it—and how you present it—is what matters for getting hired.