39 cV problems hat if your career history isn't perfect? It can be tempting to bend the truth in your CV to make yourself look better. Resist the temptation. Not only is it dangerous, it's unnecessary. You can often overcome problems by emphasizing some parts of your CV while playing down others. The purpose of a CV is to get an interview. You do that by demonstrating what's right about you, not what's wrong. You may have to answer searching questions about your background or qualifications when you get to the interview ­ see Chapter 15, `Answering interview questions' ­ but at least you can do it face to face and give a full explanation. 5 W Problem: there are gaps in my career history Smooth over small gaps by rounding up dates, giving the year rather than month and year ­ `2008 to 2009' rather than `November 2008 to January 2009'. For longer gaps, say what you were doing and focus on the skills and achievements you gained. Whether it was training, studying, travelling, doing voluntary work, child-rearing, free- lancing or trying self-employment, there will be something positive and relevant you can use if you look hard enough.