How do you explain employment gaps on a resume?

[invincible49]

Hey all,

I am in the process of applying to grad school this year but I'm really stumped by one question.

Juts a brief background: I left one job by the end of June 2017. I took a few months off to study for the GRE (which I gave in October), do an online course and find a new job. By November 2017, I found a new job and started working again by December 2017.

How do I address this on a resume? Harvard, for example, specifically states I should address employment gaps in the resume. Ideally I would like to use the optional essay for this but they have clearly mentioned resume. Any ideas?

[ResilientDreams]

Sorry if this sounds dumb but...why can't you just say you took off a few months to study for the GRE and take an online course? That's a productive use of your time. I don't see why you can't say that. 

[invincible49]

That's what I intend to say. But I don't know how to say it on a resume, if that makes sense? Is there a format for it?

In between the chronological work sequence, should I put a break saying "full time student"? Or something like that? 

[ExponentialDecay]

A gap of a few months isn't really considered a gap, so you could get away with not mentioning it at all. Or, if your resume is chronological, you could just put in a section that says what you say here.

[wcw]

I had a 6-month gap in my resume when I applied to HKS. I used the optional essay to write a very brief (3 - 4 lines) summary of what I did during that time (traveled and took online classes). I left out any mention of looking for a job and instead focused on how I used that time for my personal development. 

[iwearflowers]

If the online classes were part of a degree or certificate program, those dates should be reflected in the education section of your resume. Otherwise, I would follow @wcw's advice.