I totally agree. If there is a way to truthfully dis-include those 'opportunities', it might help.

The timing was he was laid off when everything went to shit in Feb '09. Went back to school in May of '09.

His first comment was that I should have a list of core competencies right up front

Huh. Guess I need to totally redo my resume. I do have a summary and objective up top.

Bacchanal ran out of cheese. That is astounding.

Being around B is tough. I'm unable to keep away from him, which may not be wise long term but is in some ways less stressful and more satisfying short term.

It seems reasonable to assume that March and April were 'prep time' for going back to school. Schedules needed to be redirected, resources gathered, etc.

When I was fired from the software developer, (what a story...all to the good actually) we agreed that we would say I left the position by mutual agreement in preparation for pursuing an advanced degree.

No one has ever questioned me on that.

Oh, smonster. I'm sorry that it's hard for you to manage your heart wrt B.

My adviser also suggested that anyone over 30 should have a full CV, rejecting the notion of a one, or even two page resume.

This depends on the market, I think. Because I've had recruiters trim my resume down. One page, no. But they're pretty adamant no one's reading past page 3.

I do have a summary and objective up top.

This adviser is not the be-all, of course, but he said that he was sick, beyond the speaking of it, of reading objective statements. He felt they were not 'brass tacks' enough and were sort of like answering the 'name a weakness' question with the fact that you are too much of a team player or push yourself too hard to meet the company's objectives.

He is pretty hardcore, so may not be as good a resource as the HR folks among us, but his approach really does focus on presenting a different structure/view that not only makes you stand out, but cuts through the protocol that has become cliched.

One page, no. But they're pretty adamant no one's reading past page 3.

Mine is 3 as well. Academia, journalism and upper-tier executive positions demand more. The rest of us? 3 is usually good...especially if you are rigorous with avoiding repetition.

eta: This is also why I was happy to include the competencies list because it feels to me like a table of contents that ensures the reader doesn't necessarily have to read the whole document. Or will spark the interest to do so if appropriate.

Aims, how about something like:

Job - 2008-09 School - 2009 to date

I think gaps can be better explained in person. In person, he can say, "We moved back to Michigan for family reasons" and "After I was laid off, along with x number of other new hires, I decided to improve my marketability by going back to school, while also taking care of our daughter." The resume just needs to get him in the door.

Is it formatted as a functional resume, sort of like Bonnie suggested?

"After I was laid off, along with x number of other new hires, I decided to improve my marketability by going back to school

I like it.