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Ask HN: How do I explain a resume gap after taking a sabbatical?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I explain a resume gap after taking a sabbatical?

#71

Post by thrownaway954 »

Blackstone4 wrote: post #3

It's easy for people to criticize. Ignore them. Recruiters want easy wins so they can get paid. There will always be people who are negative about X, Y or Z. Find your own way. If you start believing them that is trouble because it'll come across in any interview. Be proud of the time you took out to travel around Asia. "I had a fantastic time, learning about new cultures, broadening my mind, meeting new people from…

THIS!!! Freelancing is still working. Showcase it, don't hide it, however you have to learn to _sell_ yourself better. For instance, I would put "Private Consulting" rather than Freelancing on your resume.

It would be even better if you had your own company, then you could put "Backpack Consulting Inc." on your resume ;) Don't hate the player, hate the game :)

Re: Ask HN: How do I explain a resume gap after taking a sabbatical?

#74

Post by d--b »

This is bullshit.

If it's a problem that you may put your life before your career, then you don't want work for them.

We need to change that culture little by little.

Here's what I would say: "This gap is troublesome to you? FUCK. YOU. I had some money aside and decided to take it easy for once, and not rush back to the petty corporate word where people roll their eyes when I take 3 weeks for Christmas. If you can't fathom that, I'm going to get my skills elsewhere."

Re: Ask HN: How do I explain a resume gap after taking a sabbatical?

#75

Post by mindcrash »

While reviewing CVs I would love to see "Took some time to travel through Asia", followed by a few lines amongst which was written "Helped small business in to improve their system administration".

And that would definitely lead to a interesting conversation while interviewing :)

But ofcourse, that could just be me.

Re: Ask HN: How do I explain a resume gap after taking a sabbatical?

#77

Post by DoreenMichele »

The gap on the resume is troubling because they don't know what you did during that time, so fill the gap. I would go with a combination of suggestions here.

"While on sabbatical to fulfill my dream of backpacking around Asia, I helped cover expenses by taking on small projects of limited scope, such as... "

Re: Ask HN: How do I explain a resume gap after taking a sabbatical?

#79

Post by QuarkSpark »

You have been 'busy' all this while( even if it's a sabbatical). That's important, that is what you need to project to your potential companies on your application.

Create a personal website(if you don't have one) and put up your personal projects that project you in a positive light. Github is also great.

When a company receives a resume, there's no way to quantify and judge what the candidate has done in the past year. Give them something to think about.

I have marked Cybercoders as spam and you should too. They lazily bombard you with irrelevant jobs. There are other tech recruiting firms(Bay Area and LA) that have better reach and more understanding of candidates profiles. LinkedIn is great for networking and reaching out to recruiters and seeking out referrals.

Mark up your sabbatical period on your resume. Write in there "Traveled the world exploring new cultures, worked on personal projects, taught myself new skills to grow forward." Mention a supporting online link in this section. Nothing to hide here IMO

On your website, you can write down experiences you gained in detail, while working on your open source projects, what you learnt. This is a huge plus. Many candidates send in resumes without a proof of their past projects. You already got this, try to work it into an interview call + offer.

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