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Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

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Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#21

Post by jobgaps »

LargeWu wrote: post #14

Just tell the truth. Medical is a perfectly valid reason. Tangent: What does it say about hiring culture that a gap of 3 months is a potential deal breaker? Like anybody who would ever deign to not be employed by choice is unhirable. God forbid that people are defined by anything other than having a career working for others. A person's worth is not defined by how much economic value they create.

Do you think the vague `medical` needs further elaboration?

I sure do know my medical is not related to mental health. Is it reasonable to somehow indicate that or it should be better left for an interviewer to inquire?

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#22

Post by rconti »

LargeWu wrote: post #14

Just tell the truth. Medical is a perfectly valid reason. Tangent: What does it say about hiring culture that a gap of 3 months is a potential deal breaker? Like anybody who would ever deign to not be employed by choice is unhirable. God forbid that people are defined by anything other than having a career working for others. A person's worth is not defined by how much economic value they create.

I'm not sure it is a potential dealbreaker. People just think it is.

It's certainly not an issue in a hot job market.

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#23

Post by dougb5 »

I would tell them exactly what you've told us and not try to mitigate it. And emphasize that you feel rejuvenated. Having taken this break, you may be in a better spot now than many people who have been (formally) employed continuously for the same time.

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#24

Post by [deleted] »

chrisseaton wrote: post #19
toomuchtodo wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a lie (providing care for yourself), and your potential employer has no right to additional information as it relates to your medical condition and why you needed the time away from employment. Don't disclose what you don't have to. It provides you no benefit, and can only be used against you. Why would you sandbag your employer opportunities (and the ability to support yourself) because of faux moral hazard…

It is a lie. You weren't providing care for a loved one (that's not how anyone would reasonably interpret 'love one'). It is indeed none of your employer's business. But still you should not deliberately mislead with an untruth.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#25

Post by badams2527 »

WWLink wrote: post #20

I always wonder what the HR person would get all upset over a gap for? Can someone tell me about the time they rejected a candidate because they had a gap in their employment? lol :D I mean why do they care. If I save up money and take a year off every few years? That just means if I get bored of them I'll walk out. It sounds like the kinda thing people care about because they're told to, but they don't actually have…

Have you been part of the hiring process before? It's very time-consuming, stressful, and hard to make a choice.

From the interviewers perspective, there's a higher chance that the person who hasn't worked for 12+ months simply isn't good enough to find a job, and it could be a waste of their time/resources to interview them instead of the person who has been consistently working.

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#27

Post by n0cturne »

As a longtime hiring manager I have zero issues with a break for health reasons (or any other reasons). I will ask questions about the break to understand the circumstances. My concern is how likely it is to reoccur. If you can show that it’s unlikely to affect your work on our team, and your skills are otherwise impressive for the role, then it’s no issue at all.

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#28

Post by matz1 »

chrisseaton wrote: post #19
toomuchtodo wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a lie (providing care for yourself), and your potential employer has no right to additional information as it relates to your medical condition and why you needed the time away from employment. Don't disclose what you don't have to. It provides you no benefit, and can only be used against you. Why would you sandbag your employer opportunities (and the ability to support yourself) because of faux moral hazard…

It is a lie. You weren't providing care for a loved one (that's not how anyone would reasonably interpret 'love one'). It is indeed none of your employer's business. But still you should not deliberately mislead with an untruth.

It is not a lie. Sure someone could misinterpret it but it is not a lie.

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#29

Post by chrisseaton »

matz1 wrote: post #28
chrisseaton wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a lie. You weren't providing care for a loved one (that's not how anyone would reasonably interpret 'love one'). It is indeed none of your employer's business. But still you should not deliberately mislead with an untruth.

It is not a lie. Sure someone could misinterpret it but it is not a lie.

The reason I think it's a lie is that the intention is that someone will misinterpret it.

Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?

#30

Post by DoofusOfDeath »

Techonomicon wrote: post #7
wcchandler wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that loved one can be yourself.

Yea don't lie. That won't go well if you get hired and now you have to remember to keep some lie consistent.

IMHO another reason to not lie is that it further erodes the character of the lier. Lying gets easier with practice. The self-discipline of facing consequences rather than dodging them weakens. Justified guilt accumulates and weighs down the pyche, at least for some people. It gets harder to trust others, as it become more normal to assume they are lying to you.
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