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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?

#71

Post by cbanek »

As a person who's reviewed a lot of resumes, I don't actively look for job gaps, so I probably wouldn't notice. I'm more interested in what technologies you use (role), and what you've done in the past (experience). As long as you are sharp and know your stuff, you'll do fine.

Even if it is a red flag to some, I strongly believe software interviewing is a numbers game, due to randomness and bad interview processes. And once you do get a job and get back in the workforce, if you don't like it, you can switch again. And you at least won't be in the middle of a current gap.

I'd just definitely have a a go-to answer when you interview, and medical is a totally fine answer there. I don't think any competent hiring manager would ask past that due to legal risk (although there's always someone who asks illegal questions at interviews anyway).

Best of luck!

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

#73

Post by Ankhers »

epicureanideal wrote: post #65
loftyai wrote: post #64

I can't speak for every company out there, but for us, we've discovered that resumes and whiteboard challenges are bad predictors of great engineers. So, we simply come up with a small project that's related to what we would have you work on if you were hired and give you around a week to finish it. You can use other people's code snippets online as well as any libraries you see fit. As long as the end result is good…

A week of work for each job applied to rapidly becomes unsustainable. I personally have never done more than 6-8 hours of coding as part of an application, and only did that once.

Not OP, but I read the one week part to mean that it is a deadline. So the task may only take an evening to complete, but having some agreed upon deadline will prevent having to deal with continually stretching out the interview process longer than necessary.

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

#75

Post by jobgaps »

scarejunba wrote: post #63

One guy I hired just had it listed there as hiatus on his resume. His company was acquired and he took some time off after vesting. Didn't stop me. It didn't actually work out in that case, but I don't think it was because he took the time off. EDIT for reply since I'm rate-limited: > The period was slightly over a year. The resume described what he did which was roughly (without going into detail that would de-anony…

Was the hiatus period large?

Did the resume provide the explanation to hiatus or that was communicated verbally in a talk?

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

#76

Post by iso1631 »

loftyai wrote: post #64

I can't speak for every company out there, but for us, we've discovered that resumes and whiteboard challenges are bad predictors of great engineers. So, we simply come up with a small project that's related to what we would have you work on if you were hired and give you around a week to finish it. You can use other people's code snippets online as well as any libraries you see fit. As long as the end result is good…

So if you have a years worth of work todo, and 50 people apply, you get the work done for free?

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

#77

Post by zentiggr »

I've recently gotten back into a programming job after 8 mo out of work and ten years before that doing desktop support instead of my original focus on coding.

Getting back into the flow is certainly doable.

Be honest about the basic situation, don't answer discriminatory questions, and the right companies will give you a shot.

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

#78

Post by ExtraServings »

huebomont wrote: post #69
loftyai wrote: post #64

I can't speak for every company out there, but for us, we've discovered that resumes and whiteboard challenges are bad predictors of great engineers. So, we simply come up with a small project that's related to what we would have you work on if you were hired and give you around a week to finish it. You can use other people's code snippets online as well as any libraries you see fit. As long as the end result is good…

Yikes. Hopefully paid? What if the candidate is currently employed? Where do you expect them to find the time, knowing that they are not likely to be only applying to your company, but to others as well?

If they're sufficiently motivated to want the job, they will jump through the hoops.

If the job's not worth it to the candidate, they won't complete the task.

Easy.

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

#80

Post by westonplatter0 »

geocrasher wrote: post #32

The things you do between roles define you as a person and make you interesting. Use them as such. Tell the truth: I was sick, had enough savings to heal up and take some time off, and now I'm fresh and ready for the fight. I also did X Y Z and A B C, had some fun. Play time's over, and I'm looking to work hard. If they can't appreciate that, then they wouldn't appreciate you in general. A self-solving problem.

2nd this approach.
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