I wouldn't want to work for a company that frowned upon a gap in work experience based on a medical issue. If the topic comes up, tell the truth. If they balk, you should run fast and hard from that company.
Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
91–100 of 248 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#92"That's classified."
I.e., I was in jail.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks! I'm still a bit hesitant to add a section describing the nature of the hiatus to a list of previous work experiences. Seems a bit unprofessional to me as if the work experience is sorted in descending order — the gap is gonna be at the top. So i'm at crossroads here: risk and add the medical section or prepare an answer if a follow up question even occurs. With former i'm blatantly throwing it to the face, wi…
Contrary to what most people are saying here, I would advise to not mention medical issues. People are weird: they will be understanding and have sympathy, but when it comes to who gets the job, there's a good chance this will work against you. Not openly (it's illegal, after all), but subconsciously. Don't see this as lying; remember that it is your right to not mention this. Of course, you shouldn't conjure up some…
Thanks for adressing this as this is a very valid point.
I was at the start of the process with two major companies in their respective markets just weeks after i got hospitalized (which echoed back my 12 mth hiatus later).
At the initial screening i have mentioned the reason of reschedule to be the hospital stuff. Words of support and `i know a person who have had the same problem` type of stuff came along. Next thing i know i'm out of the loop with both HMs.
One can only question was this a coincidence or an assesment i wasn't going to fit due to health troubles.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#94Just 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.
They want to know you weren't in jail. That's it.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
The reason I think it's a lie is that the intention is that someone will misinterpret it.
Then its not a lie because there is no intention for someone to misinterpret it.
If that were the case you would just say "I took time off due to a medical situation."
The only reason to invoke "loved one" here is to mislead.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#96Just 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.
They want to know you weren't in jail. That's it.
That's what background check is for.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Good luck finding remotely decent candidates without an extraordinary offer at the end of significant unpaid work.
Remember, it's a two way process; any candidate worth their salt is interviewing the company.
If the candidate is worth it to the company, they won't expect them to jump through absurd hoops, and will treat them with at least a professional minimum of respect.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#98A gap in your resume is called a sabbatical. You spent a year doing something else that's more important to you because you can afford it. Medical plus some recovery time is a great reason. But just playing around with some new tech, investing in your education, or even spending time on your other interests, work for charity, or see something of the world, are great reasons. Slacking off may not sound great, but many employers are unlikely to care that much about the gap, and if they do, there's always a more interesting way to phrase it.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#99Be honest - just talk about what you did if they ask about the gap. Say you planned for it, saved a good amount of money, and took time off to improve yourself. It's becoming more common these days as sabbaticals or what not.
Be sure to also talk about what you learned during that period too though, specifically how you grew as an individual, etc. It doesn't need to be work related per se, but an improvement of some sort.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#100A gap in your resume is called a sabbatical. You spent a year doing something else that's more important to you because you can afford it. Medical plus some recovery time is a great reason. But just playing around with some new tech, investing in your education, or even spending time on your other interests, work for charity, or see something of the world, are great reasons. Slacking off may not sound great, but many…
Also, if you had good reason to take time off, but the future employer still has a problem with it, you probably don't want to work for them anyway.