Like a lot of the comments here most people don't even notice the gaps if they're less than a year. I've taken 9 months of due to significant other starting a grad program and 6 months off to live in another country. No one has ever asked me in an interview. Mind you this is over about 5 years so I've only worked about 3.6 of the 5. Since then I've done quite a large number of interviews (had a case of bad job fit about a year ago).
Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
171–180 of 248 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, offloading the burden and cost of the initial filter on to prospective candidates works well for the employer!
this isn't "burden and cost".... it's providing a large set of requirements and giving clear expectations about what is realistic, and the flexibility of choosing which requirements you satisfy to demonstrate your skills. unless I'm misunderstanding why you're referring to?
The issue is the value the employer derives from this set up vastly outstrips the value the average application receives (which is severely negative for most candidates). The fact is, most applicants for such a job have practically zero chance at getting hired. Just that they don't know this. So they go above and beyond for the sake of making a good impression, and you get to throw them out after 30 seconds of scanning their submission or looking at their resume. You get the candidate to put in hours of work which you will use to cut them with as little effort on your end as possible. It's exploitative.
To be clear, this is just a general critique of up front multi-hour tests. There are ways to make these things not so lopsided. For example, make clear in the job announcement the minimum requirements so that people will filter themselves prior to putting in the effort to create some impressive application. Ideally you would have such a test later in the process so there is some investment on both sides. First pass filtering can be done with fizzbuzz-esque 5 minute exercises.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#173I have had this happen, twice, due to medical.
I tell them that one was medical and the other was a sabbatical to take time to learn the latest technologies, as I do not want to scare them off with too many medical "vacations".
Yes, technically it's lying but it's the only real way I've found to properly navigate what is a ridiculous system.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#174Earlier 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.
Isn’t this the same thing people who like whiteboard interviews say? “We know Leetcode is a hoop and the most motivated will grind 200 leetcode problems”
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#175You just do it! I took 3 years off between two jobs to burn through my savings. I just said "I took three years off to burn through my savings" to people and they were like "cool, fine, as long as you can still code".
I don't get the rationalization. You did not want to have any savings, so you took the time to burn them off?
Surely I'm missing something here.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#176Medical-triggered gap is joy a big deal. One thing I would worry about as a potential employer is if the candidate worked somewhere and is trying to hide that employer so that we can’t talk to them. But if you didn’t actually work, it’s not much of an issue in my book.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#177You just do it! I took 3 years off between two jobs to burn through my savings. I just said "I took three years off to burn through my savings" to people and they were like "cool, fine, as long as you can still code".
I don't get the rationalization. You did not want to have any savings, so you took the time to burn them off? Surely I'm missing something here.
No, I had savings, and didn't want to work, so I didn't work for the amount of time it took to have no savings left.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#178Most will not even ask for liability reasons: interviewers at large companies are trained not to ask questions that can expose company to a lawsuit, which basically includes all personal questions, including medical, etc. I.e. most simple example, interviewer asks candidate about age, candidate doesn’t get hired, files lawsuit about age discrimination.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#179“Took some time off to explore projects. Exited to get back to work.”
No answer to this question will be cited by the hiring committee/etc as a reason to thumbs up a candidate; many answers will be cited as a “red flag.” Give the minimum amount of signal and move on.
Re: Ask HN: How to explain job gaps on the resume?
#180Just say exactly why you wrote above, I don't see why you need another thing to say