Every time I’ve ever asked someone about a gap in their resume they have told me they were taking care of a sick family member. Every single one of them.
I don’t know if I believe them all, but it’s not something I can fault anyone for and doesn’t invite follow up questions.
Any place that judges you for leaving a toxic workplace is possibly toxic itself.
On the flip side, I was out of a job for about 6 months after being made redundant, the next job I applied for asked, and I was up-front about it. There were no further questions asked. (and I got that job)
I think the key is to be honest, let that filter out bad jobs for you just as much as the employers think they're filtering you out :)
Agreed. Though for a layoff/redundancy, it's slightly different. What I'd add to the situation described here would be:
a) Practice talking about that situation until it no longer triggers anger/resentment. No employer wants to hear an impassioned rant about how horrible your last job was.
b) Be as specific as possible when talking about the challenges of the last job and what you attempted to do about it. If you just say "toxic environment", "bad culture" or "menial work" or whatever, that could make it look like you're super negative.
When I was interviewing while in a pretty bad job, a way I framed it was:
"I wanted to do [explain project and rationale] and took initiative in that direction, but [person with authority] obstructed me by [what they did] and that made me like I was in a culture that [negative characteristic of culture], while I value [positive characteristic of culture], so I don't believe I'm in the right place anymore. This was an example to illustrate this, but I could dig deeper and share more if you want me to."
-> This keeps it free of judgment/resentment while also being assertive about what you want. It also frames you in a position of agency, not victimhood (you're not escaping something horrible, but proactively finding a better fit). It also shows your values in a specific (believable) way, not the typical job interview talk.
When I see gaps on resumes I don't mind it at all - I personally have always wanted want 6-12 months off to go work on side projects. If you need an excuse I would just say you're consulting friends companies and / or working on side projects you're passionate about. I don't think it's a big deal at all, if anything shows you're exploring things and figuring out what you find interesting.
- served a prison sentence
- was in a religious cult
- rehab clinic
- was on the run from the police/mafia/Mossad
- went offline writing drivers for TempleOS
Every time I’ve ever asked someone about a gap in their resume they have told me they were taking care of a sick family member. Every single one of them.
I don’t know if I believe them all, but it’s not something I can fault anyone for and doesn’t invite follow up questions.
That is really a good one. I might try it in few places.
Any place that judges you for leaving a toxic workplace is possibly toxic itself.
On the flip side, I was out of a job for about 6 months after being made redundant, the next job I applied for asked, and I was up-front about it. There were no further questions asked. (and I got that job)
I think the key is to be honest, let that filter out bad jobs for you just as much as the employers think they're filtering you out :)
Agreed. Though for a layoff/redundancy, it's slightly different. What I'd add to the situation described here would be:
a) Practice talking about that situation until it no longer triggers anger/resentment. No employer wants to hear an impassioned rant about how horrible your last job was.
b) Be as specific as possible when talking about the challenges of the last job and what you attempted to do about it. If you just say "toxic environment", "bad culture" or "menial work" or whatever, that could make it look like you're super negative.
When I was interviewing while in a pretty bad job, a way I framed it was:
"I wanted to do [explain project and rationale] and took initiative in that direction, but [person with authority] obstructed me by [what they did] and that made me like I was in a culture that [negative characteristic of culture], while I value [positive characteristic of culture], so I don't believe I'm in the right place anymore. This was an example to illustrate this, but I could dig deeper and share more if you want me to."
-> This keeps it free of judgment/resentment while also being assertive about what you want. It also frames you in a position of agency, not victimhood (you're not escaping something horrible, but proactively finding a better fit). It also shows your values in a specific (believable) way, not the typical job interview talk.
When I see gaps on resumes I don't mind it at all - I personally have always wanted want 6-12 months off to go work on side projects. If you need an excuse I would just say you're consulting friends companies and / or working on side projects you're passionate about. I don't think it's a big deal at all, if anything shows you're exploring things and figuring out what you find interesting.
AJ