Should I communicate in my applications that I'm unemployed out of choice rather than because nobody will...





.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}







49















I've recently quit my grad school and I'm on a lookout for jobs. My CV seems to be in quite a high demand if the amount of calls from recruiters is anything to judge it by. I've not been employed for three months now and I'm taking this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects.



Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions". Well, I'm sure it does - should I clarify the answers to those questions when I apply for new jobs?



If it's at all important, the main reason for me not having a job yet is that I'm quite picky in what kind of jobs I want. I have some red-lines when it comes to the industries I'd work for (ethical considerations), and locations/commute distance I'm interested in (work/life balance), as well as wanting to work on a product and with a team I can actually get behind. Combine that with my niche having openings less often than the rest of the industry and you end up with a long job search (which I'm fine with but I'm realising prospective employers might not be).






job-search recruitment united-kingdom







share|improve this question




















  • 59





    You say your CV is in high demand but you also say openings are less often than rest of the industry resulting in long job search. This sounds contradictory.

    – PagMax
    May 13 at 9:48






  • 6





    When you say you quit grad school, did you finish it or simply drop out?

    – lucasgcb
    May 13 at 10:52






  • 3





    I've dropped out.

    – KubaFYI
    May 13 at 10:58






  • 11





    Your headline doesn't exactly match your question. You want to change your CV or do you want to modify your responses to recruiters (or do both)? A lot of this sounds indecisive by the way- you want a job but want to take an extended vacation. IMO dropping out of college is the actual red-flag here, not your gap in employment or how you want to indicate you like to take an extended vacation.

    – Zorkolot
    May 13 at 13:10






  • 4





    I put, self employed to fill the gaps. Because I always find something to do.

    – Matt
    May 13 at 20:40


















49















I've recently quit my grad school and I'm on a lookout for jobs. My CV seems to be in quite a high demand if the amount of calls from recruiters is anything to judge it by. I've not been employed for three months now and I'm taking this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects.



Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions". Well, I'm sure it does - should I clarify the answers to those questions when I apply for new jobs?



If it's at all important, the main reason for me not having a job yet is that I'm quite picky in what kind of jobs I want. I have some red-lines when it comes to the industries I'd work for (ethical considerations), and locations/commute distance I'm interested in (work/life balance), as well as wanting to work on a product and with a team I can actually get behind. Combine that with my niche having openings less often than the rest of the industry and you end up with a long job search (which I'm fine with but I'm realising prospective employers might not be).






job-search recruitment united-kingdom







share|improve this question




















  • 59





    You say your CV is in high demand but you also say openings are less often than rest of the industry resulting in long job search. This sounds contradictory.

    – PagMax
    May 13 at 9:48






  • 6





    When you say you quit grad school, did you finish it or simply drop out?

    – lucasgcb
    May 13 at 10:52






  • 3





    I've dropped out.

    – KubaFYI
    May 13 at 10:58






  • 11





    Your headline doesn't exactly match your question. You want to change your CV or do you want to modify your responses to recruiters (or do both)? A lot of this sounds indecisive by the way- you want a job but want to take an extended vacation. IMO dropping out of college is the actual red-flag here, not your gap in employment or how you want to indicate you like to take an extended vacation.

    – Zorkolot
    May 13 at 13:10






  • 4





    I put, self employed to fill the gaps. Because I always find something to do.

    – Matt
    May 13 at 20:40














49












49








49


4






I've recently quit my grad school and I'm on a lookout for jobs. My CV seems to be in quite a high demand if the amount of calls from recruiters is anything to judge it by. I've not been employed for three months now and I'm taking this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects.



Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions". Well, I'm sure it does - should I clarify the answers to those questions when I apply for new jobs?



If it's at all important, the main reason for me not having a job yet is that I'm quite picky in what kind of jobs I want. I have some red-lines when it comes to the industries I'd work for (ethical considerations), and locations/commute distance I'm interested in (work/life balance), as well as wanting to work on a product and with a team I can actually get behind. Combine that with my niche having openings less often than the rest of the industry and you end up with a long job search (which I'm fine with but I'm realising prospective employers might not be).






job-search recruitment united-kingdom







share|improve this question
















I've recently quit my grad school and I'm on a lookout for jobs. My CV seems to be in quite a high demand if the amount of calls from recruiters is anything to judge it by. I've not been employed for three months now and I'm taking this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects.



Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions". Well, I'm sure it does - should I clarify the answers to those questions when I apply for new jobs?



If it's at all important, the main reason for me not having a job yet is that I'm quite picky in what kind of jobs I want. I have some red-lines when it comes to the industries I'd work for (ethical considerations), and locations/commute distance I'm interested in (work/life balance), as well as wanting to work on a product and with a team I can actually get behind. Combine that with my niche having openings less often than the rest of the industry and you end up with a long job search (which I'm fine with but I'm realising prospective employers might not be).






job-search recruitment united-kingdom




job-search recruitment united-kingdom






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited May 13 at 17:22









Kat

2,80221318




2,80221318










asked May 13 at 9:00









KubaFYIKubaFYI

4391410




4391410








  • 59





    You say your CV is in high demand but you also say openings are less often than rest of the industry resulting in long job search. This sounds contradictory.

    – PagMax
    May 13 at 9:48






  • 6





    When you say you quit grad school, did you finish it or simply drop out?

    – lucasgcb
    May 13 at 10:52






  • 3





    I've dropped out.

    – KubaFYI
    May 13 at 10:58






  • 11





    Your headline doesn't exactly match your question. You want to change your CV or do you want to modify your responses to recruiters (or do both)? A lot of this sounds indecisive by the way- you want a job but want to take an extended vacation. IMO dropping out of college is the actual red-flag here, not your gap in employment or how you want to indicate you like to take an extended vacation.

    – Zorkolot
    May 13 at 13:10






  • 4





    I put, self employed to fill the gaps. Because I always find something to do.

    – Matt
    May 13 at 20:40














  • 59





    You say your CV is in high demand but you also say openings are less often than rest of the industry resulting in long job search. This sounds contradictory.

    – PagMax
    May 13 at 9:48






  • 6





    When you say you quit grad school, did you finish it or simply drop out?

    – lucasgcb
    May 13 at 10:52






  • 3





    I've dropped out.

    – KubaFYI
    May 13 at 10:58






  • 11





    Your headline doesn't exactly match your question. You want to change your CV or do you want to modify your responses to recruiters (or do both)? A lot of this sounds indecisive by the way- you want a job but want to take an extended vacation. IMO dropping out of college is the actual red-flag here, not your gap in employment or how you want to indicate you like to take an extended vacation.

    – Zorkolot
    May 13 at 13:10






  • 4





    I put, self employed to fill the gaps. Because I always find something to do.

    – Matt
    May 13 at 20:40








59




59





You say your CV is in high demand but you also say openings are less often than rest of the industry resulting in long job search. This sounds contradictory.

– PagMax
May 13 at 9:48





You say your CV is in high demand but you also say openings are less often than rest of the industry resulting in long job search. This sounds contradictory.

– PagMax
May 13 at 9:48




6




6





When you say you quit grad school, did you finish it or simply drop out?

– lucasgcb
May 13 at 10:52





When you say you quit grad school, did you finish it or simply drop out?

– lucasgcb
May 13 at 10:52




3




3





I've dropped out.

– KubaFYI
May 13 at 10:58





I've dropped out.

– KubaFYI
May 13 at 10:58




11




11





Your headline doesn't exactly match your question. You want to change your CV or do you want to modify your responses to recruiters (or do both)? A lot of this sounds indecisive by the way- you want a job but want to take an extended vacation. IMO dropping out of college is the actual red-flag here, not your gap in employment or how you want to indicate you like to take an extended vacation.

– Zorkolot
May 13 at 13:10





Your headline doesn't exactly match your question. You want to change your CV or do you want to modify your responses to recruiters (or do both)? A lot of this sounds indecisive by the way- you want a job but want to take an extended vacation. IMO dropping out of college is the actual red-flag here, not your gap in employment or how you want to indicate you like to take an extended vacation.

– Zorkolot
May 13 at 13:10




4




4





I put, self employed to fill the gaps. Because I always find something to do.

– Matt
May 13 at 20:40





I put, self employed to fill the gaps. Because I always find something to do.

– Matt
May 13 at 20:40










11 Answers
11






active

oldest

votes


















118















Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




No it does not.



A "gap" only raises questions if it's a gap. If you worked from 2011-2016 and 2018-2019 and refuse to tell me what you did in between, that is a gap. It probably means a prison sentence, rehab or anything else a person would like to hide.



However finishing school and then touring the world because you will never be that independent and free again is not a gap. It's not secret. It's actually remarkably realistic.



So whatever you want to do, do it. And tell. I don't mind seeing a CV with 6 months of travelling Australia or something. Do it now, so you don't have to regret not doing it, or somehow trying to do it while working for me.



However, be prepared to tell. If you cannot tell or have nothing interesting to tell, people will think you hide something. So for example travelling Australia is great. Telling me you binge-watched Netflix specials for 6 months because your mom paid the rent and food and you could is not impressive.



So it boils down to: do interesting stuff that you can put on your CV, even if only as a single headline ("2019 - Toured Australia and South America") to explain a perceived gap. Or get a job. But you certainly don't need a job as an excuse if you have interesting stuff to do instead.





Disclaimer: "Australia" from my point of view is the other side of the planet. If by any chance you are from Australia, maybe pick another target to "see the world".






share|improve this answer



















  • 29





    I personally see little difference in tourism and staying at home. Both are just personal time tuning out and can be uninteresting to interviewers; unless you're a travel agency, and in that case staying at home working on projects might be more interesting for development careers... Point is, if it doesn't mean anything to your occupation I wouldn't go into details.

    – lucasgcb
    May 13 at 10:58






  • 58





    May I ask if you hire people? To me there is a lot of difference between people that actively do things they want to do and people who are too lazy to get a job. Tourism to Australia takes a lot of planing and effort and money. Building your own race car from parts takes organization and effort and money. Lying on the couch watching TV only tells me that person has mastered the skill of breathing.

    – nvoigt
    May 13 at 11:29






  • 25





    I'm not saying the should be put on display, I'm just saying it explains that that gap is nothing you hide. It is a gap in employment, but not a gap in your CV. To me, a gap in the CV is a red flag. But maybe that's different depending on how we structure CVs here.

    – nvoigt
    May 13 at 11:34






  • 6





    @JoeStrazzere I think it comes down to our difference in CV structure. I've read often enough that you should leave of things that are not relevant to the job you apply for, but that is simply not how we do things where I live. I can agree that it's good advice for parts of the world, but other parts may handle that differently. Where I live, I expect to see something on a CV for any gap, just a one-liner no matter what it is, otherwise I will assume the worst.

    – nvoigt
    May 13 at 11:38








  • 11





    @nvoigt People who think like you are exactly why I make up cool (but ultimately unverifiable) sounding stories to fill gaps. The truth is less interesting: I like to take peaceful time to myself once in a while.

    – John K
    May 13 at 18:20





















24














I'd avoid doing so as it actually risks creating the opposite impression - either through a "doth protest too much" or the "Streisand Effect"



It's certainly okay to discuss what you've been up to in your "time off" (e.g. travelling, personal projects, etc.) during the interview, though.



As you say your niche currently has fairly infrequent openings, a few months of looking for work is unlikely to raise any notice.






share|improve this answer





















  • 26





    I once explained a resume gap by saying my wife and I had quit our jobs to spend three months driving from coast to coast (USA) and back (very close to the truth -- I didn't mention I'd been driven to it by burnout and major depression). Some interviewers thought I was crazy. One pair of guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They hired me, and I'm still happy there six years on.

    – Ed Plunkett
    May 13 at 14:02



















21















a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something
fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some
questions"




Note the source of this 'information.' It's a recruiter who offers you jobs.



He's just trying to make you accept one of his offers before you have time to evaluate other – possibly better – offers.



Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine.






share|improve this answer



















  • 9





    This. At best, the recruiter is a fool who believes what they said (despite OP continuing to get a positive response). At worst, they're trying to force OP into the first possible thing so they can get their cut and stop spending time and effort on them.

    – Matthew Read
    May 13 at 15:50











  • Very good point. The recruiter is acting like a career counselor but isn't being paid to be one. So they might have a different motive.

    – Matthew Leingang
    May 13 at 17:21






  • 2





    "Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine." yes, but with all due respect to the OP, being unemployed for three months after dropping out of school just makes it look like you can't commit, unless you can paint it in the right context.

    – dwizum
    May 13 at 19:54






  • 1





    If you ever want to work for the US government, then you will have to explain each and every month since you were 18. If you say you were touring Australia, you will need to provide the names, addresses, and contact info (preferably in the US) of references who can vouch for your trip to Australia. So maybe being unemployed for three months is perfectly fine and maybe it is not.

    – emory
    May 13 at 22:22



















10














Most people generally don't put it in their applications, you'll get the chance to explain the gap when you go for interviews. There are plenty of people with big gaps in their CV's some ranging over a good few years.



As for the demand of your CV, I wouldn't judge it from the amount of recruiters that are calling you but base it more on the amount of interviews you are being given. Recruiters will call anyone with the slightest suiting in the job on the off chance they can get a clients role filled even if the employee isn't a "perfect fit".






share|improve this answer
























  • Fair enough about the recruiters. I've also had a fair number of requests for interviews which I turned down because I knew I would not be interested in the job because of one or more of my red lines.

    – KubaFYI
    May 13 at 9:23



















7














As someone interviewing people regularly, I would be 100% happy with this as an introduction:




"I've recently finished grad school and am on a lookout for jobs. I've taken this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects, so I currently have no commitments and am ready to start with you anytime."




I personally view the recruiting process as a relaxed communication affair between two parties trying to find out if they are "right" for each other. Be honest and agreeable, and good things will happen. If any party (either the middle-man or the employer) tries to pressure you into anything - either ignore it, assuming it's their habit; or walk away. Especially as your resumee seems to be in demand.






share|improve this answer





















  • 2





    Haha I wish it was a "relaxed communication". I found it shocking how often recruiters are trying to underplay and aggressively question my personal life choices regarding willingness to commute long distances or choosing to not engage with certain industries.

    – KubaFYI
    May 13 at 16:12













  • @KubaFYI, it does come into question what you think "long commutes" are or what your other "red lines" are. You don't have to explain them here, since they aren't relevant the question, nor does it help clarify what you expect out of this Answer. I just want you to consider what other people think about your choices and how you would react if someone had as hard convictions as you do about a different topic. Some people think a 30 min commute is long, while I've heard of other people having a daily 3-4 hour commute. I'm not judging, I'm just explaining my PoV.

    – computercarguy
    May 13 at 16:25






  • 4





    @computercarguy well to clarify I mean more like recruiters go "well, if it was me I'd do this and that, commute this and that long and work for such and such". It's annoying because clearly they are not me. It's annoying because of the assumption that I should care only about the prestige of a company and my pay and if I don't get tempted because of a few grand extra pay there is something wrong with me.

    – KubaFYI
    May 13 at 16:34













  • @KubaFYI, there is something to be said for working for a prestigious company, but you shouldn't also just work for someone just because of their "prestige". There are plenty examples of prestigious companies that ruined themselves, either because they think they can do no wrong or out of fear of losing the prestige. Also, if they don't represent who you want to be, then don't. That said, it would help you get jobs later on. It's a line you need to really consider, an not just because of personal preference or ease of living. Also, those couple of grand can really help at times.

    – computercarguy
    May 13 at 16:56






  • 1





    @KubaFYI Remember that recruiters are paid by employers when they find an employee (that stays around for some period of time). If you turn down a position they have open, they don't get paid; of course they want you to take it, and will try to sell it to you as hard as they can.

    – Martin Bonner
    May 14 at 13:53



















5














As you can tell from the responses, there is a large variation in how people perceive such gaps.



It's all about how you "spin" your career trajectory. Many people don't have a problem with a candidate satisfying their wander-lust after doing time in grad school, whereas some see it as a sign of someone who is distracted.



It probably should not be on your CV/resume, but be ready to explain the gap in a positive light, with as little or as much detail as you may be prompted for when doing an interview. If you can cite one interesting thing from your travels, that will go over better than defensively explaining why you decided to travel.






share|improve this answer































    5














    I had a peak in contacts from headhunters when I wrote on my LinkedIn profile that I was "on sabbatical", which was true although not in the strict academic sense. My experience would suggest that what you are doing is fine. As others have pointed out, it is your ability or readiness at explaining what you have been doing that relates to your credibility. Being frank and honest should not be a drawback. Also, if you attract curiosity among job recruiters, there is no reason to doubt that that curiousity is not genuine.






    share|improve this answer































      4














      When a job is posted in the market, it is quite often that (at least in the UK) it gets posted by different recruiters to try and increase the chances.



      This can become a problem for you as well, if a company receives the application by 2 different recruiters you may not be invited for an interview.



      The measure of whether you are on demand or not is by the number of interviews and job offers, not by the phone calls regarding jobs as multiple calls might be about the same position.



      Any reasonable employer understands if you take your time choosing the right employer, the fact you are interviewing with them already gives them the signal that you are considering them.



      Do not listen to the recruiter regarding just finding something, if, for example, you decided to start delivering the newspaper for a few weeks while you try getting the job you want in software development, it is harder to explain why you are delivering the newspaper than if you are unemployed looking for a good fit employer.






      share|improve this answer































        4















        Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




        Your resume/CV is not the entirety of your life. It's there to be a brief synopsis of your working life. It's meant to raise questions.



        Interviewer: I see you used /specific technology/ during your time at ________.

        Me: Yes, I used /specific technology/ there. We utilized it to widget the doohickey while rationalizing the chaos of our product, and I used it for X of the Y years I was there.



        A good interviewer will ask you questions about what you did at the job besides what's on that piece of paper. They will ask you why you left. They will ask you why you took the job you did. The better your resume/CV, the better questions they can ask and the less you have to explain about why stuff isn't on it.



        If you have a good answer about any of that, then you're fine. Even straight up being laid off, yet still performing your trade/craft/skills shouldn't be held against you by a good interviewer. I've taken jobs outside of the tech sector during gaps in my employment, and I could tell that interviewers wondered why I did it instead of finding another tech job. Also, taking that job made it harder to find another tech job, due to lack of time, energy, and the ability to do an interview "whenever".



        When people ask about my computer programming experience, I explain that I have 6 years of professional experience, but also go on to explain that I've been learning it since 1993 and have used it to enhance my 15 years in computer repair to automate repetitive jobs or to prevent errors in long manual processes.



        To enhance what others said, you don't have to take a job just because a recruiter says so, because they really do make more money by you taking the job they offer. Even if they don't make a commission, if their company isn't making money, they lose their job, too.






        share|improve this answer































          0














          What you want to be able to show is that you did not leave your research studies program because of



          lack of




          1. smarts or

          2. dedication or

          3. discipline or

          4. mental health.


          You simply outgrew the program. You learned so much you were starting to be able to do cooler/better stuff than your professors and simply felt a need to move on and do stuff on your own.



          If time spent on your own "raises questions", simply make a compendium describing your own projects and how they illuminate your skills. Make sure even a non-technical person can understand the value and usefulness.






          share|improve this answer

































            0














            In my experience, yes. It's important that they know what you're doing in that time spent away from work and school - especially when it's the case that you've taken the initiative to travel, explore and live your life.



            It would be different if you sat and did nothing for that period, but just because travelling isn't "work or schooling", it doesn't been that it's not valuable life experience. I recently got accepted for an internship that I didn't quite qualify for, simply because I'd been on a mere 7 day European coach tour in the previous summer.






            share|improve this answer
























              Your Answer








              StackExchange.ready(function() {
              var channelOptions = {
              tags: "".split(" "),
              id: "423"
              };
              initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

              StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
              // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
              if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
              StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
              createEditor();
              });
              }
              else {
              createEditor();
              }
              });

              function createEditor() {
              StackExchange.prepareEditor({
              heartbeatType: 'answer',
              autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
              convertImagesToLinks: false,
              noModals: true,
              showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
              reputationToPostImages: null,
              bindNavPrevention: true,
              postfix: "",
              imageUploader: {
              brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
              contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
              allowUrls: true
              },
              noCode: true, onDemand: false,
              discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
              ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
              });


              }
              });














              draft saved

              draft discarded


















              StackExchange.ready(
              function () {
              StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f136476%2fshould-i-communicate-in-my-applications-that-im-unemployed-out-of-choice-rather%23new-answer', 'question_page');
              }
              );

              Post as a guest















              Required, but never shown




















              StackExchange.ready(function () {
              $("#show-editor-button input, #show-editor-button button").click(function () {
              var showEditor = function() {
              $("#show-editor-button").hide();
              $("#post-form").removeClass("dno");
              StackExchange.editor.finallyInit();
              };

              var useFancy = $(this).data('confirm-use-fancy');
              if(useFancy == 'True') {
              var popupTitle = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-title');
              var popupBody = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-body');
              var popupAccept = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-accept-button');

              $(this).loadPopup({
              url: '/post/self-answer-popup',
              loaded: function(popup) {
              var pTitle = $(popup).find('h2');
              var pBody = $(popup).find('.popup-body');
              var pSubmit = $(popup).find('.popup-submit');

              pTitle.text(popupTitle);
              pBody.html(popupBody);
              pSubmit.val(popupAccept).click(showEditor);
              }
              })
              } else{
              var confirmText = $(this).data('confirm-text');
              if (confirmText ? confirm(confirmText) : true) {
              showEditor();
              }
              }
              });
              });






              11 Answers
              11






              active

              oldest

              votes








              11 Answers
              11






              active

              oldest

              votes









              active

              oldest

              votes






              active

              oldest

              votes









              118















              Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




              No it does not.



              A "gap" only raises questions if it's a gap. If you worked from 2011-2016 and 2018-2019 and refuse to tell me what you did in between, that is a gap. It probably means a prison sentence, rehab or anything else a person would like to hide.



              However finishing school and then touring the world because you will never be that independent and free again is not a gap. It's not secret. It's actually remarkably realistic.



              So whatever you want to do, do it. And tell. I don't mind seeing a CV with 6 months of travelling Australia or something. Do it now, so you don't have to regret not doing it, or somehow trying to do it while working for me.



              However, be prepared to tell. If you cannot tell or have nothing interesting to tell, people will think you hide something. So for example travelling Australia is great. Telling me you binge-watched Netflix specials for 6 months because your mom paid the rent and food and you could is not impressive.



              So it boils down to: do interesting stuff that you can put on your CV, even if only as a single headline ("2019 - Toured Australia and South America") to explain a perceived gap. Or get a job. But you certainly don't need a job as an excuse if you have interesting stuff to do instead.





              Disclaimer: "Australia" from my point of view is the other side of the planet. If by any chance you are from Australia, maybe pick another target to "see the world".






              share|improve this answer



















              • 29





                I personally see little difference in tourism and staying at home. Both are just personal time tuning out and can be uninteresting to interviewers; unless you're a travel agency, and in that case staying at home working on projects might be more interesting for development careers... Point is, if it doesn't mean anything to your occupation I wouldn't go into details.

                – lucasgcb
                May 13 at 10:58






              • 58





                May I ask if you hire people? To me there is a lot of difference between people that actively do things they want to do and people who are too lazy to get a job. Tourism to Australia takes a lot of planing and effort and money. Building your own race car from parts takes organization and effort and money. Lying on the couch watching TV only tells me that person has mastered the skill of breathing.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:29






              • 25





                I'm not saying the should be put on display, I'm just saying it explains that that gap is nothing you hide. It is a gap in employment, but not a gap in your CV. To me, a gap in the CV is a red flag. But maybe that's different depending on how we structure CVs here.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:34






              • 6





                @JoeStrazzere I think it comes down to our difference in CV structure. I've read often enough that you should leave of things that are not relevant to the job you apply for, but that is simply not how we do things where I live. I can agree that it's good advice for parts of the world, but other parts may handle that differently. Where I live, I expect to see something on a CV for any gap, just a one-liner no matter what it is, otherwise I will assume the worst.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:38








              • 11





                @nvoigt People who think like you are exactly why I make up cool (but ultimately unverifiable) sounding stories to fill gaps. The truth is less interesting: I like to take peaceful time to myself once in a while.

                – John K
                May 13 at 18:20


















              118















              Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




              No it does not.



              A "gap" only raises questions if it's a gap. If you worked from 2011-2016 and 2018-2019 and refuse to tell me what you did in between, that is a gap. It probably means a prison sentence, rehab or anything else a person would like to hide.



              However finishing school and then touring the world because you will never be that independent and free again is not a gap. It's not secret. It's actually remarkably realistic.



              So whatever you want to do, do it. And tell. I don't mind seeing a CV with 6 months of travelling Australia or something. Do it now, so you don't have to regret not doing it, or somehow trying to do it while working for me.



              However, be prepared to tell. If you cannot tell or have nothing interesting to tell, people will think you hide something. So for example travelling Australia is great. Telling me you binge-watched Netflix specials for 6 months because your mom paid the rent and food and you could is not impressive.



              So it boils down to: do interesting stuff that you can put on your CV, even if only as a single headline ("2019 - Toured Australia and South America") to explain a perceived gap. Or get a job. But you certainly don't need a job as an excuse if you have interesting stuff to do instead.





              Disclaimer: "Australia" from my point of view is the other side of the planet. If by any chance you are from Australia, maybe pick another target to "see the world".






              share|improve this answer



















              • 29





                I personally see little difference in tourism and staying at home. Both are just personal time tuning out and can be uninteresting to interviewers; unless you're a travel agency, and in that case staying at home working on projects might be more interesting for development careers... Point is, if it doesn't mean anything to your occupation I wouldn't go into details.

                – lucasgcb
                May 13 at 10:58






              • 58





                May I ask if you hire people? To me there is a lot of difference between people that actively do things they want to do and people who are too lazy to get a job. Tourism to Australia takes a lot of planing and effort and money. Building your own race car from parts takes organization and effort and money. Lying on the couch watching TV only tells me that person has mastered the skill of breathing.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:29






              • 25





                I'm not saying the should be put on display, I'm just saying it explains that that gap is nothing you hide. It is a gap in employment, but not a gap in your CV. To me, a gap in the CV is a red flag. But maybe that's different depending on how we structure CVs here.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:34






              • 6





                @JoeStrazzere I think it comes down to our difference in CV structure. I've read often enough that you should leave of things that are not relevant to the job you apply for, but that is simply not how we do things where I live. I can agree that it's good advice for parts of the world, but other parts may handle that differently. Where I live, I expect to see something on a CV for any gap, just a one-liner no matter what it is, otherwise I will assume the worst.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:38








              • 11





                @nvoigt People who think like you are exactly why I make up cool (but ultimately unverifiable) sounding stories to fill gaps. The truth is less interesting: I like to take peaceful time to myself once in a while.

                – John K
                May 13 at 18:20
















              118












              118








              118








              Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




              No it does not.



              A "gap" only raises questions if it's a gap. If you worked from 2011-2016 and 2018-2019 and refuse to tell me what you did in between, that is a gap. It probably means a prison sentence, rehab or anything else a person would like to hide.



              However finishing school and then touring the world because you will never be that independent and free again is not a gap. It's not secret. It's actually remarkably realistic.



              So whatever you want to do, do it. And tell. I don't mind seeing a CV with 6 months of travelling Australia or something. Do it now, so you don't have to regret not doing it, or somehow trying to do it while working for me.



              However, be prepared to tell. If you cannot tell or have nothing interesting to tell, people will think you hide something. So for example travelling Australia is great. Telling me you binge-watched Netflix specials for 6 months because your mom paid the rent and food and you could is not impressive.



              So it boils down to: do interesting stuff that you can put on your CV, even if only as a single headline ("2019 - Toured Australia and South America") to explain a perceived gap. Or get a job. But you certainly don't need a job as an excuse if you have interesting stuff to do instead.





              Disclaimer: "Australia" from my point of view is the other side of the planet. If by any chance you are from Australia, maybe pick another target to "see the world".






              share|improve this answer














              Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




              No it does not.



              A "gap" only raises questions if it's a gap. If you worked from 2011-2016 and 2018-2019 and refuse to tell me what you did in between, that is a gap. It probably means a prison sentence, rehab or anything else a person would like to hide.



              However finishing school and then touring the world because you will never be that independent and free again is not a gap. It's not secret. It's actually remarkably realistic.



              So whatever you want to do, do it. And tell. I don't mind seeing a CV with 6 months of travelling Australia or something. Do it now, so you don't have to regret not doing it, or somehow trying to do it while working for me.



              However, be prepared to tell. If you cannot tell or have nothing interesting to tell, people will think you hide something. So for example travelling Australia is great. Telling me you binge-watched Netflix specials for 6 months because your mom paid the rent and food and you could is not impressive.



              So it boils down to: do interesting stuff that you can put on your CV, even if only as a single headline ("2019 - Toured Australia and South America") to explain a perceived gap. Or get a job. But you certainly don't need a job as an excuse if you have interesting stuff to do instead.





              Disclaimer: "Australia" from my point of view is the other side of the planet. If by any chance you are from Australia, maybe pick another target to "see the world".







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered May 13 at 10:43









              nvoigtnvoigt

              53k25127174




              53k25127174








              • 29





                I personally see little difference in tourism and staying at home. Both are just personal time tuning out and can be uninteresting to interviewers; unless you're a travel agency, and in that case staying at home working on projects might be more interesting for development careers... Point is, if it doesn't mean anything to your occupation I wouldn't go into details.

                – lucasgcb
                May 13 at 10:58






              • 58





                May I ask if you hire people? To me there is a lot of difference between people that actively do things they want to do and people who are too lazy to get a job. Tourism to Australia takes a lot of planing and effort and money. Building your own race car from parts takes organization and effort and money. Lying on the couch watching TV only tells me that person has mastered the skill of breathing.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:29






              • 25





                I'm not saying the should be put on display, I'm just saying it explains that that gap is nothing you hide. It is a gap in employment, but not a gap in your CV. To me, a gap in the CV is a red flag. But maybe that's different depending on how we structure CVs here.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:34






              • 6





                @JoeStrazzere I think it comes down to our difference in CV structure. I've read often enough that you should leave of things that are not relevant to the job you apply for, but that is simply not how we do things where I live. I can agree that it's good advice for parts of the world, but other parts may handle that differently. Where I live, I expect to see something on a CV for any gap, just a one-liner no matter what it is, otherwise I will assume the worst.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:38








              • 11





                @nvoigt People who think like you are exactly why I make up cool (but ultimately unverifiable) sounding stories to fill gaps. The truth is less interesting: I like to take peaceful time to myself once in a while.

                – John K
                May 13 at 18:20
















              • 29





                I personally see little difference in tourism and staying at home. Both are just personal time tuning out and can be uninteresting to interviewers; unless you're a travel agency, and in that case staying at home working on projects might be more interesting for development careers... Point is, if it doesn't mean anything to your occupation I wouldn't go into details.

                – lucasgcb
                May 13 at 10:58






              • 58





                May I ask if you hire people? To me there is a lot of difference between people that actively do things they want to do and people who are too lazy to get a job. Tourism to Australia takes a lot of planing and effort and money. Building your own race car from parts takes organization and effort and money. Lying on the couch watching TV only tells me that person has mastered the skill of breathing.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:29






              • 25





                I'm not saying the should be put on display, I'm just saying it explains that that gap is nothing you hide. It is a gap in employment, but not a gap in your CV. To me, a gap in the CV is a red flag. But maybe that's different depending on how we structure CVs here.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:34






              • 6





                @JoeStrazzere I think it comes down to our difference in CV structure. I've read often enough that you should leave of things that are not relevant to the job you apply for, but that is simply not how we do things where I live. I can agree that it's good advice for parts of the world, but other parts may handle that differently. Where I live, I expect to see something on a CV for any gap, just a one-liner no matter what it is, otherwise I will assume the worst.

                – nvoigt
                May 13 at 11:38








              • 11





                @nvoigt People who think like you are exactly why I make up cool (but ultimately unverifiable) sounding stories to fill gaps. The truth is less interesting: I like to take peaceful time to myself once in a while.

                – John K
                May 13 at 18:20










              29




              29





              I personally see little difference in tourism and staying at home. Both are just personal time tuning out and can be uninteresting to interviewers; unless you're a travel agency, and in that case staying at home working on projects might be more interesting for development careers... Point is, if it doesn't mean anything to your occupation I wouldn't go into details.

              – lucasgcb
              May 13 at 10:58





              I personally see little difference in tourism and staying at home. Both are just personal time tuning out and can be uninteresting to interviewers; unless you're a travel agency, and in that case staying at home working on projects might be more interesting for development careers... Point is, if it doesn't mean anything to your occupation I wouldn't go into details.

              – lucasgcb
              May 13 at 10:58




              58




              58





              May I ask if you hire people? To me there is a lot of difference between people that actively do things they want to do and people who are too lazy to get a job. Tourism to Australia takes a lot of planing and effort and money. Building your own race car from parts takes organization and effort and money. Lying on the couch watching TV only tells me that person has mastered the skill of breathing.

              – nvoigt
              May 13 at 11:29





              May I ask if you hire people? To me there is a lot of difference between people that actively do things they want to do and people who are too lazy to get a job. Tourism to Australia takes a lot of planing and effort and money. Building your own race car from parts takes organization and effort and money. Lying on the couch watching TV only tells me that person has mastered the skill of breathing.

              – nvoigt
              May 13 at 11:29




              25




              25





              I'm not saying the should be put on display, I'm just saying it explains that that gap is nothing you hide. It is a gap in employment, but not a gap in your CV. To me, a gap in the CV is a red flag. But maybe that's different depending on how we structure CVs here.

              – nvoigt
              May 13 at 11:34





              I'm not saying the should be put on display, I'm just saying it explains that that gap is nothing you hide. It is a gap in employment, but not a gap in your CV. To me, a gap in the CV is a red flag. But maybe that's different depending on how we structure CVs here.

              – nvoigt
              May 13 at 11:34




              6




              6





              @JoeStrazzere I think it comes down to our difference in CV structure. I've read often enough that you should leave of things that are not relevant to the job you apply for, but that is simply not how we do things where I live. I can agree that it's good advice for parts of the world, but other parts may handle that differently. Where I live, I expect to see something on a CV for any gap, just a one-liner no matter what it is, otherwise I will assume the worst.

              – nvoigt
              May 13 at 11:38







              @JoeStrazzere I think it comes down to our difference in CV structure. I've read often enough that you should leave of things that are not relevant to the job you apply for, but that is simply not how we do things where I live. I can agree that it's good advice for parts of the world, but other parts may handle that differently. Where I live, I expect to see something on a CV for any gap, just a one-liner no matter what it is, otherwise I will assume the worst.

              – nvoigt
              May 13 at 11:38






              11




              11





              @nvoigt People who think like you are exactly why I make up cool (but ultimately unverifiable) sounding stories to fill gaps. The truth is less interesting: I like to take peaceful time to myself once in a while.

              – John K
              May 13 at 18:20







              @nvoigt People who think like you are exactly why I make up cool (but ultimately unverifiable) sounding stories to fill gaps. The truth is less interesting: I like to take peaceful time to myself once in a while.

              – John K
              May 13 at 18:20















              24














              I'd avoid doing so as it actually risks creating the opposite impression - either through a "doth protest too much" or the "Streisand Effect"



              It's certainly okay to discuss what you've been up to in your "time off" (e.g. travelling, personal projects, etc.) during the interview, though.



              As you say your niche currently has fairly infrequent openings, a few months of looking for work is unlikely to raise any notice.






              share|improve this answer





















              • 26





                I once explained a resume gap by saying my wife and I had quit our jobs to spend three months driving from coast to coast (USA) and back (very close to the truth -- I didn't mention I'd been driven to it by burnout and major depression). Some interviewers thought I was crazy. One pair of guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They hired me, and I'm still happy there six years on.

                – Ed Plunkett
                May 13 at 14:02
















              24














              I'd avoid doing so as it actually risks creating the opposite impression - either through a "doth protest too much" or the "Streisand Effect"



              It's certainly okay to discuss what you've been up to in your "time off" (e.g. travelling, personal projects, etc.) during the interview, though.



              As you say your niche currently has fairly infrequent openings, a few months of looking for work is unlikely to raise any notice.






              share|improve this answer





















              • 26





                I once explained a resume gap by saying my wife and I had quit our jobs to spend three months driving from coast to coast (USA) and back (very close to the truth -- I didn't mention I'd been driven to it by burnout and major depression). Some interviewers thought I was crazy. One pair of guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They hired me, and I'm still happy there six years on.

                – Ed Plunkett
                May 13 at 14:02














              24












              24








              24







              I'd avoid doing so as it actually risks creating the opposite impression - either through a "doth protest too much" or the "Streisand Effect"



              It's certainly okay to discuss what you've been up to in your "time off" (e.g. travelling, personal projects, etc.) during the interview, though.



              As you say your niche currently has fairly infrequent openings, a few months of looking for work is unlikely to raise any notice.






              share|improve this answer















              I'd avoid doing so as it actually risks creating the opposite impression - either through a "doth protest too much" or the "Streisand Effect"



              It's certainly okay to discuss what you've been up to in your "time off" (e.g. travelling, personal projects, etc.) during the interview, though.



              As you say your niche currently has fairly infrequent openings, a few months of looking for work is unlikely to raise any notice.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited May 14 at 12:28









              Christian

              58326




              58326










              answered May 13 at 9:25









              motosubatsumotosubatsu

              57.2k29148233




              57.2k29148233








              • 26





                I once explained a resume gap by saying my wife and I had quit our jobs to spend three months driving from coast to coast (USA) and back (very close to the truth -- I didn't mention I'd been driven to it by burnout and major depression). Some interviewers thought I was crazy. One pair of guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They hired me, and I'm still happy there six years on.

                – Ed Plunkett
                May 13 at 14:02














              • 26





                I once explained a resume gap by saying my wife and I had quit our jobs to spend three months driving from coast to coast (USA) and back (very close to the truth -- I didn't mention I'd been driven to it by burnout and major depression). Some interviewers thought I was crazy. One pair of guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They hired me, and I'm still happy there six years on.

                – Ed Plunkett
                May 13 at 14:02








              26




              26





              I once explained a resume gap by saying my wife and I had quit our jobs to spend three months driving from coast to coast (USA) and back (very close to the truth -- I didn't mention I'd been driven to it by burnout and major depression). Some interviewers thought I was crazy. One pair of guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They hired me, and I'm still happy there six years on.

              – Ed Plunkett
              May 13 at 14:02





              I once explained a resume gap by saying my wife and I had quit our jobs to spend three months driving from coast to coast (USA) and back (very close to the truth -- I didn't mention I'd been driven to it by burnout and major depression). Some interviewers thought I was crazy. One pair of guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They hired me, and I'm still happy there six years on.

              – Ed Plunkett
              May 13 at 14:02











              21















              a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something
              fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some
              questions"




              Note the source of this 'information.' It's a recruiter who offers you jobs.



              He's just trying to make you accept one of his offers before you have time to evaluate other – possibly better – offers.



              Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine.






              share|improve this answer



















              • 9





                This. At best, the recruiter is a fool who believes what they said (despite OP continuing to get a positive response). At worst, they're trying to force OP into the first possible thing so they can get their cut and stop spending time and effort on them.

                – Matthew Read
                May 13 at 15:50











              • Very good point. The recruiter is acting like a career counselor but isn't being paid to be one. So they might have a different motive.

                – Matthew Leingang
                May 13 at 17:21






              • 2





                "Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine." yes, but with all due respect to the OP, being unemployed for three months after dropping out of school just makes it look like you can't commit, unless you can paint it in the right context.

                – dwizum
                May 13 at 19:54






              • 1





                If you ever want to work for the US government, then you will have to explain each and every month since you were 18. If you say you were touring Australia, you will need to provide the names, addresses, and contact info (preferably in the US) of references who can vouch for your trip to Australia. So maybe being unemployed for three months is perfectly fine and maybe it is not.

                – emory
                May 13 at 22:22
















              21















              a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something
              fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some
              questions"




              Note the source of this 'information.' It's a recruiter who offers you jobs.



              He's just trying to make you accept one of his offers before you have time to evaluate other – possibly better – offers.



              Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine.






              share|improve this answer



















              • 9





                This. At best, the recruiter is a fool who believes what they said (despite OP continuing to get a positive response). At worst, they're trying to force OP into the first possible thing so they can get their cut and stop spending time and effort on them.

                – Matthew Read
                May 13 at 15:50











              • Very good point. The recruiter is acting like a career counselor but isn't being paid to be one. So they might have a different motive.

                – Matthew Leingang
                May 13 at 17:21






              • 2





                "Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine." yes, but with all due respect to the OP, being unemployed for three months after dropping out of school just makes it look like you can't commit, unless you can paint it in the right context.

                – dwizum
                May 13 at 19:54






              • 1





                If you ever want to work for the US government, then you will have to explain each and every month since you were 18. If you say you were touring Australia, you will need to provide the names, addresses, and contact info (preferably in the US) of references who can vouch for your trip to Australia. So maybe being unemployed for three months is perfectly fine and maybe it is not.

                – emory
                May 13 at 22:22














              21












              21








              21








              a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something
              fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some
              questions"




              Note the source of this 'information.' It's a recruiter who offers you jobs.



              He's just trying to make you accept one of his offers before you have time to evaluate other – possibly better – offers.



              Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine.






              share|improve this answer














              a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something
              fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some
              questions"




              Note the source of this 'information.' It's a recruiter who offers you jobs.



              He's just trying to make you accept one of his offers before you have time to evaluate other – possibly better – offers.



              Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered May 13 at 13:03









              pytagopytago

              3,0313511




              3,0313511








              • 9





                This. At best, the recruiter is a fool who believes what they said (despite OP continuing to get a positive response). At worst, they're trying to force OP into the first possible thing so they can get their cut and stop spending time and effort on them.

                – Matthew Read
                May 13 at 15:50











              • Very good point. The recruiter is acting like a career counselor but isn't being paid to be one. So they might have a different motive.

                – Matthew Leingang
                May 13 at 17:21






              • 2





                "Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine." yes, but with all due respect to the OP, being unemployed for three months after dropping out of school just makes it look like you can't commit, unless you can paint it in the right context.

                – dwizum
                May 13 at 19:54






              • 1





                If you ever want to work for the US government, then you will have to explain each and every month since you were 18. If you say you were touring Australia, you will need to provide the names, addresses, and contact info (preferably in the US) of references who can vouch for your trip to Australia. So maybe being unemployed for three months is perfectly fine and maybe it is not.

                – emory
                May 13 at 22:22














              • 9





                This. At best, the recruiter is a fool who believes what they said (despite OP continuing to get a positive response). At worst, they're trying to force OP into the first possible thing so they can get their cut and stop spending time and effort on them.

                – Matthew Read
                May 13 at 15:50











              • Very good point. The recruiter is acting like a career counselor but isn't being paid to be one. So they might have a different motive.

                – Matthew Leingang
                May 13 at 17:21






              • 2





                "Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine." yes, but with all due respect to the OP, being unemployed for three months after dropping out of school just makes it look like you can't commit, unless you can paint it in the right context.

                – dwizum
                May 13 at 19:54






              • 1





                If you ever want to work for the US government, then you will have to explain each and every month since you were 18. If you say you were touring Australia, you will need to provide the names, addresses, and contact info (preferably in the US) of references who can vouch for your trip to Australia. So maybe being unemployed for three months is perfectly fine and maybe it is not.

                – emory
                May 13 at 22:22








              9




              9





              This. At best, the recruiter is a fool who believes what they said (despite OP continuing to get a positive response). At worst, they're trying to force OP into the first possible thing so they can get their cut and stop spending time and effort on them.

              – Matthew Read
              May 13 at 15:50





              This. At best, the recruiter is a fool who believes what they said (despite OP continuing to get a positive response). At worst, they're trying to force OP into the first possible thing so they can get their cut and stop spending time and effort on them.

              – Matthew Read
              May 13 at 15:50













              Very good point. The recruiter is acting like a career counselor but isn't being paid to be one. So they might have a different motive.

              – Matthew Leingang
              May 13 at 17:21





              Very good point. The recruiter is acting like a career counselor but isn't being paid to be one. So they might have a different motive.

              – Matthew Leingang
              May 13 at 17:21




              2




              2





              "Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine." yes, but with all due respect to the OP, being unemployed for three months after dropping out of school just makes it look like you can't commit, unless you can paint it in the right context.

              – dwizum
              May 13 at 19:54





              "Being unemployed for three months after graduation is perfectly fine." yes, but with all due respect to the OP, being unemployed for three months after dropping out of school just makes it look like you can't commit, unless you can paint it in the right context.

              – dwizum
              May 13 at 19:54




              1




              1





              If you ever want to work for the US government, then you will have to explain each and every month since you were 18. If you say you were touring Australia, you will need to provide the names, addresses, and contact info (preferably in the US) of references who can vouch for your trip to Australia. So maybe being unemployed for three months is perfectly fine and maybe it is not.

              – emory
              May 13 at 22:22





              If you ever want to work for the US government, then you will have to explain each and every month since you were 18. If you say you were touring Australia, you will need to provide the names, addresses, and contact info (preferably in the US) of references who can vouch for your trip to Australia. So maybe being unemployed for three months is perfectly fine and maybe it is not.

              – emory
              May 13 at 22:22











              10














              Most people generally don't put it in their applications, you'll get the chance to explain the gap when you go for interviews. There are plenty of people with big gaps in their CV's some ranging over a good few years.



              As for the demand of your CV, I wouldn't judge it from the amount of recruiters that are calling you but base it more on the amount of interviews you are being given. Recruiters will call anyone with the slightest suiting in the job on the off chance they can get a clients role filled even if the employee isn't a "perfect fit".






              share|improve this answer
























              • Fair enough about the recruiters. I've also had a fair number of requests for interviews which I turned down because I knew I would not be interested in the job because of one or more of my red lines.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 9:23
















              10














              Most people generally don't put it in their applications, you'll get the chance to explain the gap when you go for interviews. There are plenty of people with big gaps in their CV's some ranging over a good few years.



              As for the demand of your CV, I wouldn't judge it from the amount of recruiters that are calling you but base it more on the amount of interviews you are being given. Recruiters will call anyone with the slightest suiting in the job on the off chance they can get a clients role filled even if the employee isn't a "perfect fit".






              share|improve this answer
























              • Fair enough about the recruiters. I've also had a fair number of requests for interviews which I turned down because I knew I would not be interested in the job because of one or more of my red lines.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 9:23














              10












              10








              10







              Most people generally don't put it in their applications, you'll get the chance to explain the gap when you go for interviews. There are plenty of people with big gaps in their CV's some ranging over a good few years.



              As for the demand of your CV, I wouldn't judge it from the amount of recruiters that are calling you but base it more on the amount of interviews you are being given. Recruiters will call anyone with the slightest suiting in the job on the off chance they can get a clients role filled even if the employee isn't a "perfect fit".






              share|improve this answer













              Most people generally don't put it in their applications, you'll get the chance to explain the gap when you go for interviews. There are plenty of people with big gaps in their CV's some ranging over a good few years.



              As for the demand of your CV, I wouldn't judge it from the amount of recruiters that are calling you but base it more on the amount of interviews you are being given. Recruiters will call anyone with the slightest suiting in the job on the off chance they can get a clients role filled even if the employee isn't a "perfect fit".







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered May 13 at 9:17









              TwyxzTwyxz

              16.4k114893




              16.4k114893













              • Fair enough about the recruiters. I've also had a fair number of requests for interviews which I turned down because I knew I would not be interested in the job because of one or more of my red lines.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 9:23



















              • Fair enough about the recruiters. I've also had a fair number of requests for interviews which I turned down because I knew I would not be interested in the job because of one or more of my red lines.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 9:23

















              Fair enough about the recruiters. I've also had a fair number of requests for interviews which I turned down because I knew I would not be interested in the job because of one or more of my red lines.

              – KubaFYI
              May 13 at 9:23





              Fair enough about the recruiters. I've also had a fair number of requests for interviews which I turned down because I knew I would not be interested in the job because of one or more of my red lines.

              – KubaFYI
              May 13 at 9:23











              7














              As someone interviewing people regularly, I would be 100% happy with this as an introduction:




              "I've recently finished grad school and am on a lookout for jobs. I've taken this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects, so I currently have no commitments and am ready to start with you anytime."




              I personally view the recruiting process as a relaxed communication affair between two parties trying to find out if they are "right" for each other. Be honest and agreeable, and good things will happen. If any party (either the middle-man or the employer) tries to pressure you into anything - either ignore it, assuming it's their habit; or walk away. Especially as your resumee seems to be in demand.






              share|improve this answer





















              • 2





                Haha I wish it was a "relaxed communication". I found it shocking how often recruiters are trying to underplay and aggressively question my personal life choices regarding willingness to commute long distances or choosing to not engage with certain industries.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:12













              • @KubaFYI, it does come into question what you think "long commutes" are or what your other "red lines" are. You don't have to explain them here, since they aren't relevant the question, nor does it help clarify what you expect out of this Answer. I just want you to consider what other people think about your choices and how you would react if someone had as hard convictions as you do about a different topic. Some people think a 30 min commute is long, while I've heard of other people having a daily 3-4 hour commute. I'm not judging, I'm just explaining my PoV.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:25






              • 4





                @computercarguy well to clarify I mean more like recruiters go "well, if it was me I'd do this and that, commute this and that long and work for such and such". It's annoying because clearly they are not me. It's annoying because of the assumption that I should care only about the prestige of a company and my pay and if I don't get tempted because of a few grand extra pay there is something wrong with me.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:34













              • @KubaFYI, there is something to be said for working for a prestigious company, but you shouldn't also just work for someone just because of their "prestige". There are plenty examples of prestigious companies that ruined themselves, either because they think they can do no wrong or out of fear of losing the prestige. Also, if they don't represent who you want to be, then don't. That said, it would help you get jobs later on. It's a line you need to really consider, an not just because of personal preference or ease of living. Also, those couple of grand can really help at times.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:56






              • 1





                @KubaFYI Remember that recruiters are paid by employers when they find an employee (that stays around for some period of time). If you turn down a position they have open, they don't get paid; of course they want you to take it, and will try to sell it to you as hard as they can.

                – Martin Bonner
                May 14 at 13:53
















              7














              As someone interviewing people regularly, I would be 100% happy with this as an introduction:




              "I've recently finished grad school and am on a lookout for jobs. I've taken this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects, so I currently have no commitments and am ready to start with you anytime."




              I personally view the recruiting process as a relaxed communication affair between two parties trying to find out if they are "right" for each other. Be honest and agreeable, and good things will happen. If any party (either the middle-man or the employer) tries to pressure you into anything - either ignore it, assuming it's their habit; or walk away. Especially as your resumee seems to be in demand.






              share|improve this answer





















              • 2





                Haha I wish it was a "relaxed communication". I found it shocking how often recruiters are trying to underplay and aggressively question my personal life choices regarding willingness to commute long distances or choosing to not engage with certain industries.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:12













              • @KubaFYI, it does come into question what you think "long commutes" are or what your other "red lines" are. You don't have to explain them here, since they aren't relevant the question, nor does it help clarify what you expect out of this Answer. I just want you to consider what other people think about your choices and how you would react if someone had as hard convictions as you do about a different topic. Some people think a 30 min commute is long, while I've heard of other people having a daily 3-4 hour commute. I'm not judging, I'm just explaining my PoV.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:25






              • 4





                @computercarguy well to clarify I mean more like recruiters go "well, if it was me I'd do this and that, commute this and that long and work for such and such". It's annoying because clearly they are not me. It's annoying because of the assumption that I should care only about the prestige of a company and my pay and if I don't get tempted because of a few grand extra pay there is something wrong with me.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:34













              • @KubaFYI, there is something to be said for working for a prestigious company, but you shouldn't also just work for someone just because of their "prestige". There are plenty examples of prestigious companies that ruined themselves, either because they think they can do no wrong or out of fear of losing the prestige. Also, if they don't represent who you want to be, then don't. That said, it would help you get jobs later on. It's a line you need to really consider, an not just because of personal preference or ease of living. Also, those couple of grand can really help at times.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:56






              • 1





                @KubaFYI Remember that recruiters are paid by employers when they find an employee (that stays around for some period of time). If you turn down a position they have open, they don't get paid; of course they want you to take it, and will try to sell it to you as hard as they can.

                – Martin Bonner
                May 14 at 13:53














              7












              7








              7







              As someone interviewing people regularly, I would be 100% happy with this as an introduction:




              "I've recently finished grad school and am on a lookout for jobs. I've taken this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects, so I currently have no commitments and am ready to start with you anytime."




              I personally view the recruiting process as a relaxed communication affair between two parties trying to find out if they are "right" for each other. Be honest and agreeable, and good things will happen. If any party (either the middle-man or the employer) tries to pressure you into anything - either ignore it, assuming it's their habit; or walk away. Especially as your resumee seems to be in demand.






              share|improve this answer















              As someone interviewing people regularly, I would be 100% happy with this as an introduction:




              "I've recently finished grad school and am on a lookout for jobs. I've taken this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects, so I currently have no commitments and am ready to start with you anytime."




              I personally view the recruiting process as a relaxed communication affair between two parties trying to find out if they are "right" for each other. Be honest and agreeable, and good things will happen. If any party (either the middle-man or the employer) tries to pressure you into anything - either ignore it, assuming it's their habit; or walk away. Especially as your resumee seems to be in demand.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited May 14 at 11:40

























              answered May 13 at 16:03









              AnoEAnoE

              6,5121128




              6,5121128








              • 2





                Haha I wish it was a "relaxed communication". I found it shocking how often recruiters are trying to underplay and aggressively question my personal life choices regarding willingness to commute long distances or choosing to not engage with certain industries.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:12













              • @KubaFYI, it does come into question what you think "long commutes" are or what your other "red lines" are. You don't have to explain them here, since they aren't relevant the question, nor does it help clarify what you expect out of this Answer. I just want you to consider what other people think about your choices and how you would react if someone had as hard convictions as you do about a different topic. Some people think a 30 min commute is long, while I've heard of other people having a daily 3-4 hour commute. I'm not judging, I'm just explaining my PoV.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:25






              • 4





                @computercarguy well to clarify I mean more like recruiters go "well, if it was me I'd do this and that, commute this and that long and work for such and such". It's annoying because clearly they are not me. It's annoying because of the assumption that I should care only about the prestige of a company and my pay and if I don't get tempted because of a few grand extra pay there is something wrong with me.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:34













              • @KubaFYI, there is something to be said for working for a prestigious company, but you shouldn't also just work for someone just because of their "prestige". There are plenty examples of prestigious companies that ruined themselves, either because they think they can do no wrong or out of fear of losing the prestige. Also, if they don't represent who you want to be, then don't. That said, it would help you get jobs later on. It's a line you need to really consider, an not just because of personal preference or ease of living. Also, those couple of grand can really help at times.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:56






              • 1





                @KubaFYI Remember that recruiters are paid by employers when they find an employee (that stays around for some period of time). If you turn down a position they have open, they don't get paid; of course they want you to take it, and will try to sell it to you as hard as they can.

                – Martin Bonner
                May 14 at 13:53














              • 2





                Haha I wish it was a "relaxed communication". I found it shocking how often recruiters are trying to underplay and aggressively question my personal life choices regarding willingness to commute long distances or choosing to not engage with certain industries.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:12













              • @KubaFYI, it does come into question what you think "long commutes" are or what your other "red lines" are. You don't have to explain them here, since they aren't relevant the question, nor does it help clarify what you expect out of this Answer. I just want you to consider what other people think about your choices and how you would react if someone had as hard convictions as you do about a different topic. Some people think a 30 min commute is long, while I've heard of other people having a daily 3-4 hour commute. I'm not judging, I'm just explaining my PoV.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:25






              • 4





                @computercarguy well to clarify I mean more like recruiters go "well, if it was me I'd do this and that, commute this and that long and work for such and such". It's annoying because clearly they are not me. It's annoying because of the assumption that I should care only about the prestige of a company and my pay and if I don't get tempted because of a few grand extra pay there is something wrong with me.

                – KubaFYI
                May 13 at 16:34













              • @KubaFYI, there is something to be said for working for a prestigious company, but you shouldn't also just work for someone just because of their "prestige". There are plenty examples of prestigious companies that ruined themselves, either because they think they can do no wrong or out of fear of losing the prestige. Also, if they don't represent who you want to be, then don't. That said, it would help you get jobs later on. It's a line you need to really consider, an not just because of personal preference or ease of living. Also, those couple of grand can really help at times.

                – computercarguy
                May 13 at 16:56






              • 1





                @KubaFYI Remember that recruiters are paid by employers when they find an employee (that stays around for some period of time). If you turn down a position they have open, they don't get paid; of course they want you to take it, and will try to sell it to you as hard as they can.

                – Martin Bonner
                May 14 at 13:53








              2




              2





              Haha I wish it was a "relaxed communication". I found it shocking how often recruiters are trying to underplay and aggressively question my personal life choices regarding willingness to commute long distances or choosing to not engage with certain industries.

              – KubaFYI
              May 13 at 16:12







              Haha I wish it was a "relaxed communication". I found it shocking how often recruiters are trying to underplay and aggressively question my personal life choices regarding willingness to commute long distances or choosing to not engage with certain industries.

              – KubaFYI
              May 13 at 16:12















              @KubaFYI, it does come into question what you think "long commutes" are or what your other "red lines" are. You don't have to explain them here, since they aren't relevant the question, nor does it help clarify what you expect out of this Answer. I just want you to consider what other people think about your choices and how you would react if someone had as hard convictions as you do about a different topic. Some people think a 30 min commute is long, while I've heard of other people having a daily 3-4 hour commute. I'm not judging, I'm just explaining my PoV.

              – computercarguy
              May 13 at 16:25





              @KubaFYI, it does come into question what you think "long commutes" are or what your other "red lines" are. You don't have to explain them here, since they aren't relevant the question, nor does it help clarify what you expect out of this Answer. I just want you to consider what other people think about your choices and how you would react if someone had as hard convictions as you do about a different topic. Some people think a 30 min commute is long, while I've heard of other people having a daily 3-4 hour commute. I'm not judging, I'm just explaining my PoV.

              – computercarguy
              May 13 at 16:25




              4




              4





              @computercarguy well to clarify I mean more like recruiters go "well, if it was me I'd do this and that, commute this and that long and work for such and such". It's annoying because clearly they are not me. It's annoying because of the assumption that I should care only about the prestige of a company and my pay and if I don't get tempted because of a few grand extra pay there is something wrong with me.

              – KubaFYI
              May 13 at 16:34







              @computercarguy well to clarify I mean more like recruiters go "well, if it was me I'd do this and that, commute this and that long and work for such and such". It's annoying because clearly they are not me. It's annoying because of the assumption that I should care only about the prestige of a company and my pay and if I don't get tempted because of a few grand extra pay there is something wrong with me.

              – KubaFYI
              May 13 at 16:34















              @KubaFYI, there is something to be said for working for a prestigious company, but you shouldn't also just work for someone just because of their "prestige". There are plenty examples of prestigious companies that ruined themselves, either because they think they can do no wrong or out of fear of losing the prestige. Also, if they don't represent who you want to be, then don't. That said, it would help you get jobs later on. It's a line you need to really consider, an not just because of personal preference or ease of living. Also, those couple of grand can really help at times.

              – computercarguy
              May 13 at 16:56





              @KubaFYI, there is something to be said for working for a prestigious company, but you shouldn't also just work for someone just because of their "prestige". There are plenty examples of prestigious companies that ruined themselves, either because they think they can do no wrong or out of fear of losing the prestige. Also, if they don't represent who you want to be, then don't. That said, it would help you get jobs later on. It's a line you need to really consider, an not just because of personal preference or ease of living. Also, those couple of grand can really help at times.

              – computercarguy
              May 13 at 16:56




              1




              1





              @KubaFYI Remember that recruiters are paid by employers when they find an employee (that stays around for some period of time). If you turn down a position they have open, they don't get paid; of course they want you to take it, and will try to sell it to you as hard as they can.

              – Martin Bonner
              May 14 at 13:53





              @KubaFYI Remember that recruiters are paid by employers when they find an employee (that stays around for some period of time). If you turn down a position they have open, they don't get paid; of course they want you to take it, and will try to sell it to you as hard as they can.

              – Martin Bonner
              May 14 at 13:53











              5














              As you can tell from the responses, there is a large variation in how people perceive such gaps.



              It's all about how you "spin" your career trajectory. Many people don't have a problem with a candidate satisfying their wander-lust after doing time in grad school, whereas some see it as a sign of someone who is distracted.



              It probably should not be on your CV/resume, but be ready to explain the gap in a positive light, with as little or as much detail as you may be prompted for when doing an interview. If you can cite one interesting thing from your travels, that will go over better than defensively explaining why you decided to travel.






              share|improve this answer




























                5














                As you can tell from the responses, there is a large variation in how people perceive such gaps.



                It's all about how you "spin" your career trajectory. Many people don't have a problem with a candidate satisfying their wander-lust after doing time in grad school, whereas some see it as a sign of someone who is distracted.



                It probably should not be on your CV/resume, but be ready to explain the gap in a positive light, with as little or as much detail as you may be prompted for when doing an interview. If you can cite one interesting thing from your travels, that will go over better than defensively explaining why you decided to travel.






                share|improve this answer


























                  5












                  5








                  5







                  As you can tell from the responses, there is a large variation in how people perceive such gaps.



                  It's all about how you "spin" your career trajectory. Many people don't have a problem with a candidate satisfying their wander-lust after doing time in grad school, whereas some see it as a sign of someone who is distracted.



                  It probably should not be on your CV/resume, but be ready to explain the gap in a positive light, with as little or as much detail as you may be prompted for when doing an interview. If you can cite one interesting thing from your travels, that will go over better than defensively explaining why you decided to travel.






                  share|improve this answer













                  As you can tell from the responses, there is a large variation in how people perceive such gaps.



                  It's all about how you "spin" your career trajectory. Many people don't have a problem with a candidate satisfying their wander-lust after doing time in grad school, whereas some see it as a sign of someone who is distracted.



                  It probably should not be on your CV/resume, but be ready to explain the gap in a positive light, with as little or as much detail as you may be prompted for when doing an interview. If you can cite one interesting thing from your travels, that will go over better than defensively explaining why you decided to travel.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered May 13 at 12:32









                  teego1967teego1967

                  14.4k63555




                  14.4k63555























                      5














                      I had a peak in contacts from headhunters when I wrote on my LinkedIn profile that I was "on sabbatical", which was true although not in the strict academic sense. My experience would suggest that what you are doing is fine. As others have pointed out, it is your ability or readiness at explaining what you have been doing that relates to your credibility. Being frank and honest should not be a drawback. Also, if you attract curiosity among job recruiters, there is no reason to doubt that that curiousity is not genuine.






                      share|improve this answer




























                        5














                        I had a peak in contacts from headhunters when I wrote on my LinkedIn profile that I was "on sabbatical", which was true although not in the strict academic sense. My experience would suggest that what you are doing is fine. As others have pointed out, it is your ability or readiness at explaining what you have been doing that relates to your credibility. Being frank and honest should not be a drawback. Also, if you attract curiosity among job recruiters, there is no reason to doubt that that curiousity is not genuine.






                        share|improve this answer


























                          5












                          5








                          5







                          I had a peak in contacts from headhunters when I wrote on my LinkedIn profile that I was "on sabbatical", which was true although not in the strict academic sense. My experience would suggest that what you are doing is fine. As others have pointed out, it is your ability or readiness at explaining what you have been doing that relates to your credibility. Being frank and honest should not be a drawback. Also, if you attract curiosity among job recruiters, there is no reason to doubt that that curiousity is not genuine.






                          share|improve this answer













                          I had a peak in contacts from headhunters when I wrote on my LinkedIn profile that I was "on sabbatical", which was true although not in the strict academic sense. My experience would suggest that what you are doing is fine. As others have pointed out, it is your ability or readiness at explaining what you have been doing that relates to your credibility. Being frank and honest should not be a drawback. Also, if you attract curiosity among job recruiters, there is no reason to doubt that that curiousity is not genuine.







                          share|improve this answer












                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer










                          answered May 13 at 14:39









                          XavierStuvwXavierStuvw

                          52328




                          52328























                              4














                              When a job is posted in the market, it is quite often that (at least in the UK) it gets posted by different recruiters to try and increase the chances.



                              This can become a problem for you as well, if a company receives the application by 2 different recruiters you may not be invited for an interview.



                              The measure of whether you are on demand or not is by the number of interviews and job offers, not by the phone calls regarding jobs as multiple calls might be about the same position.



                              Any reasonable employer understands if you take your time choosing the right employer, the fact you are interviewing with them already gives them the signal that you are considering them.



                              Do not listen to the recruiter regarding just finding something, if, for example, you decided to start delivering the newspaper for a few weeks while you try getting the job you want in software development, it is harder to explain why you are delivering the newspaper than if you are unemployed looking for a good fit employer.






                              share|improve this answer




























                                4














                                When a job is posted in the market, it is quite often that (at least in the UK) it gets posted by different recruiters to try and increase the chances.



                                This can become a problem for you as well, if a company receives the application by 2 different recruiters you may not be invited for an interview.



                                The measure of whether you are on demand or not is by the number of interviews and job offers, not by the phone calls regarding jobs as multiple calls might be about the same position.



                                Any reasonable employer understands if you take your time choosing the right employer, the fact you are interviewing with them already gives them the signal that you are considering them.



                                Do not listen to the recruiter regarding just finding something, if, for example, you decided to start delivering the newspaper for a few weeks while you try getting the job you want in software development, it is harder to explain why you are delivering the newspaper than if you are unemployed looking for a good fit employer.






                                share|improve this answer


























                                  4












                                  4








                                  4







                                  When a job is posted in the market, it is quite often that (at least in the UK) it gets posted by different recruiters to try and increase the chances.



                                  This can become a problem for you as well, if a company receives the application by 2 different recruiters you may not be invited for an interview.



                                  The measure of whether you are on demand or not is by the number of interviews and job offers, not by the phone calls regarding jobs as multiple calls might be about the same position.



                                  Any reasonable employer understands if you take your time choosing the right employer, the fact you are interviewing with them already gives them the signal that you are considering them.



                                  Do not listen to the recruiter regarding just finding something, if, for example, you decided to start delivering the newspaper for a few weeks while you try getting the job you want in software development, it is harder to explain why you are delivering the newspaper than if you are unemployed looking for a good fit employer.






                                  share|improve this answer













                                  When a job is posted in the market, it is quite often that (at least in the UK) it gets posted by different recruiters to try and increase the chances.



                                  This can become a problem for you as well, if a company receives the application by 2 different recruiters you may not be invited for an interview.



                                  The measure of whether you are on demand or not is by the number of interviews and job offers, not by the phone calls regarding jobs as multiple calls might be about the same position.



                                  Any reasonable employer understands if you take your time choosing the right employer, the fact you are interviewing with them already gives them the signal that you are considering them.



                                  Do not listen to the recruiter regarding just finding something, if, for example, you decided to start delivering the newspaper for a few weeks while you try getting the job you want in software development, it is harder to explain why you are delivering the newspaper than if you are unemployed looking for a good fit employer.







                                  share|improve this answer












                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer










                                  answered May 13 at 9:23









                                  fireshark519fireshark519

                                  2,776522




                                  2,776522























                                      4















                                      Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




                                      Your resume/CV is not the entirety of your life. It's there to be a brief synopsis of your working life. It's meant to raise questions.



                                      Interviewer: I see you used /specific technology/ during your time at ________.

                                      Me: Yes, I used /specific technology/ there. We utilized it to widget the doohickey while rationalizing the chaos of our product, and I used it for X of the Y years I was there.



                                      A good interviewer will ask you questions about what you did at the job besides what's on that piece of paper. They will ask you why you left. They will ask you why you took the job you did. The better your resume/CV, the better questions they can ask and the less you have to explain about why stuff isn't on it.



                                      If you have a good answer about any of that, then you're fine. Even straight up being laid off, yet still performing your trade/craft/skills shouldn't be held against you by a good interviewer. I've taken jobs outside of the tech sector during gaps in my employment, and I could tell that interviewers wondered why I did it instead of finding another tech job. Also, taking that job made it harder to find another tech job, due to lack of time, energy, and the ability to do an interview "whenever".



                                      When people ask about my computer programming experience, I explain that I have 6 years of professional experience, but also go on to explain that I've been learning it since 1993 and have used it to enhance my 15 years in computer repair to automate repetitive jobs or to prevent errors in long manual processes.



                                      To enhance what others said, you don't have to take a job just because a recruiter says so, because they really do make more money by you taking the job they offer. Even if they don't make a commission, if their company isn't making money, they lose their job, too.






                                      share|improve this answer




























                                        4















                                        Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




                                        Your resume/CV is not the entirety of your life. It's there to be a brief synopsis of your working life. It's meant to raise questions.



                                        Interviewer: I see you used /specific technology/ during your time at ________.

                                        Me: Yes, I used /specific technology/ there. We utilized it to widget the doohickey while rationalizing the chaos of our product, and I used it for X of the Y years I was there.



                                        A good interviewer will ask you questions about what you did at the job besides what's on that piece of paper. They will ask you why you left. They will ask you why you took the job you did. The better your resume/CV, the better questions they can ask and the less you have to explain about why stuff isn't on it.



                                        If you have a good answer about any of that, then you're fine. Even straight up being laid off, yet still performing your trade/craft/skills shouldn't be held against you by a good interviewer. I've taken jobs outside of the tech sector during gaps in my employment, and I could tell that interviewers wondered why I did it instead of finding another tech job. Also, taking that job made it harder to find another tech job, due to lack of time, energy, and the ability to do an interview "whenever".



                                        When people ask about my computer programming experience, I explain that I have 6 years of professional experience, but also go on to explain that I've been learning it since 1993 and have used it to enhance my 15 years in computer repair to automate repetitive jobs or to prevent errors in long manual processes.



                                        To enhance what others said, you don't have to take a job just because a recruiter says so, because they really do make more money by you taking the job they offer. Even if they don't make a commission, if their company isn't making money, they lose their job, too.






                                        share|improve this answer


























                                          4












                                          4








                                          4








                                          Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




                                          Your resume/CV is not the entirety of your life. It's there to be a brief synopsis of your working life. It's meant to raise questions.



                                          Interviewer: I see you used /specific technology/ during your time at ________.

                                          Me: Yes, I used /specific technology/ there. We utilized it to widget the doohickey while rationalizing the chaos of our product, and I used it for X of the Y years I was there.



                                          A good interviewer will ask you questions about what you did at the job besides what's on that piece of paper. They will ask you why you left. They will ask you why you took the job you did. The better your resume/CV, the better questions they can ask and the less you have to explain about why stuff isn't on it.



                                          If you have a good answer about any of that, then you're fine. Even straight up being laid off, yet still performing your trade/craft/skills shouldn't be held against you by a good interviewer. I've taken jobs outside of the tech sector during gaps in my employment, and I could tell that interviewers wondered why I did it instead of finding another tech job. Also, taking that job made it harder to find another tech job, due to lack of time, energy, and the ability to do an interview "whenever".



                                          When people ask about my computer programming experience, I explain that I have 6 years of professional experience, but also go on to explain that I've been learning it since 1993 and have used it to enhance my 15 years in computer repair to automate repetitive jobs or to prevent errors in long manual processes.



                                          To enhance what others said, you don't have to take a job just because a recruiter says so, because they really do make more money by you taking the job they offer. Even if they don't make a commission, if their company isn't making money, they lose their job, too.






                                          share|improve this answer














                                          Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"




                                          Your resume/CV is not the entirety of your life. It's there to be a brief synopsis of your working life. It's meant to raise questions.



                                          Interviewer: I see you used /specific technology/ during your time at ________.

                                          Me: Yes, I used /specific technology/ there. We utilized it to widget the doohickey while rationalizing the chaos of our product, and I used it for X of the Y years I was there.



                                          A good interviewer will ask you questions about what you did at the job besides what's on that piece of paper. They will ask you why you left. They will ask you why you took the job you did. The better your resume/CV, the better questions they can ask and the less you have to explain about why stuff isn't on it.



                                          If you have a good answer about any of that, then you're fine. Even straight up being laid off, yet still performing your trade/craft/skills shouldn't be held against you by a good interviewer. I've taken jobs outside of the tech sector during gaps in my employment, and I could tell that interviewers wondered why I did it instead of finding another tech job. Also, taking that job made it harder to find another tech job, due to lack of time, energy, and the ability to do an interview "whenever".



                                          When people ask about my computer programming experience, I explain that I have 6 years of professional experience, but also go on to explain that I've been learning it since 1993 and have used it to enhance my 15 years in computer repair to automate repetitive jobs or to prevent errors in long manual processes.



                                          To enhance what others said, you don't have to take a job just because a recruiter says so, because they really do make more money by you taking the job they offer. Even if they don't make a commission, if their company isn't making money, they lose their job, too.







                                          share|improve this answer












                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer










                                          answered May 13 at 16:20









                                          computercarguycomputercarguy

                                          1,019410




                                          1,019410























                                              0














                                              What you want to be able to show is that you did not leave your research studies program because of



                                              lack of




                                              1. smarts or

                                              2. dedication or

                                              3. discipline or

                                              4. mental health.


                                              You simply outgrew the program. You learned so much you were starting to be able to do cooler/better stuff than your professors and simply felt a need to move on and do stuff on your own.



                                              If time spent on your own "raises questions", simply make a compendium describing your own projects and how they illuminate your skills. Make sure even a non-technical person can understand the value and usefulness.






                                              share|improve this answer






























                                                0














                                                What you want to be able to show is that you did not leave your research studies program because of



                                                lack of




                                                1. smarts or

                                                2. dedication or

                                                3. discipline or

                                                4. mental health.


                                                You simply outgrew the program. You learned so much you were starting to be able to do cooler/better stuff than your professors and simply felt a need to move on and do stuff on your own.



                                                If time spent on your own "raises questions", simply make a compendium describing your own projects and how they illuminate your skills. Make sure even a non-technical person can understand the value and usefulness.






                                                share|improve this answer




























                                                  0












                                                  0








                                                  0







                                                  What you want to be able to show is that you did not leave your research studies program because of



                                                  lack of




                                                  1. smarts or

                                                  2. dedication or

                                                  3. discipline or

                                                  4. mental health.


                                                  You simply outgrew the program. You learned so much you were starting to be able to do cooler/better stuff than your professors and simply felt a need to move on and do stuff on your own.



                                                  If time spent on your own "raises questions", simply make a compendium describing your own projects and how they illuminate your skills. Make sure even a non-technical person can understand the value and usefulness.






                                                  share|improve this answer















                                                  What you want to be able to show is that you did not leave your research studies program because of



                                                  lack of




                                                  1. smarts or

                                                  2. dedication or

                                                  3. discipline or

                                                  4. mental health.


                                                  You simply outgrew the program. You learned so much you were starting to be able to do cooler/better stuff than your professors and simply felt a need to move on and do stuff on your own.



                                                  If time spent on your own "raises questions", simply make a compendium describing your own projects and how they illuminate your skills. Make sure even a non-technical person can understand the value and usefulness.







                                                  share|improve this answer














                                                  share|improve this answer



                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                  edited May 14 at 13:59

























                                                  answered May 14 at 9:47









                                                  mathreadlermathreadler

                                                  492310




                                                  492310























                                                      0














                                                      In my experience, yes. It's important that they know what you're doing in that time spent away from work and school - especially when it's the case that you've taken the initiative to travel, explore and live your life.



                                                      It would be different if you sat and did nothing for that period, but just because travelling isn't "work or schooling", it doesn't been that it's not valuable life experience. I recently got accepted for an internship that I didn't quite qualify for, simply because I'd been on a mere 7 day European coach tour in the previous summer.






                                                      share|improve this answer




























                                                        0














                                                        In my experience, yes. It's important that they know what you're doing in that time spent away from work and school - especially when it's the case that you've taken the initiative to travel, explore and live your life.



                                                        It would be different if you sat and did nothing for that period, but just because travelling isn't "work or schooling", it doesn't been that it's not valuable life experience. I recently got accepted for an internship that I didn't quite qualify for, simply because I'd been on a mere 7 day European coach tour in the previous summer.






                                                        share|improve this answer


























                                                          0












                                                          0








                                                          0







                                                          In my experience, yes. It's important that they know what you're doing in that time spent away from work and school - especially when it's the case that you've taken the initiative to travel, explore and live your life.



                                                          It would be different if you sat and did nothing for that period, but just because travelling isn't "work or schooling", it doesn't been that it's not valuable life experience. I recently got accepted for an internship that I didn't quite qualify for, simply because I'd been on a mere 7 day European coach tour in the previous summer.






                                                          share|improve this answer













                                                          In my experience, yes. It's important that they know what you're doing in that time spent away from work and school - especially when it's the case that you've taken the initiative to travel, explore and live your life.



                                                          It would be different if you sat and did nothing for that period, but just because travelling isn't "work or schooling", it doesn't been that it's not valuable life experience. I recently got accepted for an internship that I didn't quite qualify for, simply because I'd been on a mere 7 day European coach tour in the previous summer.







                                                          share|improve this answer












                                                          share|improve this answer



                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                          answered May 15 at 11:06









                                                          Bas RickensBas Rickens

                                                          1




                                                          1






























                                                              draft saved

                                                              draft discarded




















































                                                              Thanks for contributing an answer to The Workplace Stack Exchange!


                                                              • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                                                              But avoid …



                                                              • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                                                              • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                                                              To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                                                              draft saved


                                                              draft discarded














                                                              StackExchange.ready(
                                                              function () {
                                                              StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f136476%2fshould-i-communicate-in-my-applications-that-im-unemployed-out-of-choice-rather%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                                                              }
                                                              );

                                                              Post as a guest















                                                              Required, but never shown





















































                                                              Required, but never shown














                                                              Required, but never shown












                                                              Required, but never shown







                                                              Required, but never shown

































                                                              Required, but never shown














                                                              Required, but never shown












                                                              Required, but never shown







                                                              Required, but never shown











                                                              -

                                                              Popular posts from this blog

                                                              Færeyskur hestur Heimild | Tengill | Tilvísanir | LeiðsagnarvalRossið - síða um færeyska hrossið á færeyskuGott ár hjá færeyska hestinum

                                                              Image
                                                              FæreyjarHestar færeyskahjaltlandshestinumíslenski hesturinnBretlandskolanámumenskuWikipediafæreyskuWikipediaRossið - síða um færeyska hrossið á færeysku Færeyskur hestur Úr Wikipediu, frjálsa alfræðiritinu Jump to navigation Jump to search Rani og Grani. Grani í vetrarfeldi. Færeyski hesturinn (færeyska: Føroyska rossið ) er hestur sem hefur lifað í Færeyjum í hundruði ára. Hann er smágerður, 120-132 cm á hæð, og helst skyldur hjaltlandshestinum. Hlutverk hans var að draga vagna og plóg og bera klyfjar. Hann hefur fjórar gangtegundir eins og íslenski hesturinn (þar með talið tölt) og er með fjölda litaafbrigði. Nú til dags er hann notaður til frístunda. Í lok 19. aldar voru til um 800 hross. Mö...
                                                              Read more

                                                              He _____ here since 1970 . Answer needed [closed]What does “since he was so high” mean?Meaning of “catch birds for”?How do I ensure “since” takes the meaning I want?“Who cares here” meaningWhat does “right round toward” mean?the time tense (had now been detected)What does the phrase “ring around the roses” mean here?Correct usage of “visited upon”Meaning of “foiled rail sabotage bid”It was the third time I had gone to Rome or It is the third time I had been to Rome

                                                              Image
                                                              Engineer refusing to file/disclose patents Extending the spectral theorem for bounded self adjoint operators to bounded normal operators Do varchar(max), nvarchar(max) and varbinary(max) columns affect select queries? Why is it that I can sometimes guess the next note? What linear sensor for a keyboard? Why don’t women say שלא עשני גויה and שפחה, according to Ashkenazim? Did arcade monitors have same pixel aspect ratio as TV sets? anything or something to eat Query about absorption line spectra Can I use my Chinese passport to enter China after I acquired another citizenship? Fuse symbol on toroidal transformer Create all possible words using a set or letters Does the Mind Blank spell prevent the target from being frightened? Can I sign legal documents with a smiley face? When quoting, must I also copy hyphens used to divide words that continue on the next line? ...
                                                              Read more

                                                              Slayer Innehåll Historia | Stil, komposition och lyrik | Bandets betydelse och framgångar | Sidoprojekt och samarbeten | Kontroverser | Medlemmar | Utmärkelser och nomineringar | Turnéer och festivaler | Diskografi | Referenser | Externa länkar | Navigeringsmenywww.slayer.net”Metal Massacre vol. 1””Metal Massacre vol. 3””Metal Massacre Volume III””Show No Mercy””Haunting the Chapel””Live Undead””Hell Awaits””Reign in Blood””Reign in Blood””Gold & Platinum – Reign in Blood””Golden Gods Awards Winners”originalet”Kerrang! Hall Of Fame””Slayer Looks Back On 37-Year Career In New Video Series: Part Two””South of Heaven””Gold & Platinum – South of Heaven””Seasons in the Abyss””Gold & Platinum - Seasons in the Abyss””Divine Intervention””Divine Intervention - Release group by Slayer””Gold & Platinum - Divine Intervention””Live Intrusion””Undisputed Attitude””Abolish Government/Superficial Love””Release “Slatanic Slaughter: A Tribute to Slayer” by Various Artists””Diabolus in Musica””Soundtrack to the Apocalypse””God Hates Us All””Systematic - Relationships””War at the Warfield””Gold & Platinum - War at the Warfield””Soundtrack to the Apocalypse””Gold & Platinum - Still Reigning””Metallica, Slayer, Iron Mauden Among Winners At Metal Hammer Awards””Eternal Pyre””Eternal Pyre - Slayer release group””Eternal Pyre””Metal Storm Awards 2006””Kerrang! Hall Of Fame””Slayer Wins 'Best Metal' Grammy Award””Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman Dies””Bullet-For My Valentine booed at Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards””Unholy Aliance””The End Of Slayer?””Slayer: We Could Thrash Out Two More Albums If We're Fast Enough...””'The Unholy Alliance: Chapter III' UK Dates Added”originalet”Megadeth And Slayer To Co-Headline 'Canadian Carnage' Trek”originalet”World Painted Blood””Release “World Painted Blood” by Slayer””Metallica Heading To Cinemas””Slayer, Megadeth To Join Forces For 'European Carnage' Tour - Dec. 18, 2010”originalet”Slayer's Hanneman Contracts Acute Infection; Band To Bring In Guest Guitarist””Cannibal Corpse's Pat O'Brien Will Step In As Slayer's Guest Guitarist”originalet”Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman Dead at 49””Dave Lombardo Says He Made Only $67,000 In 2011 While Touring With Slayer””Slayer: We Do Not Agree With Dave Lombardo's Substance Or Timeline Of Events””Slayer Welcomes Drummer Paul Bostaph Back To The Fold””Slayer Hope to Unveil Never-Before-Heard Jeff Hanneman Material on Next Album””Slayer Debut New Song 'Implode' During Surprise Golden Gods Appearance””Release group Repentless by Slayer””Repentless - Slayer - Credits””Slayer””Metal Storm Awards 2015””Slayer - to release comic book "Repentless #1"””Slayer To Release 'Repentless' 6.66" Vinyl Box Set””BREAKING NEWS: Slayer Announce Farewell Tour””Slayer Recruit Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth + Testament for Final Tour””Slayer lägger ner efter 37 år””Slayer Announces Second North American Leg Of 'Final' Tour””Final World Tour””Slayer Announces Final European Tour With Lamb of God, Anthrax And Obituary””Slayer To Tour Europe With Lamb of God, Anthrax And Obituary””Slayer To Play 'Last French Show Ever' At Next Year's Hellfst””Slayer's Final World Tour Will Extend Into 2019””Death Angel's Rob Cavestany On Slayer's 'Farewell' Tour: 'Some Of Us Could See This Coming'””Testament Has No Plans To Retire Anytime Soon, Says Chuck Billy””Anthrax's Scott Ian On Slayer's 'Farewell' Tour Plans: 'I Was Surprised And I Wasn't Surprised'””Slayer””Slayer's Morbid Schlock””Review/Rock; For Slayer, the Mania Is the Message””Slayer - Biography””Slayer - Reign In Blood”originalet”Dave Lombardo””An exclusive oral history of Slayer”originalet”Exclusive! Interview With Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman”originalet”Thinking Out Loud: Slayer's Kerry King on hair metal, Satan and being polite””Slayer Lyrics””Slayer - Biography””Most influential artists for extreme metal music””Slayer - Reign in Blood””Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies aged 49””Slatanic Slaughter: A Tribute to Slayer””Gateway to Hell: A Tribute to Slayer””Covered In Blood””Slayer: The Origins of Thrash in San Francisco, CA.””Why They Rule - #6 Slayer”originalet”Guitar World's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists Of All Time”originalet”The fans have spoken: Slayer comes out on top in readers' polls”originalet”Tribute to Jeff Hanneman (1964-2013)””Lamb Of God Frontman: We Sound Like A Slayer Rip-Off””BEHEMOTH Frontman Pays Tribute To SLAYER's JEFF HANNEMAN””Slayer, Hatebreed Doing Double Duty On This Year's Ozzfest””System of a Down””Lacuna Coil’s Andrea Ferro Talks Influences, Skateboarding, Band Origins + More””Slayer - Reign in Blood””Into The Lungs of Hell””Slayer rules - en utställning om fans””Slayer and Their Fans Slashed Through a No-Holds-Barred Night at Gas Monkey””Home””Slayer””Gold & Platinum - The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria””Exclusive! Interview With Slayer Guitarist Kerry King””2008-02-23: Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA, USA””Slayer's Kerry King To Perform With Megadeth Tonight! - Oct. 21, 2010”originalet”Dave Lombardo - Biography”Slayer Case DismissedArkiveradUltimate Classic Rock: Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dead at 49.”Slayer: "We could never do any thing like Some Kind Of Monster..."””Cannibal Corpse'S Pat O'Brien Will Step In As Slayer'S Guest Guitarist | The Official Slayer Site”originalet”Slayer Wins 'Best Metal' Grammy Award””Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman Dies””Kerrang! Awards 2006 Blog: Kerrang! Hall Of Fame””Kerrang! Awards 2013: Kerrang! Legend”originalet”Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maien Among Winners At Metal Hammer Awards””Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards””Bullet For My Valentine Booed At Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards””Metal Storm Awards 2006””Metal Storm Awards 2015””Slayer's Concert History””Slayer - Relationships””Slayer - Releases”Slayers officiella webbplatsSlayer på MusicBrainzOfficiell webbplatsSlayerSlayerr1373445760000 0001 1540 47353068615-5086262726cb13906545x(data)6033143kn20030215029

                                                              Image
                                                              SlayerMusikgrupper bildade 1981Amerikanska thrash metal-grupper amerikansktthrash metalHuntington Park1981gitarristernaJeff HannemanKerry KingbasistenTom ArayatrummisenDave LombardoGary HoltPaul Bostaphcertifierats med guldMetallicaAnthraxMegadeththrash metal1986extrema metalgenrerdeath metal22 januari2018USAKanadaEuropaHuntington ParkKalifornien1981gitarristernaJeff HannemanKerry KingbassångDave Lombardoheavy metalbrittiskaIron MaidenJudas PriestthrashMetallicaRattSteeler1982demoundergroundMetal Blade1983high schoolGene HoglanDeathStrapping Young Ladkassettvinyl1984LondonMarquee Club1984Eldorado StudiosTrack Record StudiosLos Angelesmastrade1985CDCombat Recordsextreme metalVenomExodusStudio 54 club1985VHSCombat RecordsBelgienUFORick RubinDef Jam Recordship hoprockakterThe Black CrowesRun–D.M.C.LL Cool JBeastie BoysthrashbpmAngel of DeathRaining BloodAndy WallaceHowie Weinberg1986bildskivaBillboard 200RIAAMetal HammerKerrang!Angela Gossowdeath metalArch Enemythrash metalOverk...
                                                              Read more