How bad is a resume gap really

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. I am 37 now and just planning so covid is not a concern. I expect I'll be lame and just push to 50 and then take a break once I have well more than I need. There will probably be another downturn again so would be good to first get through that and be adding $$ at the bottom.

Still its a little disappointing how rigid our culture is but my impulse is to not slow down until I'm 100% sure the marathon us done so I get it and appreciate the feedback.

I agree with you, I feel that the current work culture is set up for the golden boy who got promoted on a rocket ship. There isn't a lot of great choices for women - some scopes are too junior/limited, others are too specialized. Most teams don't accommodate a thoughtful, high quality woman - they just want some 20 year olds punching numbers as instructed or schmooze with them all day. There isn't a place for us to delivery meaningful value.

[Anonymous]

Bumping. How bad is a 6 month gap?

[Anonymous]

Why do they have a gap in their staff?

[Anonymous]

Ha ha! This was a COVID-era thread, in Biden's administration, before AI, ICE, and all of Trump's actions.

Why revive it now?

[Anonymous]

It absolutely depends on the industry, the individuals making the decision, and how you sell it OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha ha! This was a COVID-era thread, in Biden's administration, before AI, ICE, and all of Trump's actions.

Why revive it now?

Yeah 3 years ago, no biggie for gap. Now, huge black mark, im afriad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Was just reading an article about how a resume gap of over a year is like the kiss of death if its over a year. I'm sure some truth to that but is it overblown?

Let's say you have a great resume and big list of achievements and are burned out. Like service partner at respected law firm. But you are 45 and have saved a bunch and have a few million in the bank. So you spend a year hiking the Appalachian trail and visiting your aunt in Korea or whatever. Then you look for a new job. Are you like done?

What if you start a business but it fizzles?

Anyways I'm not at a law firm but the rest of the analysis is true. I could take a break at 45 from a financial standpoint and then come back and do more. Or I can just push to 50 and have more than enough and pretty much just admit I may be walking away from full time work for good. Is option #1 reckless?

Most people still have contacts in the business, whatever it is. So not the kiss of death at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping. How bad is a 6 month gap?

I got hired recently with a 6 month gap after a layoff. People understood.

[Anonymous]

A 6 month or one year gap is not a big deal especially in this market. If I ask ‘what have you been up to in that time - aside from the job search?’ - you need to have a well crafted answer - one that you can support. Something like
I’ve taken the time as an opportunity to
Further my involvement in national trade organization and taking on a leadership role
Go back to school and complete a certification in… took courses in … to advance my skill set
Dabble in consulting and worked with a couple start up founders on…

Basically, Stay productive and marketable beyond just the job search - make your story credible - don’t sweat it, you’ll get hired.

For the person considering pivoting now vs later - you need to assess two things - your network and the demand for your skills/expertise - those are what will get you hired at or near 50

-HR

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A 6 month or one year gap is not a big deal especially in this market. If I ask ‘what have you been up to in that time - aside from the job search?’ - you need to have a well crafted answer - one that you can support. Something like
I’ve taken the time as an opportunity to
Further my involvement in national trade organization and taking on a leadership role
Go back to school and complete a certification in… took courses in … to advance my skill set
Dabble in consulting and worked with a couple start up founders on…

Basically, Stay productive and marketable beyond just the job search - make your story credible - don’t sweat it, you’ll get hired.

For the person considering pivoting now vs later - you need to assess two things - your network and the demand for your skills/expertise - those are what will get you hired at or near 50

-HR

So you are basically saying that as soon as someone gets laid off they need to, in addition to job searching, start a certification program or consult just so they have a glib backup line to deliver. Even though they might get a new job in two weeks... because they might not....

[Anonymous]

As a mom in a high demand job (biglaw partner), honestly if i was interviewing a woman who straight up just said "I took a year off when my kids were little just because our family needed to take a beat and now i'm ready to go back" I wouldn't flinch and I would totally get it. I'm not sure my male partners would agree, but i wouldn't have any issue. And one year out of the market isn't going to make them rusty.

I'd think this is less of a red flag than someone who had been laid off for a year, because usually in the legal sector, layoffs don't happen to the better attorneys.

[Anonymous]

I hope OP got to hike the AT.

Maybe to put the HR PP’s ideas into better words: doing something intentional with your time off is helpful. It shows you can still plan and execute (plus other skills you are using to accomplish whatever it is).

If you start a certification and then get a job offer, then you negotiate tuition reimbursement or a delayed start date or a scheduled that allows you to go to classes. Or you press pause on the certification.

As a candidate, you want to have something that makes your resume stand out among the others. “I spent a year looking for a new job” doesn’t do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a mom in a high demand job (biglaw partner), honestly if i was interviewing a woman who straight up just said "I took a year off when my kids were little just because our family needed to take a beat and now i'm ready to go back" I wouldn't flinch and I would totally get it. I'm not sure my male partners would agree, but i wouldn't have any issue. And one year out of the market isn't going to make them rusty.

I'd think this is less of a red flag than someone who had been laid off for a year, because usually in the legal sector, layoffs don't happen to the better attorneys.

But how do you distinguish a layoff from claiming you needed to take a beat? I guess if they are male you can assume they didn't stay home for the kids? But woman who make that claim could have left for any number of less than ideal reasons, but claim "it was for the children"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 6 month or one year gap is not a big deal especially in this market. If I ask ‘what have you been up to in that time - aside from the job search?’ - you need to have a well crafted answer - one that you can support. Something like
I’ve taken the time as an opportunity to
Further my involvement in national trade organization and taking on a leadership role
Go back to school and complete a certification in… took courses in … to advance my skill set
Dabble in consulting and worked with a couple start up founders on…

Basically, Stay productive and marketable beyond just the job search - make your story credible - don’t sweat it, you’ll get hired.

For the person considering pivoting now vs later - you need to assess two things - your network and the demand for your skills/expertise - those are what will get you hired at or near 50

-HR

So you are basically saying that as soon as someone gets laid off they need to, in addition to job searching, start a certification program or consult just so they have a glib backup line to deliver. Even though they might get a new job in two weeks... because they might not....

Welcome to zombie job market 2026...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 6 month or one year gap is not a big deal especially in this market. If I ask ‘what have you been up to in that time - aside from the job search?’ - you need to have a well crafted answer - one that you can support. Something like
I’ve taken the time as an opportunity to
Further my involvement in national trade organization and taking on a leadership role
Go back to school and complete a certification in… took courses in … to advance my skill set
Dabble in consulting and worked with a couple start up founders on…

Basically, Stay productive and marketable beyond just the job search - make your story credible - don’t sweat it, you’ll get hired.

For the person considering pivoting now vs later - you need to assess two things - your network and the demand for your skills/expertise - those are what will get you hired at or near 50

-HR

So you are basically saying that as soon as someone gets laid off they need to, in addition to job searching, start a certification program or consult just so they have a glib backup line to deliver. Even though they might get a new job in two weeks... because they might not....

not what I said
For the novice readers in the room explaining it to you like you’re 5: you Don’t land a job 3 months post layoff, you’re now in month 5.6.7…. Or maybe longer, month 9,10…..it’s been a Year……..what are you doing with your time? What have you been up to? - what is your answer??