I've been out of work for a little over a year, and I think this gap is hurting my chances of getting interviews. The job market is tough right now, and it seems like recruiters or employers look at my profile but then move on without any interest. I left my previous job due to a toxic environment, and during this time off, I've been working on a passion project related to art, volunteering on a crisis line, and developing a small retro-style productivity app in Python (with some help from ChatGPT). I might release this app as a niche tool for streamers, but I'm not sure yet. I included these experiences on my resume, but it hasn't helped. Before this year, I used to get messages from recruiters frequently, but now I'm often met with flat rejections or vague responses. I'm even considering jobs outside the IT field. I have around 10 years of experience mainly in cloud and virtualization (Linux, VMware, Azure) with some minor DevOps skills. Any advice would be really appreciated!
5 Answers
Craft a solid cover letter mentioning your volunteering and personal projects. A well-written cover letter can really help your application stand out. Just ensure it strikes the right tone, without coming across as too boastful. Use your resume to check the boxes for the role, and let the cover letter do the storytelling.
You might want to frame your time off as a period where you focused on family or personal development. Everyone's going through their own stuff, and keeping it vague can help. It might sound less desperate if you say something like, 'I took some time to handle personal matters and now I'm ready to dive back into the workforce.'
Thanks! Should I leave the gap unexplained on my resume then? I’ve volunteered on a crisis line; do you think adding that helps?
You could mention that you had to take time off due to a family issue and during that time, you worked on that productivity app. Most recruiters won’t push too much if you keep it brief and to the point.
Consider using a dateless resume where you just list your job durations instead of specific dates. You can say things like, "After working at Company X, I moved on to Company Y to focus on Z," without mentioning the gap. When asked about availability, say you can start immediately, but want to wrap up a couple of things first. This way, you keep it vague while sounding professional.
Wow, I never thought of that. Has it worked for you?
If they ask about the gap, you can say you weren’t happy and needed to pursue a passion project. Mention that your family supported your decision to seek employment after that time. If pressed for details, just say you can't discuss the specifics because of an NDA you signed.
That's a clever response—not giving too much away!
Should I include why I left my last job in the cover letter? It feels awkward to address.