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Ask HN: How to justify my time-off?

4 points by throwawayyyay ↗ HN
Hi, I'm a software dev with around 5 years of experience slowly trying to return to the market after a 10 month long sabbatical.

How would you go about looking for a job now, with that gap in your CV? What would you write and how would you explain it at potential interviews?

14 comments

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JohnFen
What did you do during your sabbatical? When I did something similar, I listed it on my CV as a sabbatical and also listed the skills I gained/improved on that would be of value to the potential employer. It didn't seem to hurt me at all.
yuppie_scum
Why not be honest? There’s nothing to hide and a hiring manager isn’t gonna care as long as you are qualified.
dudul
What did you do during 10 months? Just put that.
joezydeco
Change your resume to show which years you were at a job. Leave the months off.

e.g.: Assistant to the Regional Manager, Dunder-Mifflin, 2009-2023

A 10-month gap will be invisible. You'll see. Then, next step, never mention it in an interview.

dudul
And hope that either the new job doesn't run a background check or doesn't care about the discrepancy (very likely once you reach this point of the pipeline, but you never know).
joezydeco
Was the resume lying? What's the discrepancy?

If they want exact dates of employment then by all means give it to them. If they ask during the interview, tell them. I have never seen an interview cycle get that picky about dates.

If you really want an unethical life protip, tell them you were caring for a sick family member. Do you think they'll press on that button?

JohnFen
What discrepancy?

I've been omitting months for a very, very long time and have gone through numerous background checks from different companies. Never once has omitting months been a problem or even something anyone wanted clarification about. I'm not saying anything that isn't accurate. I'm just rounding off irrelevant detail, no different than omitting the exact day that I started and ended each job.

Nobody cares about what month you started and ended, unless your employment lasted less than a year, maybe.

jjgreen
You should probably do this in any case, including months in employment periods is a bit like saying "I'm seven and a half!" when someone asks your age.
JohnFen
I haven't put months on my resume in decades, for this reason.
Nextgrid
Just say that you were tending to a sick family member.
billybuckwheat
Agree with several of the other responders here: tell the truth. If you took time off to deal with burnout or take care of an ill loved one, or if you couldn't find the right position, let them know. Most (though not all, sadly) recruiters and interviewers will appreciate the honesty. Yes, this is experience speaking.
aaronrobinson
I’d be suspicious if you tried to hide it and it came to light. I’d just be honest and say you took some planned time out, did a bunch of non work related stuff, recharged and now you’re ready to go again. If they push you can be creative if you’re embarrassed by what you actually did. But don’t try and disguise that you took time out as it will end any process if they find out.