Entries Tagged with gap

Saturday February 6th, 2010
Will a 6-month resume gap ruin your career?

The other day, Melanie Benwell of Poly Placements tweeted:

What do you think of candidates who take 6-12 months off to travel or re-energize before starting their job search?  Does it question drive?

and 

1 or 2 months I can understand but anything over 6 months I see as a red flag = lack of focus/drive etc.

I was surprised by Mel's take on work gaps, and since I know her to be a successful, experienced recruiter, it got me thinking.

Are resume gaps a red flag?

A couple of years ago I read an article which said that one of the ways in which Gen Ys will transform the workforce is that over their working lifetimes, they'll take on average 6-12 months off every 7 years.  (Of course I can't find this article now, but here's an interesting one about the 7-year sabbatical cycle.)

In other words, I've always thought that, as long as you had a good explanation for the gap, there was nothing wrong with having a 6-12 month gap in your resume -I mean,  what employer wouldn't want to hire someone who said they took 6 months to work in an elephant sanctuary in Kenya or finish their novel or go to cooking school?

(I myself have an almost 12-month gap circa 1996-97 - I got engaged to this guy from the States, so I moved to Philadelphia for a year, during which time my visa status precluded me from working.)

According to the New York Times, sabbaticals are more popular than you think, especially in an economic downturn:  With companies looking for ways to reduce their full-time salary obligations without losing their best and brightest employees, sabbaticals are a great way to hang on to talent while improving the bottom line.

But I think what Mel was getting at was:  If you say you took/are taking 6 months off to 'recharge your batteries', does it make you look like a milquetoast who can't handle the pressure? 

As always, your two cents are invited...

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Monday February 16th, 2009
Generational Resentment Rears Its Head Again

During the last recession in the early-to-mid 1990s, there was a huge and very public outcry by the so-called "Generation X" against the Baby Boom. One memorable newspaper article of the time suggested that Boomers should be sent to voluntary service camps for a year to work on international development projects and ward off an impending mid-live crisis to give their youngest brothers and sisters, and their oldest children, a chance to earn a living.

Maclean's Magazine recently started a series of articles called "The New Middle Class Reality." In short, the article says middle class doesn't really exist any more and most workers between the ages of 18 and 40 are now members of the "working poor." We've heard it all before. There is some truth to it, but the sweeping generalizations are hard to take.

What's interesting, though, are the comments on the articles. The generational battle is heating up again. Here are a few samples:

"Baby Boomers who are just holding onto their jobs because they don't know what else to do."

"The MTV, video game generation who expects everthing handed to them on a platter."

For the past year, we've seen studies about how watching what you say and creating an atmosphere of respect can help the five-generation workforce work together.

I think recruiters had better keep their eye on this wave of resentment. We'll all need new strategies for cooperation soon.

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Thursday June 12th, 2008
Flip-flops and interviews: Where do you stand? (Comments invited!)

I'm 38 years old, which means I'm old enough to think it's appalling when candidates show up for interviews wearing flip-flops (and in the past week, I've seen 4 of them do just that) - but young enough to feel piqued when the 20-somethings in the office think my aversion to flip-flops is old-fashioned.

I don't think it's old-fashioned to think that toes are a body part which should be visible in an interview. (Though I do think that it's just fine for women to have bare legs in the summer - I think offices which insist women wear pantyhose all summer are ridiculous.)

So what do you think?

Leave a comment - and don't forget to include your age bracket!

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About the Authors

Paul Dodd
Co-founder and President
Head2Head Canada

Paul has one simple goal: To help companies hire great people - and get the most out of every recruiting dollar they spend. That's why he's recognized as one of the best recruitment-industry thinkers in Canada.

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