Re: Academic resume gaps

"BubbaGump" <BubbaGump@localhost> wrote in message
news:lqvau2l403eu6q9m67qm3fqqpspjvc96v4@xxxxxxxxxx
If one leaves a job and has money saved, is there something wrong with
taking a few months to learn some new skills on one's own before
spending time looking for another job? I'm guessing managers and
headhunters would say "yes", but I say "no".

I'd guess managers and headhunters only respect what they consider
"official" work or academic experience, with some outside influence
(company or school) putting pressure on the individual to deliver.
I'd guess they also don't trust that such time was spent on legitimate
activities.

As long as you can give a reasonable account of what you were doing then
it's not normally a problem - only when the gaps are unexplained. A CV
(or resumé) which shows a six month period between jobs rings alarm
bells - were you sacked, sick, in jail?

I think that if one is laid off there is no foul

That would count as a reasonable account - lay-offs are a fact of life
these days. However, I have met some employers who won't take on people
who've been laid off because they believe that if the other company
didn't want you then you can't have been any good.


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