Unemployed for 3.5 years

Javacup11

New member
Dec 13, 2022
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I didn't work for 3.5 years. Lived off of savings. Wasn't looking for work either. Thinking about applying to jobs soon (I used to be an Engineer -automotive). What should I put on my resume for the 3.5year gap? Furlough? Family leave? Medical leave? Not sure if I'll get an interview but let's see.
 

xix

Time Zone Traveller
Jul 27, 2002
4,175
1,407
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La la land
I didn't work for 3.5 years. Lived off of savings. Wasn't looking for work either. Thinking about applying to jobs soon (I used to be an Engineer -automotive). What should I put on my resume for the 3.5year gap? Furlough? Family leave? Medical leave? Not sure if I'll get an interview but let's see.
Lie, everyone does it. You were self employed or working at Walmart trying to understand yourself or finding yourself. And you traveled for 12 months at the beginning then Walmart. Now your are recharged and ready for a booty call.
 

billie69

Well-known member
Feb 19, 2013
1,905
927
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Lie, everyone does it. You were self employed or working at Walmart trying to understand yourself or finding yourself. And you traveled for 12 months at the beginning then Walmart. Now your are recharged and ready for a booty call.
Say that you were self employed or worked in a “family business/ numbered company” where you applied your engineering skills to fix things up and improve things in order to sell your family’s shares to a business partner or another company.

Most of the time they won’t ask but if they do just say there were some “real estate holdings that were divested” (as this is the perfect time) and now I’ve “decided” to return to a corporate role.

Just don’t b.s. too much but never have a gap on your resume because some clueless prick will always try to jump on that - “why weren’t you working etc” even when the economy is a mess.

Not that I’ve done this before, I heard from a friend.
 
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NotADcotor

His most imperial galactic atheistic majesty.
Mar 8, 2017
7,155
4,817
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I've twice tried to get help from professionals. University and governmental support. Both times they told me that they couldn't tell me to lie... hinting I should lie.

I am not really down with that.


Also after 3.5 years, can you still do the job anymore. Be honest with yourself. Skills erode pretty hard when you no longer use them, both from personal experience and that of others.
 
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Ceiling Cat

Well-known member
Feb 25, 2009
28,638
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It is all down to qualifications now. If they need you bad enough, they will hire you.
 
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krealtarron

Hardened Member
Nov 12, 2021
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Self employed. You gotta lie in these circumstances.
 

bazokajoe

Well-known member
Nov 6, 2010
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Don't lie. It will be so easy to find out. Even George Costanza couldn't do it successfully.
Just tell them you had personal/family issues going on + the pandemic.
 

curr3n_c1000

I do all my own stunts
Dec 20, 2014
4,034
2,187
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You will get grilled for the work gap more than what you think. Companies are slave drivers and the concept of not working is a red flag to them. They will look at this time off as a negative, please believe it.

Do yourself a favour and have a solid story ready. Tell them you had to take care of a sick family member or You were in and out of the country on personal business. Telling them "I didn't feel like working" isn't going to sit well.
 
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Wolf29

Active member
May 26, 2017
192
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I didn't work for 3.5 years. Lived off of savings. Wasn't looking for work either. Thinking about applying to jobs soon (I used to be an Engineer -automotive). What should I put on my resume for the 3.5year gap? Furlough? Family leave? Medical leave? Not sure if I'll get an interview but let's see.
shit can happen in life. I had to go back to Europe for 2.5 years for personal reasons and I didn't work for that long.

I came back to Toronto and applied for as many jobs as I could. I also enrolled with a few employment agencies as well. I got a job offer by myself but they did a background and employment check, so I told them that they were taking too long and that I accepted another job offer with another company instead. It wasn't true but that at least that way you won't end up looking like a liar.

After a few weeks, I eventually ended up getting a 1 year contract through an employment agency. They only did a work reference check and my friends/ ex coworkers helped me with that. The money and work culture at that company weren't the best and I eventually end up finding another job at another company after 6-7months.

For the employment gap on my resume, sometimes I would put that I was self employed and other time I would put that I recently got laid off. I explained it by telling them that my job got outsourced. That part was partly true since my ex manager was more than willing to hire me back but there was a hiring freeze when I got back to Toronto. I later learned that the whole department got outsourced.

Tips:
- Be proactive in your job search(use your personal network, check job/companies websites, enroll with employment agency, go to job fair, etc...)
- Make sure that your skills are up to date with what is going on in your job field. Training will be provided to you and every company operates differently, just do your best once you get a job.
- Stay positive. and don't be picky about the money, benefits, job advancement or if you don't like everything about the job posting.

All you need is to get back on the horse and after that you should be fine. Best of luck to you!
 
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Pleasure Hound

Well-known member
Dec 8, 2021
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Actually, that's not long these days. If employers are too stupid to know that by now, they don't deserve any employees.....stupid motherfuckers.....
 
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ISpeakSoftly

Well-known member
Nov 4, 2022
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Just say you @Javacup11 were caring for recently deceased family back home in ___. (Insert obscure geographic location.) The deceased family member is your former lazy ass self.
 
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NotADcotor

His most imperial galactic atheistic majesty.
Mar 8, 2017
7,155
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Actually, that's not long these days. If employers are too stupid to know that by now, they don't deserve any employees.....stupid motherfuckers.....
You are talking about the same people who ask for 10 years experience on a product that has only been out for 2 years.
 
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