Quit job for 1 yr to recharge & do projects - how to convey on resume?

January 29, 2020 12:49 PM

Last year I voluntarily resigned from my job as a designer - now that I'm starting the job-hunt, I'm trying to figure out what is the best way to convey the 1-year gap on my resume (don't explain vs adding a brief note about it).

Some background: I'd been at the previous company for several years and wanted to move one - I figured I could either jump straight into another job, or take some time off. I wanted to use the break to recharge (previous company environment ended up being draining) and also focus on some personal projects. Fast forward to now and it's been almost a year since I quit - I've recharged, done the things I wanted to do, and at a point where I'm ready to job hunt again.

Would it be better to just not explain the gap until they ask, or should I add a slot in my resume that says "XX/2019-present one year to focus on XX projects"? I was thinking if I don't explain it, they might think I had been fired and unsuccessfully job-hunting for a year which looks worse than taking a voluntary year off. But at the same time maybe it's better not to draw unnecessary attention to it. And is it better to include the project work I did in a separate section on my portfolio, just to show what I've been up to even if it's not related to the job?

posted by bellalia to Work & Money (13 answers total)

If it were me, I wouldn't even put it on the resume at all, if it shows up on their radar they can ask.

As someone who hires people from time to time, I wouldn't even mention it to the interviewee, sometimes it takes a while to find the right job and I'd assume they were job-hunting or had a part-time McDonald's job to make ends meet that they didn't want polluting their career-focused resume. A gap doesn't necessarily mean the person wasn't working, it just means time that didn't count towards the person's value as an employee. If it were like 3 years I'd probably ask because that seems like a long time to spend with no work experience to show for it.
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:57 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

I have done this before for gaps of 3 to 6 months when I needed to deal with family issues and could only handle the commitment of part-time work. I did not have a full-time job during that time but took on freelance work and an online work. In terms of hours, the two things together were only a part-time job. But on my resume/linkedin, I simply described this as freelancing, listing the companies and projects I worked for as well as included my online class (because it was relevant to work I was seeking - I would leave this part out though if your projects during this time away are really not relevant to the job you're looking for)
posted by caveatz at 1:00 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

I did a very similar thing.... albeit in an industry that tends to have a hiring season. Much like a teacher.

I had a long list of projects to work on, professional development opportunities to take and work related things I wanted to see. I ended up claiming an unpaid sabbatical and treated those things I did, saw & learned as itemized professional opportunities.

I grew up with farmers & oilpatch workers who often had winter projects and summer projects respectively. All the things you want/need to do but don't have time in the busy season. In my profession the busy season tends to last about 50 weeks/year.

YMMV but this was a very easy thing to communicate, drew some interesting attention from interviewers and I have forever grateful that my patient partner was able to facilitate this. I wouldn't try to hide it; lots of people I know in several industries would give a lot for such an opportunity.

on preview: AzraelBrown's comment is bang on if you have any trouble illustrating how this past year make you a better candidate.
posted by mce at 1:04 PM on January 29, 2020

A one year gap on a resume is really not that bad. I would not address it in the resume itself but if you really wanted to touch on it, you could do so in the cover letter. But honestly, I would only do it if there is something you did during the year that's relevant to the position in some way. Such as, "during the past year, I focused on X project which taught me Y and allowed me to develop skill Z"
posted by acidnova at 1:52 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

"I wrote a book"
posted by parmanparman at 2:03 PM on January 29, 2020 [3 favorites]

Is the work you've been doing design work, or could be conveyed as such? I am in a similar situation but I've been doing paid project work and I do include this work on my resume, all under one "job" as "Consultant." Even if your work isn't paid, if it's design/art/craft work I would list it as "Bellalia Design" or "Bellalia Studio" (replace Bellalia with First Last) and create a portfolio section for it, yes. You could also call this "Personal Project Sabbatical" and list the projects, again IF they included design work. If you were learning to make pickles and mastering your yoga practice, I would not include it.
posted by amaire at 2:34 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

I hiked the length of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016, which took more or less half the year including preparation time, and I include it on my resume with a link to the blog that I kept along the way. If someone doesn't think that's appropriate, that might be a good indication that I'm not a great fit at the job. Generally I'm a good fit at jobs that think it's interesting and a cool conversation starter. It also demonstrates that I'm good at setting and achieving difficult self-directed goals, even when no one is paying me for it.

All of this might be part of my privilege as a very employable software developer, so take it with a grain of salt. But if there's an interesting, flattering way to present your personal projects on your resume, I think that you should do that.
posted by Kwine at 2:56 PM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

The honest truth is that what people will assume if you don't fill this out depends a lot on you and biases. If you are a woman in your 30s or early 40s, they will assume you took time off to raise kids. If you are older (like 50+), they might assume you got laid off and are unemployable. If you are in any other category (which appears to be the case based on your posting history), they will probably assume you took time off to do exactly what you did.

So, anyway, it doesn't really matter that much whether you explain it or not, but also explaining it can only help you. List it on your resume, just make it really clear that it's not a "real job" if it wasn't a real job. It's a huge pet peeve as a hiring manager when a candidate lists a million things on their resume that I have to go through one by one to figure out which ones were real jobs and which ones were like 3-week contracting projects.

As a designer, you probably have a portfolio already, right? If so, I would just include the work you're doing now in that portfolio in whatever section it makes the most sense. Prospective employers do not really care who you were employed by when you created your portfolio work nor do you need to prove to them that you were a really productive unemployed person.
posted by phoenixy at 3:49 PM on January 29, 2020 [3 favorites]

When an interviewer asked me about a gap in my resume, I said, "I had the opportunity to take a year off from working and I took it." There was no problem. I got the job.
posted by Dolley at 6:33 PM on January 29, 2020

"travel" is innocuous as long as you can describe at least one trip you took during the year off.
posted by benzenedream at 1:47 AM on January 30, 2020

When I did this, I listed the most obviously relevant of my projects (a website), gave myself the title of "Proprietor", and treated it like any other job. I also listed some freelance gigs likewise, even when the actual pay from them was tiny to nonexistent. Never had anyone bat an eye at it.
posted by restless_nomad at 5:08 AM on January 30, 2020

I would put it into your portfolio as if it were a paid project, especially if it demonstrates a new skill or is a larger project.

In an interview, if directly asked why, "I wanted to use the break to recharge and also focus on some personal projects." is a fine answer, and follow it up with what you learned on the projects.
posted by JawnBigboote at 9:13 AM on January 30, 2020

In the tech world, where it is somewhat more common to have the resources to simply take a year off, I have heard this earnestly described as "funemployed" or a "self-financed sabbatical". It doesn't seem to be an osbstacle to employment, just be ready when they ask.
posted by wnissen at 4:25 PM on January 31, 2020