Right and wrong, the answer highly depends on the individual context.
I once read that after 7 years in prison, sociologists doubt you can be reintegrated into society (but then Nelson Mandela was in prison for 26 years…). I guess that at one point of time, it will be difficult to work 40 hours per week in a corporate context if you have not done so for years.
How long is this period? I do not know. And in my opinion, this is not the right question to ask:
Time off during a life time career is OK and becomes more and more common. And even when you are out of job for 2 years or more, you are not alone. But the reason must be a good one if you want your candidacy to be retained. Did you do a full time MBA, look after a sick family member or sit at home and watch TV? It can happen to all of us to be out of work tomorrow, the question is how do you justify this period?
- One of certainly the best things to do is to do further education and there are courses that are not expensive, even free. You can broaden your technical skills, management techniques or learn a new language.
- An alternative to working on a full time basis is a assignment as a (freelance) consultant, both full or half time. Making a business plan for your brother in law’s tattoo shop, preparing the tax returns for a friend or investigating in depth the launch of an own business is an occupation too – and better than nothing.
- Did you take a year off to do something completely different? I headhunted a candidate two weeks ago who responded “no, thanks, I am off for one year to travel around the world“. And a friend of mine is doing a “Tour de France” – by foot! Some hiring managers will disagree but I like it!
- Also a baby-break is a good reason too (someone has to pay our retirement after all)
Conclusion:
Even though looking for a new job can be a full time job in itself, at one point of time (after 6 months?) you have to put something meaningful on your resume that shows that you look after your career and yourself in a responsible way. Impress us and the fact of being out of work can have a positive impact and show superior motivation, tenacity, commitment and stamina
sending...
In the Gulf region, headhunters avoid candidates who are out of job. I cannot speculate on their judgment: maybe they believe that being out of job means less skills, less experience. On the other side, chances are high to find another job when you already have one!
Back to Jorg’s paper, I completely agree that a candidate out of job should fill his CV: not only to explain why he wasn’t working, but also because he can take advantage of his job search period to develop other skills (MBA, attending specialized courses …) and discover other professional venues (other types of businesses, new countries …). “Further education” and “assignments as a (freelance) consultant” are an excellent combination.
Good luck!
Jorg, I agree and you have some good strategies.
My own comments are below:
You have to show what you did in the 2 years and based on what I have seen it could be any number of factors as you discuss eg
- Career break
- Gap period
- Volunteering
- Consultancy
- Education
- Personal reasons etc.
In my profession we are much more interested in the background and skills of the person, and what they have done in that period. It’s also worth mentioning that many people today are following portfolio careers too which don’t necessarily fit the stereotypical hierarchical career structures of “old”.
Jorg,
My experience in the US has been that even if you do fill in the long gap with meaningful volunteerism, consulting and part time work, you will still be questioned if you are contacted and still be considered a second-tier candidate no matter your strong background.
This happened to me post-9/11 (in NY, being a long-time professional in the destroyed travel industry, and caring for a sick parent–all at once). It is even worse now, although the gap between employers contains published, consistent writing in my industry, consulting and contracting. Add to it being a bit older….
BTW I have never seen any professional recommend that you put travel, caring for a sick family member, or health reasons on a resume or even cover letter, so how can you explain that when applying?
I can only say I wish more recruiters and employer HR departments had your wise attitude.
Donna, Thanks for commenting, I agree with what you say.
My point is that gaps in the resume will have a negative impact in 99% of the cases. If you have a gap of 12 months because you travelled, looked after a sick parent or did consulting work, put it on your resume as such. If you don’t put anything, recruiters might assume you did nothing.
The perfect CV has no gaps, hops from one promotion and one country to the other and does an executive MBA at the same time. But then, who has that?
Once you are unemployed, you have to make the best out of it and showing alternatives to full-time employment was the idea of my posting.
This thread make me think of a webinar I attended the other day, lead by a headhunter, according to which 8% of the current targeted candidates for any job, are in the unemployment category, 9% either are looking for a “good job” or a lateral move, 15% are looking for a better job and 40% are the explorers-they definitely want a career move. The point this speaker-recruiter was making was to focus on the ones that are looking for a career move (40%) or a better job (15%)…According to this assessment then, the “unemployed” are to be totally outside the radar of a headhunter.
Keti, thanks for sharing. I love stats but as my mother always said “I don’t believe in stats unless I faked them myself”.
It is no surprise that the unemployed were out of scope and this is what happens regularly. However, being laid off is something that is often out of your “circle of influence” and the best ones can be hit.
A recruiter’s job is to screen 100% of the available candidates and to present the top ones whether they are in the job or out out of job.
It appears that with the financial crisis deepening, a different approach to recruiting might be needed.
In the past, good people were rarely out of a job and if this happened, they were soon again working, as there were plenty of opportunities. However, nowadays, being “good” is not a guarantee anymore and many people are simply fired in a collective move by companies.
I strongly believe that we will be in a situation were highly qualified people will apply for less qualified positions, just to avoid the year-long unemployment “trap”. In order for this to be viable, the various recruitment actors, i.e. Headhunters and HR, will have to accept considering such persons and not simply ignore them with the argument that these candidates “would be bored” for this position.
A personal experience a couple of years ago: I applied for a mid-management position because the actual job proposed was really highly interesting. The Headhunter contacted me as he believed that I had applied by mistake because I was in a upper-management position in a Big4 at the time! Even by confirming my interest, he refused to forward this application, as he simply could not believe that anybody would want to voluntarily regress a notch in the career ladder…
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Gérard
Jorg et al. All good–and timely–comments. I’ve been in “transition” since Sept. 2010 after being laid off from my position as Vice President, Marketing & Communications in the Los Angeles area. Always an active networker, I have remained engaged with industry groups, national associations, and in various volunteer leadership roles including with the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California (from which I have a master’s degree)–and I am still looking.
In the past 16 months I have traveled for interviews with multiple companies and organizations throughout the U.S. and have been bold in turning down offers from organizations only willing to pay me 60% of my previous compensation. I am confident something will come to fruition in early 2012, and certain I will look back at the past year and a half as not only transition but also as a time of development and transformation.
My experience tells me that there is a balancing act in taking the next position when unemployed. I was laid off shortly after 9/11. I then opened my own 1 person consulting company with the hopes of growing it. While I never got to the point of adding staff, I did find a some opportunities that kept me busy on a part time basis. In parallel, I was looking for work back as a full-time permanenet employee, as I did not enjoy the much higher risk of being self-employed.My attitude was that I would take a small pay cut (perhaps 10-15%). However, I believed that if I took a 40% paycut (as Todd’s example), it would have the impact of resetting my career salary levels from that point forward. I would then have to work my way up the salary ladder all over again. Fortunately, I found full time work a couple years later at pay that exceeded my prior full-time employed position.
The balancing act then is taking the risk of a lower paying job and its impact on your future earning opportunity, vs. the risk of not taking the job and decreasing the likelihood of a future offer due to an extended unemployment gap. Of course exercising this balance requires some savings on which you can fall back on, so that you are not forced to take the first job that comes along.
Thanks for your comments. Indeed, 2011 might not be the easiest year for career transition. Whilst I saw in the 2001 crisis mainly less qualified people being unemployed, it can hit anyone today..
I am seeing mid-40′s men, who appear to be former exec types, cashiering at Wal-Mart. This is a big change from the older women who usually have these jobs.
My guess is that these guys’ unemployment ran out but I also think its a smart strategy to be working with no long gaps, even it its at WMT.
Most people who have longer periods of unemploy will not be hired at their previous salary level and it makes sense to start a possible new career path sooner than later.
WMT needs managers too and, if you need to start as a cashier, that is OK.
Mr. Stegemann,
Any suggest how to put(verbalize) in line with valid CV formats) off-job activities such as looking for new opportunities, ventures etc?
Just as they are or any other professional ways?
Thank you for your consideration.
Hali, thanks for your comment. Yes, I would personally put it in line with permanent contracts such as:
since October 2011
Freelance Interim Manager with the following projects:
- Definition of a business plan for a start-up activity in the area XYZ
- Implementation of ABC
- Project 3
January 2008 to September 2011
Company ABC, Manager of XYZ
- Responsability 1
- Responsability 2
- Responsability 3
Being unemployed for a lengthy period of time can be a negative in today’s job market. However, being employed does not equate to being an employee. There are many way to remain productive and engaged in work today, and being on someone else’s payroll is only one of them. Just as certainly, sitting at home while drawing unemployment insurance and waiting for the phone to ring with a job offer is not one of them. Starting your own business, even if only providing the same sort of services as an independent contractor that you may have provided in the past as an employee is one of them. Work in this category may not pay as well as you are getting started, but at a minimum it shows a degree of initiative that can be very important to a prospective employer. Keeping busy in community affairs, networking through profesional associations, and other activities like you suggest provide worthwhile content for a resume that–in my mind at least–helps keep you out of the “unemployable” category.
From personal experience, being unemployed for any length of time in this environment will make it extremely difficult to be viewed as a serious candidate for a senior level position. I have found that time unemployed (even though I have been and am actively involved with several non-profits in varying capacities as a volunteer during the last three years), my expertise & experience and my previous titles, responsibilities and demonstrated successes mean very little to potential employers GIVEN that I am not currently employed in the same or simlar capacity.
Also new to me during my recent networking and career identification process are the following: potential employers have narrowed their search to mileage/zip codes within easy commute of their location, require a candidate to be currently employed, require a candidate to exceed the requirements for the position, generally have reduced pay ranges for positions over the past few years and have all but eliminated relocation assistance for all but the most senior level positions.
Oh to be younger, with less experience and currently employed. And we wonder why American creativity, productivity and quality do not measure up to the world’s finest.
Thanks, Jerry, for sharing. The situation will be very similar in Europe…
The 2008 financial collapse was an economic tsunami which wiped out assets and livelihood of millions of citizens through no fault of their own. I worked in retained executive search which has had its ups and downs over the years. But this time the industry seems to have shattered and dispersed. I had but a few assignments since the collapse
However, there are alternatives to working for someone. Out of necessity I pursued opportunities in a poor economy such as; Obama’s mortgage interest reductions, property tax reductions, low income utility rates and recruiting tenants to cover housing costs and provide me income. Got contracts with low-income government housing authorities. Also buy neglected boats and re-sell fixed up.
Will my landlady experience snag me another corporate job? Not holding breath. My experience is that life and career is non-linear. New job fields develop, old opportunities fade-away, geographical, political, and economic crises force a change in course to survive.
Thanks, Sheila, for your insights! I agree, especially with the non-linear view of a career in the 21th century.
Jorg,
Thanks for raising a sensitive but extremely relevant topic.
Let me narrate my nine-month sabbatical for a mix of professional and personal reasons at the peak of the 2008 Global crisis.
I left a well paying job on grounds of irreconcilable differences with the management (wasn’t alone in this) and it stood validated within a few months when the entire organization wound up and the employees who chose to stay back underwent significant trauma.
I dedicated (and in a manner, also extended my sabbatical) to nurse my sick parents, post major reconstructive surgeries, with adequate spacing. Their recovery was an overriding priority and I had to let go of opportunities that were still flashing up. This was an emotional catharsis and perhaps the most challenging phase of my life till date. My parents never knew that I wasn’t gainfully employed all this while!
I chose to stay calm, positive and keep my head square on my shoulders. That helped more than I could estimate. Everyone I met was positive and mostly, it was an issue of “fitment”, till I came across (for the second time) the current job and role. Unfortunately, the HR managers will always try to take advantage and give you a raw deal (and score some brownie points for themselves, in terms of savings etc) – but the realization was acute on the missing “negotiation” power. I consciously chose to accept a lower parity and grade and quietly took up the role (but I liked it immensely). I can say the work was appreciated and the stint has been very satisfying (if I ignore the loss of parity with ex colleagues who are now senior).
Learnings:
1. Stay positive
2. Accept the roles that interest you with a possible erosion of seniority / compensation.
3. Be Candid about your “real reasons” – the person who is evaluating you is also a human being – will appreciate your honesty and not ‘creativity’
4. Stay in touch with your network and never hide your sabbatical / ‘Gap’ – friends cannot help you if you are not honest with them
5. Ignore moments of anguish and remind yourself “This too shall pass”
Thanks, Anil, for sharing this insight. Good list with the most important points to remember.
I totally agree with Jorg. Nowadays, in many countries, being out of the “chair” is not unusual. Sometimes, based on facts and believes such the age, you might decide to try as self employee, consultant, trainer but after a certain period of time you try to get back into the “chair” and you are perfectly prepared and updated to take over.