Overheard a manager say they'd never hire someone who took a 2 year career break

I was in line at a coffee shop in Denver and heard two people talking about hiring. One manager said flat out they'd toss any resume with a gap over 18 months, calling it a 'red flag for commitment'. It made me freeze. I took 22 months off to care for my dad. How do you even explain that in a cover letter now? It feels like a hidden rule no one talks about. Has anyone gotten past a big gap like that in an interview?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_bennett313d ago

That manager's take is pretty harsh and not the norm in my experience. Plenty of places will see caregiving as a valid reason for a gap.

jesse_barnes3712d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, margaret_bennett3 is right, that is a harsh take. When I was getting back into work after a long time caring for my dad, I just put "Family Caregiving" right on my resume for that period. In interviews, I kept it simple and said I was focused on that full-time, and then I'd talk about how the skills from that, like managing schedules and handling stress, actually helped me be better at the job I was applying for. Most people just nodded and moved on to my actual work experience.