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So, I'm a software developer that soon will stop working, because I will move. My situation is, where I'm working now, I don't have an employee contract, I'm a worker for hire, I have a company on my name, and because laws in the country and bureaucracy, I will stop work in January to pay every tax to the taxation authority in February, so in March I can ask to close the company on my name(it's not worth to let it open, I will have to pay to keep it open, because... bureaucracy.). And just to clarify, I have no employees, it's a single person company, I'm a micro business.

So after all this bureaucracy, I'm going to move with some luck, in the end of March or maybe, beginning of April. After that, in the country I will go, I did some research and I have to apply there for the stays visa and stuff like that and it takes more than a month to me to be able to work legally.

So how bad is this, to be out of work, let's say, from February to May?

About the moving, it's because my wife, we are going back to her country and I'm doing this "career sacrifice" for her because she got a job offer.

edit: I will be moving from Brazil to Croatia.

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    The average duration of unemployment in the United States is just under 21 weeks. There is nothing particularly noteworthy at all about being unemployed this period of time. – Joe Jan 30 '20 at 17:24
  • Really should add country tags (from & to), because this would be heavily influenced by cultures. As a web dev in The Netherlands: "doesn't matter much" is the whole of the answer. – rkeet Jan 31 '20 at 13:33
  • I will edit the post. – BarbaAlGhul Jan 31 '20 at 14:57
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As long as you have a good explanation for why you weren't working for that period (which you do) there shouldn't be an issue.

It's 3/4 months - really not that much in the grand scheme of things, but do something constructive in that time period, don't waste the time off. Companies will like to see you've been proactive.

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  • I was thinking about that actually, use my free time to sharpen some skills and maybe put one or two pet projects to shine on GitHub. – BarbaAlGhul Jan 30 '20 at 17:29
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    Nothing is stopping you from already reaching out about opportunities in your new area either. – AsheraH Jan 30 '20 at 17:33
  • I'm looking already on LinkedIn for companies around the area I will move, but I think it's too soon maybe to contact them now... Like, I won't be available for the next months and I don't know if this is good for me, if they will think I'm making them lose time or something like that. I was thinking in start making contact after I get there, so I can even put on my CV an address from there already. – BarbaAlGhul Jan 30 '20 at 17:43
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    @BarbaAlGhul Having to wait few months for the desired employee is really no big deal, usually that's within the original timeframe unless the advert specifically states differently (like that they need someone who can start on a specific date). – Tymoteusz Paul Jan 31 '20 at 15:00
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If you're asking about this looking bad in the eyes of a future potential employer, it seems totally reasonable to be out of work for a few months while you move to a totally different country. I wouldn't expect anyone to hold this against you or consider it negative. If or when you start looking for work in your new location, your employment history on your resume will show this gap - but it will also show that you moved, since your past employers will be in a different location. You can always call this out on your applications or cover letters are you apply for new jobs, if you think it won't be obvious for some reason.

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  • Thanks for the insight! I will think about that, try to put it on a cover letter if I think it's necessary (I will talk to some of my wife's friends from there, to see how people usually write cover letters and if this information is necessary for some reason.) – BarbaAlGhul Jan 30 '20 at 17:34
  • Yes. Lots of countries have laws requiring you to get some sort of legal authorization before you're allowed to get a job there, often involving a mandatory waiting period. I'd just put a note in my resume briefly explaining that -- "Moved to this country, took 3 months to get work authorization" or whatever. If the employer is unfamiliar with the immigration laws, that should be enough to let them know that that's the issue. I'd be surprised if anyone held that against you. – Jay Jan 30 '20 at 19:53
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As a Recruiter, I would never hold such a reasonable explanation against a good potential hire. There are gaps in employment often times for logistical reasons and even if the gap is longer than a few months, I have hired many qualified people who were waiting for proper work authorization or experienced circumstances that interfered with continuous employment.

If, however, during the down time you can continue to use your skills avocationally, it will keep you sharp when you start to interview!

Good luck!

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  • Thanks for the insight! – BarbaAlGhul Jan 31 '20 at 11:10
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In situation you described its not your period of not working can be an issue, but you being a new to the country with no local work history.

Since you didn`t provide a country where you going, i will as this:

Does, to your knowledge, local businesses tend to be more cautious with new immigrants?

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    Well, as I know, it's not so easy (but not impossible actually) for new immigrants but people already told me that there, since I'm married to a citizen from there, much of this "caution" is reduced. Although I don't speak fluently the language, people told me that this shouldn't be a problem either since for foreigners they don't expect people to be fluent in the language, English is enough. – BarbaAlGhul Jan 30 '20 at 17:32
  • Good luck then, no one should be tethered to one particular country – Strader Jan 31 '20 at 15:04

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