117
Today in a call a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some questions"
No it does not.
A "gap" only raises questions if it's a gap. If you worked from 2011-2016 and 2018-2019 and refuse to tell me what you did in between, that is a gap. It probably means a prison ...
24
I'd avoid doing so as it actually risks creating the opposite impression - either through a "doth protest too much" or the "Streisand Effect"
It's certainly okay to discuss what you've been up to in your "time off" (e.g. travelling, personal projects, etc.) during the interview, though.
As you say your niche currently has fairly infrequent openings, a few ...
21
a recruiter mentioned that I might want to consider finding something
fast because having this few months out of employment "raises some
questions"
Note the source of this 'information.' It's a recruiter who offers you jobs.
He's just trying to make you accept one of his offers before you have time to evaluate other – possibly better – offers.
Being ...
18
My question is how could I present/word this "interlude" to a
potential new employer when asked why I'm looking again so soon (about
6 months)?
Ummm... explain it exactly as you've explained it here. Any potential employer that would fault you for wanting to work in a position commensurate with your education and skills is probably not somewhere you ...
18
What is a good way to reply to an email that states they are not hiring anymore but they still have their ad up?
Not to reply (and delete the email, should you choose).
You already wasted some of your time, not worth to waste any further.
I would like to find a politically correct response to let them know that they should take their ad down.
Not your ...
18
An interview is a two-way street, allowing the company to evaluate a potential employee, but also allowing the applicant to evaluate a potential employer. I have never walked into a job interview with total certainty that I'd take a job if offered - how could I without knowing if the offer is any good? There is no reason to bring up the fact that you might ...
14
I think that answering the interview question of "Why did you part
ways with your employer?" with something vague like "Not a good fit"
leaves too much to the imagination. Typically a career professional
does not choose unemployment before looking for another job, but
that's exactly what I want to do, and my conscious is making it hard
to avoid.
...
11
HR woman has replied asking for lower estimate of salary which I'll accept to work for. I've answered with my average number. Then she replied that company is not interested in talking with me and asked if I want to be subscribed to newsletter with job opportunities.
You stated a number you'd be happy to accept - clearly it was more than they were willing/...
11
You should not be worried about it. It's unlikely the sauce was sent by your contact to you. I've had companies send my office some sauce while trying to get us to sign up for their services.
10
Hiring managers are not looking for the slightest discrepancy for which to rescind your offer. They are looking for outright and intentional lies, deceptions, misrepresentations, etc. Your scenario doesn't appear to be a deliberate act on your part to misrepresent yourself.
What you've stated seems like a simple mistake or misunderstanding and should be ...
10
Most people generally don't put it in their applications, you'll get the chance to explain the gap when you go for interviews. There are plenty of people with big gaps in their CV's some ranging over a good few years.
As for the demand of your CV, I wouldn't judge it from the amount of recruiters that are calling you but base it more on the amount of ...
8
What are typical signs that someone is searching for a job?
Hard to tell, as there is no "standard" for signs that indicate someone is job-hunting. Some people could show no signs, some may be less focused, some may be more irritated, others could be more friendly/cooperative, etc.. it will depend on the nature and personality of this specific coworker.
...
8
It's not really clear (to me at least) what you mean by a "new sub-field" but I suppose, per your question, that's not the point. You really have two choices:
Find a way to fit your new concept into what employers are already asking for. In other words, don't call it something new - just find positions that employers are trying to fill in order to solve ...
8
What do you hope to accomplish by either emailing something rude to her or posting something bad on a web site?
Granted you might have blown off some steam.
But is it not better to take it in the chin and maintain your reputation. The world is an increasing small place.
7
There is no reason why you shouldn't tell the truth.
It is not your fault and it doesn't show poor judgement on your behalf by taking the job in the first place.
Just put it in that you are a research assistant and if anyone asks why you're looking for something so soon after joining tell them why.
7
As someone interviewing people regularly, I would be 100% happy with this as an introduction:
"I've recently finished grad school and am on a lookout for jobs. I've taken this time to do some overdue travelling as well as working on personal projects, so I currently have no commitments and am ready to start with you anytime."
I personally view the ...
7
First of all, there is no "gap", this is pretty straightforward scenario.
You got a better job opportunity (money as well as other benefits, ex - flexible work hours) as a freelancer - you took that. Now you want to get back to a full-time position. Everything is normal.
You can also showcase your expertise gained in the freelancing work as it is in ...
7
Should I let the recruiters from the other companies know I have additional time to respond to Company A's job offer?
They already said they will make their offers on Thursday, so they should be preparing their offers and you should expect them by that day; I don't see what you would get by telling them company A gave you more time.
Stepping a bit back ...
6
Note, this is specific to OPs sitatuation as a peer. It does not apply to anybody who is in a supervisory role.
What are typical signs that someone is searching for a job?
The only signs you can rely on, to tell whether a colleague is looking for a new job, are:
The colleague may tell you; "I dislike this job, I am searching for a new job"
The colleague ...
5
I wouldn't be too worried.
You've got your degree, and you'd finished your coursework by the date that you gave, and they're the things that will matter most. While it has been flagged, it's basically just an administrative discrepancy that may warrant further investigation.
At worst, I'd think that you might be asked to produce some more paperwork, and ...
5
It didn't come in the mail addressed to me, I just saw it in the
cabinet.
A few possibilities that sprang to mind:
It's just a coincidence:
they send gifts to lots of offices as marketing material, or maybe
someone else in my office picked it up at a conference or something.
It's just a coincidence.
They are likely doing a lot of marketing ...
5
As you can tell from the responses, there is a large variation in how people perceive such gaps.
It's all about how you "spin" your career trajectory. Many people don't have a problem with a candidate satisfying their wander-lust after doing time in grad school, whereas some see it as a sign of someone who is distracted.
It probably should not be on your ...
5
I had a peak in contacts from headhunters when I wrote on my LinkedIn profile that I was "on sabbatical", which was true although not in the strict academic sense. My experience would suggest that what you are doing is fine. As others have pointed out, it is your ability or readiness at explaining what you have been doing that relates to your credibility. ...
4
I would suggest mostly discussing as you have in your question. The twist, though, is you can present it as the company seeing this as your criticality, not a demotion.
After four months, I was moved to a high profile project. I believe they assessed my repositioning based on wanting star players, but this project underutilizes my experience.
In this ...
4
Is it OK to contact a company asking for the closing date of a
position?
I don't see anything wrong with inquiring about that information. However keep in mind the following:
Many companies, especially big ones, will post a position on a site and leave it there for months.
Many companies will only respond to candidates they are interested in. Do not be ...
4
An interview is a two way process. Not only is the company interviewing and gathering information about yourself but it is also an opportunity for you to interview the company. By all means continue the interview process if you are simply unsure about those specific companies and find out if these positions offer what you would like. What you should not ...
4
Explain it exactly how you have there.
I wouldn't stick it out with a definitive date either because businesses can, and will, promise their employees the world and give them nothing instead. It costs very little for them to do just that, and employees are very "sticky" overall. This is especially true of employees who let themselves get steamrolled back in ...
4
I've wrestled with the same thing. Big fish in a little pond or medium fish in a bigger pond. Generally, I think it depends on what kind of steps you think best serve your career, and only you can know that. Considerations/questions:
Networking: Consider your peer group. In my experience, while sometimes you'll be taken less seriously coming from a smaller ...
4
This is normal, though it's your choice whether it's enough information to bother with an interview.
He's a recruiter. Recruiters often don't share company names because you might approach the company directly, till you've let them submit you to that company so it's "on the record" that they represent you and get their cut.
Also, recruiters don't know the ...
4
In my opinion, there's no easy way you can keep the both options open without burning some bridges and / or earning some bad reputation.
Given that you have accepted the offer with a predefined joining date, then you continued interviewing with other organizations and now you want to postpone the joining because you expected you may have a better offer from ...
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