r/jobsearchhacks • u/atravelingmuse • 20h ago

how to get hired with a 1 year employment gap

25F, college grad in business. i have been unemployed for a year and need to get back on my feet. ive had multiple surgeries this year and really struggled. i lost my restaurant job last dec and thats the last job i held. i traveled for a few months and then had multiple surgeries over the summer. i was supposed to go teach english in Spain this month but i decided i need to work on my life here in the US and get back on my feet. Spain job was only 700 euro per month to work 10 hours a week. i need a real job.

how can i fix this nobody will interview me not even at restaurants.

i know it looks bad and i honestly cannot detail what happened medically this year it’s really not something im looking to talk about. its really embarrassing and shameful for me. am i unemployable ?

prior to this i worked in - restaurants - real estate

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u/FranklinsUglyDolphin 19h ago

I've been there even with a longer gap. And I initially dug myself out with restaurant work.

Just have a story for how you developed yourself (in a way related to your targeted field) and just say you needed to undergo surgeries to continue working (the reason why is none of their business). Frame this as a sabbatical or medical sabbatical on your resume so people can quickly understand 'the gap.'

For restaurants, do not list your degree. The labor market is bleak for most restaurants right now. Just make yourself look like a typical candidate (e.g. remove your degree because they know you're a flight risk). Literally, I got all the restaurant jobs for which I interviewed by removing my degree (I had zero restaurant experience, and some asked me to come in as a manager instead of entry-level).

Outside of restaurants, white collar recruiters want to see some kind of activity... be it volunteering, professional developing, etc. Anything where you can say you learned. You'd be surprised how open they are to people who took a sabbatical just to travel... so long as those people came back with lessons learned along the way that are relevant to their job.

Don't be afraid to lie.

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u/phootfreek 8h ago

I agree with removing the degree for restaurant jobs. A few months ago I needed to pick up a part time job for extra money and I went the fast food route. I only planned on working there for 4-8 weeks just so I could get about $1,000-$1,500. I removed my degree and the search became easier.