Latest / Hiring & Firing with Fexingo: Recruitment, Performance, and Workforce Decisions / Why Hiring Gaps on Resumes Are Actually a Strength
Transcript
- Lucas: You see a six-month gap on a resume. What’s your first instinct? Luna: Honestly? I used to think it was a red flag. Like, why’d they leave? Were they fired? Did they just check out? Lucas: Exactly. And that instinct is so baked into hiring culture that most of us don’t even question it. But a 2025 LinkedIn study found that candidates with one or more gaps of six months or longer get about twenty percent fewer interview callbacks than identical candidates with no gaps. Luna: Twenty percent? That’s huge. And it’s not like those candidates are less qualified. They just have a different timeline. Lucas: Right. And the really interesting part is that the bias is strongest against gaps that are unexplained. If the gap is labeled ‘travel’ or ‘caregiving’ or ‘personal project,’ the callback rate goes up a bit—but it’s still lower than the no-gap baseline. Luna: So even when people are transparent, they still get penalized. That seems deeply unfair. Lucas: It is. And it’s also bad business. Because you’re filtering out people who might have developed serious resilience, adaptability, or even new skills during that break. Luna: Can you give me a concrete example of a gap that actually made someone a stronger hire? Lucas: Sure. I talked to a product manager at HubSpot who took eighteen months off to care for a parent with Alzheimer’s. She said the experience taught her crisis management, systems thinking, and how to communicate with stakeholders under extreme emotional pressure. HubSpot hired her specifically because of that story. Luna: That’s powerful. And it’s the kind of thing you’d never learn from a chronological resume. Lucas: Exactly. Patagonia has been ahead of this for years. They actually ask candidates to describe a time they stepped away from work and what they learned. They treat gaps as data points, not disqualifiers. Luna: But a lot of companies aren’t there yet. What’s driving the bias? Lucas: A few things. First, there’s the old assumption that gaps mean ‘lazy’ or ‘uncommitted’—which is pure prejudice. Second, hiring managers are often under time pressure, so they use gaps as a quick filter. And third, there’s a fear that the candidate’s skills have atrophied. Luna: But that fear is probably overblown. Most skills, especially soft skills, don’t just disappear in six months. And technology changes so fast that even someone who worked continuously might need to catch up. Lucas: Exactly. In fact, there’s a growing movement called ‘career cushioning’—where people intentionally take breaks to reskill or pivot. Some of the most innovative hires I’ve seen came out of someone’s sabbatical year. Luna: So if I’m a hiring manager listening right now, what’s one concrete change I can make? Lucas: Stop asking ‘Why did you leave your last job?’ Start asking ‘What did you learn during your break?’ That one question reframes the entire conversation. It signals that you value growth, not just tenure. Luna: I love that. And for candidates listening, how should they handle a gap on their resume? Lucas: Don’t hide it. Don’t try to fudge dates. Instead, frame it proactively. If you traveled, talk about how you navigated unfamiliar environments. If you cared for a family member, talk about logistics, patience, and empathy. If you took a course, highlight one concrete skill you now have. Luna: And maybe even put it in the summary at the top. Something like ‘Career break in 2024 to pursue independent study in data analytics.’ That way you control the narrative. Lucas: Exactly. I’ve seen candidates do that and get interviews they wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s about turning a perceived weakness into a talking point. Luna: You know, this reminds me of something I read about the 'broken rung' in career progression—people who take time off often get stuck at a lower level when they return. Lucas: That’s a real problem. The LinkedIn study also found that people with gaps are more likely to be hired into roles below their previous level. So the bias doesn’t just affect callback rates—it affects career trajectory. Luna: And that has long-term implications for earnings, retirement, everything. Lucas: Absolutely. And it disproportionately affects women, who are more likely to take career breaks for caregiving. So the gap bias isn’t just inefficient—it’s a diversity issue. Luna: I think a lot of companies talk about wanting diverse candidates, but then they screen out the very people who might bring that diversity of experience. Lucas: Right. And if these conversations have moved your thinking forward in some small way, you might consider supporting the show. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going—buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. Even small contributions help us stay ad-free and focused on the content. Lucas: So back to the gap bias. One more thing I think is worth mentioning: the rise of the portfolio career. More people are stringing together short-term contracts, freelancing, or starting side projects. That can look like a gap on paper, but it’s actually a rich set of experiences. Luna: So how should a hiring manager evaluate a resume that looks like a patchwork? Lucas: Look for themes. Maybe they did three different marketing contracts in two years. That shows adaptability, client management, and a broad toolkit. Instead of seeing gaps, see a mosaic. Luna: I’m going to start using that phrase. ‘See a mosaic, not a gap.’ Lucas: It’s a mindset shift. And it’s one that more companies are starting to adopt. I think in five years, the stigma around resume gaps will be largely gone. We’re already seeing it in tech and creative fields. Luna: What about traditional industries like finance or law? Are they changing? Lucas: Slower, but yes. Some law firms now offer ‘returnship’ programs specifically for parents who took extended leave. And a few banks have started recruiting people who took sabbaticals to start nonprofits. Luna: It’s interesting—the pandemic normalized career breaks for a lot of people. Millions of us had involuntary gaps. So now there’s more empathy. Lucas: That’s a great point. The pandemic created a shared experience of disruption. And I think it forced hiring managers to realize that career paths are rarely a straight line. Luna: So the question becomes: are you hiring for a story, or are you hiring for the person? Lucas: That’s exactly it. A gap is just a blank space on a page. What matters is what happened in that space—and what the person brought back from it.