Dealing with a gap in your resume after a layoff can be challenging, but you can phrase it as a period of growth and learning. Employers appreciate candor and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities for development.
Here are some ideas for describing the gap in a positive and constructive way:
Tech Company Engineering Work
If you took on any freelance or consulting roles for tech companies, write them up like regular resume bullets (the Leopard way of course, with lots of context!) Provide details about the company, why they needed your help, what was impactful to their company, etc.
Examples:
Full Stack Development for HealthTech Startup: Developed a health tracking application for a HealthTech startup focused on diabetes patients. Used React and Ruby on Rails to build out like appointment scheduling, patient data management, and telehealth capabilities.
MVP for Seed Stage FinTech Startup: helped early stage FinTech startup ship their MVP (like Mint.com but for ex-convicts, web + mobile website that connects to bank) using React for the frontend and Node.js for the backend.
E-Commerce Backend for Online Kids Clothing Brand: Engineered and optimized the backend of an e-commerce platform for a children's clothing brand using Python and Django, significantly enhancing order processing, inventory management, and integrating secure payment systems, leading to a 25% increase in online sales.
Non-Tech Company Engineering Work
If you took on any freelance or consulting roles that aren’t at tech companies, definitely still add them! Be clear and confident in the story that you were learning new things -- you probably were, and it is good to help real people with real problems.
Software Engineering for Local Non-Profit: Developed a Python-based inventory management tool for a local non-profit, enhancing efficiency and data handling.
Web Development for a Friend's Business: Assisted in launching a friend's online store, leading the web relaunch, brand identity, mobile web, and Shopify backend.
Graphic Design for Local Theater: Created promotional materials for my friend’s local community theater event using Canva and Adobe to play around with new tools.
Skill Development
If you took on any courses or tinkered with a new skill, those are also great to mention in a bullet or two. Extra bonus points if it’s a cutting-edge technology or one you always wanted to try. Some examples:
Open Source: Contributed to an open-source machine learning climate project
Online Courses: Completed LLM Engineering - The Foundations 5-week cohort-based course on Maven. Gained in-depth knowledge of Large Language Model (LLM) transformer architectures, specializing in text processing and next-word prediction mechanisms
Self Study: Dedicated significant time to gaining hands-on experience in React's component-based architecture, state management, and hooks.
Hardware Tinkering: Designed and built a home automation system using Arduino, enhancing household energy efficiency.
Technical Writing: Did some writing discussing the latest advancements in AI, machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, and AI ethics.
Personal Growth
If you didn’t do one/a few large projects, try sharing how you used the time for personal growth. Think about learning new skills, volunteering, or pursuing passions. Some examples:
Language: Studied Spanish intensively for a 1-month trip to Mexico City
Volunteering: Organized a women in tech event for 50 SWE in NYC with Leopard
Milestones: Trained for and completed a half-marathon
If it’s truly just personal interests, you can group them together like this:
Personal Interests: Kundalini Yoga, Zen Meditation, Longevity Research, Content Creation, Photography, Hiking, Documentaries, Cooking Korean Food, Dog Sitting
Life Transitions
If you had a major life transition, you might want to mention in it a single bullet. Of course, make sure it flows and tells a strong story, get multiple opinions to be sure! Examples:
Health Sabbatical: Spent some time in India for 6 months for family health reasons
Family Sabbatical: Took 1 year off to spend time with my 2-year-old and 3-month-old
Started a Tech Startup: Dedicated 1 year to meeting & working with new cofounders via the On Deck founder program who were interested in the mental wellness space.
Pursued Career Interest: Post-layoff, I decided to take the opportunity to deepen my understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning. I enrolled in a specialized AI program and participated in various projects, gaining practical experience and theoretical knowledge, and readying myself for a new path in AI development.
Career Pivot: Post-layoff, I decided to better align my passion for data with my SWE experience by pivoting my career path towards data engineering opportunities. I reached out to NYU alumni in the role to learn about their experience and get my foot in the door
