I just handed my notice in to a job I tried to quiet quit, but failed at. Turns out I have too much guilt to just not work, and intentionally becoming shit at my job seems to feed the imposter syndrome in my brain. Anyway, I decided just to cut ties, and we are parting on good terms. I am working my last month now, and will be officially unemployed as of December 1st.
I am FUCKING THRILLED! For the first time in 25 years I’ll be intentionally not working and not looking for work, and I’ll also not struggle financially because of it. I plan to find a job in early 2025, but I’m gonna enjoy a few months to myself first. I’m gonna indulge in my hobbies, enjoy my home, my yard, take walks, have coffee on the deck, sleep in. I’m going to use my office for my own personal endeavors and explore starting my own software project.
I’m already dreading looking back at this period and wishing I was still in it.
I hate that this is an acceptable interview question.
If it was any of your business I would have put that information in there. Or more diplomatic would be saying something like ‘I was caring for my dying relative, I left that information out because I wanted to include only the most relevant skills for this position.’
To play the devil’s advocate, if you are an employer you would want to find out why the person has been unemployed. Was he unreliable as a person before? Was he combative with his previous employer and colleagues? Was he actually in prison all this time? What if this guy is a corporate spy?
There is plenty of anti-work circlejerk in lemmy, and they are not completely wrong, but there are employers who do act in good faith. And certainly as an employer, they do not want to hire a person who was fired for stealing from their previous workplace. Which is why a huge employment gap is certainly a red flag from an employer’s perspective. And which is why it’s always important to leave a company on good terms. Because even if you left the previous job to genuinely care for a family member, you have someone to vouch for you to the prospective new employer.
Was he unreliable as a person before? Was he combative with his previous employer and colleagues? Was he actually in prison all this time? What if this guy is a corporate spy?
I’m not sure you will get that information by asking about a gap.
I believe it would be more acceptable to ask questions more specific to your concerns. “Can you tell me why you left x position?” Even then, you are not going to get the information you are so suspicious about, you will get a bullshit interview answer.
In my experience, I spent nearly a year unemployed and it was the most depressed I’ve ever been. Part of it was I was also very poor at the time, but a significant part was having nothing meaningfull to do everyday. Now I’ve got the oposite problem where I work way too many hours in an average week and barely have time just for myself.
