Ask HN: Explaining many short tenures due to poor mental health | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Explaining many short tenures due to poor mental health

17 pointsannie_muss12 comments

I'm job hunting as a software engineer but I am having trouble getting interviews. I am mid 30's and have been working in software since 2014. In my past 6 jobs I have averaged tenures of around 6 months. I'm working with a mental health professional to improve my coping skills in relation to anxiety and ADHD.

This situation is not ideal. On a resume so many short stints is a real red flag and I don't know how to explain them. I feel a junior/mid job in a supportive team would allow me to grow the most at this point in my career but I don't know how to get my foot in the door.

How do other people explain many short stints on a resume? How can I put them in the most positive light possible?

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I wish I could help you. I'm bipolar I have limited opportunities near my tiny city to find employment as a computer engineer. I'm afraid of metros and can never live in one again. I was in a similar boat but you actually got further than I did. Recently I found a job which I really like that has nothing to do with programming. The pay isn't great but thanks to generous help from the people of Ohio and the USA I've been able to continue with a pretty humble but happy existence. Now I do what my Dad said 'maybe this stuff would make you happier as a hobby'. He was right. I hope this isn't discouraging. But just know that career achievements don't equate happiness. Steve Jobs didn't learn that until it was too late for him. Happiness is Happiness. If you got it, you got something half of the country lacks.

"I was working unrelated odd jobs."

"I was training for certification X." (it helps if you can back this up)

"I was taking care of ill family." (look in the mirror)

"I was travelling, and working short stints in between for money."

"I was minding my own business, doing nothing that concerns you. How do you explain why this company was not around in 2014?" (do not recommend saying this)

There is no shame in having mental health issues, and at the same time, you do not owe it to anybody to share particulars.

None of these are particularly convincing for a traditional employer looking for a full-time employee, though. They just kinda brush off the flakiness.

Why should an employer choose the OP over another candidate? These excuses don't really bring confidence that they won't leave this job, too, in 6 months...

There is no shame in having mental health issues, but they have real world impacts. If you can't find a way to make it work in a situation, it's just gonna blow up later for everyone involved. It's going to suck for the OP's team too if they unpredictably disappear from time to time, for long stretches. Maybe a contracting or freelance or project based approach would be more sustainable and deliverable?

OP, your health is important, but you shouldn't burn bridges while taking care of yourself. Can you take on shorter stints in the meantime, maybe go on partial disability until the treatments kick in and you're able to hold down longer jobs? And/or find gigs that don't require long term commitments?

6 months is an awfully short time, especially several in a row. At most jobs you'd barely get up to speed by then, and then you're gone. It's honestly not a good look, and most employers don't really care about your personal struggles unless you can work around them to their satisfaction.

Nice try but smart employers can see the pattern after 2-3 jobs. This can work may be once or twice but if you have a pattern, it will be hard to defend. I don't know what to tell OP but this advice seems un-helpful in their situation.

Hats off to you for recognizing your challenge and seeking help. Everyone has a story to tell and several short stints doesn’t have to be a red flag. You can focus more on the value of those short stints (I.e. moments where you contributed to the teams you were on). Was there a particular reason why the short stints were short stints? You’d likely need a good reason but again, focusing on what you’ve done and why it makes sense of you to have moved on would be useful. For landing interviews, it might be worth experimenting with alternative routes (I.e meetups, networking, direct connections, blogs, contracting, etc).

Happy to have a further chat - I know folks who are looking to hire.

i had a spotty resume and bounced back and forth between jobs/freelancing. its not that big of a deal. there's even a positive, it's given you insight into how different teams work. any experience is good experience.

a few suggestions:

- only list the most important roles in detail, summarize the rest or don't list them at all. i have a big bucket of "freelancing, etc" on my resume for all the small stuff

- if you get asked about the short stints, brush it off like "i was finding my footing in the industry" or something, then pivot to what you did right - I kept learning the whole time, did xyz side project, got a broad look at the industry, etc

- the way to get your foot in the door is apply to as many roles as possible. a resume site and some side projects helps too

this industry needs as many smart people as possible, keep going and you will do well.

First, you are not alone. Seek out support of all kinds. Don't blame "yourself" ... remember that the very idea of "self" is always changing and only a small part of it is under short term conscious control. Mental conditions can be very hard in certain environments, but more manageable in others.

Never forget that such conditions also bring advantages! Not the least of which is empathy.

I also have ADHD and anxiety, plus a history of not effectively managing my disappointment when things at work seem batshit crazy. It has taken a long time to recognize that a significant level of organizational dysfunction is very common.

To answer your question: I don't have any ironclad answers. You can gather ideas like you are doing and try experimenting.

Try organizing (grouping) your resume in different ways -- by topic or skill.

You can put the year of the job instead of the range in months. Perhaps even leave out the date.

Remove half the jobs and drop the month from the start - end date range

Tell the truth, or as much as you feel strangers deserve to hear. But also tell them what you have done to make it work differently this time, and what environment you feel would help you stick with it.

Not only does this explain it, but it quickly will tell you whether or not they are supportive of their people. If it is a problem for them, the job would not have worked out anyway so move on. But if they do help you to fit into the environment and cope with your concerns, that may be the right group to work with.

I would try and offer my services as a contractor - this way the employer takes less risks and reduces the cost of employing while giving you more flexibility in terms of work hours/style. Given you’ll manage well there’s no reason to take you in as a full time employee later on.. but if that’s the goal then I’d be clear with the employer.

Maybe you can't put it in a positive light. But you can try to improve your resume medium/long term. For example, building a side project. Or opening a consulting company and treat each of those experiences as a customer, not an employer.

Have you tried medication? It was a life changer for me.

I literally cannot do my job without it.

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