If you became jobless.....

If you were working in a good role in finance and became jobless, should you take any role to prevent a gap on your resume? What if it's a role (but within a finance firm) where I won't learn anything or help towards the career path that I'm aiming for? It's almost going backwards after working so hard to put yourself on a better track.
Money is not an issue, should you hold out and hope for a better opportunity or take anything you can in this economy as long as the firm is respectable?

 

I think that as long as you have a good "story" around the gap in your resume, you can be ok. Obviously, do something to validate that story as a good one. If that involves travelling overseas (for a short period of time) to go hiking in the Himalayas, that could be an interesting story. Alternatively, charitable endeavors or entrepreneurial ventures could be interesting as well.

 
Best Response
JacesAces:
I think that as long as you have a good "story" around the gap in your resume, you can be ok. Obviously, do something to validate that story as a good one. If that involves travelling overseas (for a short period of time) to go hiking in the Himalayas, that could be an interesting story. Alternatively, charitable endeavors or entrepreneurial ventures could be interesting as well.

If you do some type of volunteering or do an entrepreneurial venture completely irrelevant to a finance job, should you list that on the resume as you apply for new jobs in finance?

For example if an applicant was working in an applicable role at some investment bank before it ended, and this person took on an entrepreneurial venture completely different to the finance role that he/she is applying to, wouldn't that look odd to the recruiters and hiring managers?

 
Dogon:
JacesAces:
I think that as long as you have a good "story" around the gap in your resume, you can be ok. Obviously, do something to validate that story as a good one. If that involves travelling overseas (for a short period of time) to go hiking in the Himalayas, that could be an interesting story. Alternatively, charitable endeavors or entrepreneurial ventures could be interesting as well.

If you do some type of volunteering or do an entrepreneurial venture completely irrelevant to a finance job, should you list that on the resume as you apply for new jobs in finance?

For example if an applicant was working in an applicable role at some investment bank before it ended, and this person took on an entrepreneurial venture completely different to the finance role that he/she is applying to, wouldn't that look odd to the recruiters and hiring managers?

Good question. It largely depends on the type of bank you are applying to. An entrepreneurial venture, in a space that is relevant to the bank could be useful. For example, if you apply to a bank focused on Internet (ecommerce as a sub-sector), an ecommerce venture could be very appealing.

That said, the above advice is more useful for the actual interview (as opposed to for the resume). Hopefully your resume is still strong enough to land you an interview. During that interview, when they bring up the "gap", you can then reference the above.

 

Try to network and fill the gaps. I had a huge gap in my resume but a good professional friend let me fill that gap with experience at his firm, even though I never even worked there. Just have a good way of explaining it like the guy above me said. I feel like a lot of people stress out over the little stuff on interviews, when in all reality, all the interviewer wants to do is make sure you aren't some type of babbling idiot who has a decent head on his/her shoulders and can handle the load.

 
riggyk:
I had a huge gap in my resume but a good professional friend let me fill that gap with experience at his firm, even though I never even worked there.

Do not take this advice.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 

yes, any finance job is better than no job (most decent recruiters will see a stint in a lower paying job as a good work ethic and little ego. Also, you'd be amazed how even a minimum wage job can provide you with opportunities to make a difference and talk about it at an interview. Explain it as using up gardening leave if you're really that conscious, but there's a lot to be said for someone that says straight out, looking them in the eye, it's the best I could do and I can't tolerate doing nothing. Honesty, integrity and positive attitude.

 

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