complicated.work

Guides

For the parts of your work history that don't fit in a neat line.

Each guide covers one situation in depth: what employers are actually trying to find out, what to say, what to leave out, and examples you can adapt. Sources at the bottom of each.

  1. 01How to explain an employment gap, on paper and out loudA gap is a question an employer has, not a verdict. Answer it briefly, truthfully and once, then get back to what you can do.
  2. 02How to explain a layoff without sounding defensiveBeing laid off is something that happened to your job. The explanation should take ten seconds and leave the interviewer thinking about your work, not your exit.
  3. 03Writing a career change resume that makes the switch make senseA career change resume has one job — to make the reader see the new role in your old experience. Structure, order and vocabulary do most of the work.
  4. 04Returning to work after a long break: a practical re-entry planComing back after years away is less about explaining the break and more about showing you're current. Here's how to do that in order, without starting from zero.
  5. 05Transferable skills: how to find yours and prove them"Transferable skills" usually means a vague list nobody believes. Done properly, it means specific things you did, translated into words the new field uses, with proof.
  6. 06How to describe your impact when your job didn't have neat metrics"Quantify everything" is good advice until your job never produced a number. Here are five other kinds of evidence, and how to use them honestly.