Companies are calling but are concerned about work gap /u/goro-n CSCQ protests reddit

I was laid off from my last SWE job in June 2023, after about 3 years of working there. In total I have 4+ years of experience because I worked at another company for a little over a year right after graduation. After the layoff my company gave me several months of “career coaching” with a career coach I would speak to once a week, and the HR company also gave me access to a resume editor who helped rewrite my resume with me. But one of the things the coach insisted on was that I not spend all day applying to companies and instead focus on in-person events or networking to find opportunities. He felt like sending out hundreds of applications a week would be fruitless.

I tried to follow that in 2023, but after a conversation with a friend, started applying more intensively in 2024, sending out lots more applications. I did many automated coding tests and calls with recruiters, had some hiring manager calls and even reached the final round a few times, but didn’t make it to an offer. I’ve been reading here that Q1 of 2025 hiring would pick up. But in several calls I’ve had the last few weeks, recruiters were concerned about my work gap, since I haven’t been working as an SWE since 2023. I feel like this is a little unfair for them to say “it’s been 2 years” when 2025 just started. What is the best response to allay these concerns?

In my last job, I started in 2020 alongside another engineer who had a 5 year work gap, and they were honestly more capable than I was, more organized and finishing tickets faster. They just said their gap was for “medical reasons” and I never found out what.

I was laid off from my last SWE job in June 2023, after about 3 years of working there. In total I have 4+ years of experience because I worked at another company for a little over a year right after graduation. After the layoff my company gave me several months of “career coaching” with a career coach I would speak to once a week, and the HR company also gave me access to a resume editor who helped rewrite my resume with me. But one of the things the coach insisted on was that I not spend all day applying to companies and instead focus on in-person events or networking to find opportunities. He felt like sending out hundreds of applications a week would be fruitless.

I tried to follow that in 2023, but after a conversation with a friend, started applying more intensively in 2024, sending out lots more applications. I did many automated coding tests and calls with recruiters, had some hiring manager calls and even reached the final round a few times, but didn’t make it to an offer. I’ve been reading here that Q1 of 2025 hiring would pick up. But in several calls I’ve had the last few weeks, recruiters were concerned about my work gap, since I haven’t been working as an SWE since 2023. I feel like this is a little unfair for them to say “it’s been 2 years” when 2025 just started. What is the best response to allay these concerns?

In my last job, I started in 2020 alongside another engineer who had a 5 year work gap, and they were honestly more capable than I was, more organized and finishing tickets faster. They just said their gap was for “medical reasons” and I never found out what.