What is the best way of explaining a 7-month gap in your resume?

Hi, I have an interview with a company this upcoming Monday who is an active competitor against my previous long-term employer. I cleaned up my resume and I realized that the last time I had a firm long-term position was last April of this year. I was let go from my job in April because my employer ran out of work that was “suitable” for my experience level. I was doing well on my job, and I argued that I was willing to take on more difficult tasks, but he insisted that really I supposedly was not prepared for this level of work, and I was released with pay.

From April 2022 to Sep 2022, I learned that I had thyroid cancer. I suspect that I had thyroid problems for several years, and after having to work through a slew of completely incompetent and irresponsible doctors I was finally diagnosed this year. They were able to successfully remove my thyroid and I suffered no complications. However, my doctors are recommending that I do follow up to make sure that no leftover cancer was left behind. If it is determined that there is more, I have to undergo radiation therapy. My doctor is not certain if it will be necessary until he sees an update on my bloodwork results in the next month.

In August, I was invited to an interview with a company through a recruiter for a position in a field that is unrelated to the profession I am pursuing, and I entertained it only because I did not think I would even pass the interview, even though my surgery was a month away. It was terribly mismanaged, and I wanted to quit since day one, but my family insisted that I try to keep it. I was let go during the week of my surgery but was given the excuse that “a full-time employee was returning from their break” and thus my services were no longer needed. Despite the fact that I was there because they could not find people without a hiring agency.

In between September and October, I quickly recovered from my surgery and was determined to find work again. I sent a cold email to this company overnight and was interviewed the next day, then was hired the following week. For the entire month of October, I was doing well at the job. I helped my coworkers meet deadlines by staying for overtime by my second week, I was learning, and I even taught someone a new trick at work. Before the month was over, I was let go because they decided I was not a good fit, and since I was not “officially” hired into the company it was not a layoff. I still received severance pay though.

If it ever comes up in the interview, what would be the best answer to explain why I have not been working for the past 7 months? I am worried if I tell them that I was laid off because I didn’t have enough experience, I will not get the job, even though I am confident and seeking to gain the experience to learn. I am also worried if I tell them that I had medical reasons, even if I do not specify that it was cancer that I will lose the opportunity because they will be suspicious of me. I talked to some people, and they believe that I lost my last position in October because I was taking PTO on my first month, since the employer freaked out about it and had to have a meeting about it.

Could I potentially use the narrative that I am a cancer survivor as an explanation for the gap?

How would you approach my situation?



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