Unless you work at The Gap, if you’ve ever taken time between jobs, you’ve likely asked yourself, “What do I do about the gap on my LinkedIn?”
![How LinkedIn’s trying to normalize job gaps](https://20627419.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/20627419/hubfs/The%20Hustle/Assets/Images/1583247433-News-Brief_2022-03-04T020430.153Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1583247433-News-Brief_2022-03-04T020430.153Z.webp)
Options include stretching your previous role into your next (AKA lying), leaving the gap unexplained, or calling attention to it explicitly.
According to Protocol, LinkedIn just solved that dilemma with a feature that lets users choose from 13 options to describe a gap.
What are they?
Options include personal reasons like caregiving and bereavement, as well as work reasons like career transitions and layoffs.
LinkedIn already offered “stay-at-home mom” and “stay-at-home dad” as job titles, but the new options validate other reasons to hit the pause button.
The move is also backed by data that shows general sentiment is changing.
- LinkedIn reported a 39% jump in career gaps in 2020.
- The company says 79% of hiring managers would hire a candidate with a career gap on their resume.
Though subtle…
… the new feature speaks to a shifting attitude toward workplace flexibility. Other examples include:
- Remote work: A recent report believes 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by 2023.
- 4-day workweek: Belgium passed a reform package allowing citizens to choose a 4-day workweek, and a growing list of US companies are trying it out.
At this rate, within a generation or 2, the 40-hour workweek and workplace practices of the 20th century will be relics of the past.