Recently, I left my job to save my life. My body had become severely imbalanced to the point of breaking down. I had been living with an autoimmune expression and inflammatory response off and on for years, managing to keep my head above water with the imbalance, stress, time, and money spent trying to heal, and in a role where you are there for everyone else, often placing their needs before yours.
Following a second stress-induced panic attack at work, I decided the following morning to leave my position. As an HR professional, abandoning my employees was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make; it felt like I was letting them all down, as well as the company. It should be noted that my panic attack and present situation had nothing to do with the company I was at, rather, my past trauma, emotions, patterns, limiting beliefs, living in survival mode, and toxicity had all reached a tipping point. I had to finally place myself above the company and the employees for the sake of my health and my life. It was not an easy decision, but I was at the point of having no other choice. It was either to continue down the path of my body breaking down and likely end up hospitalized or take some time to heal. I had to finally stop and listen to what my body was trying to communicate. I needed a break.
I took the next 1.5 years off to heal and rebalance my body completely. My inflammation never returned following the day I resigned. I absolutely made the right decision for my physical and mental health. I took the time to rest and rebalance and wrote a book about my journey and everything healing-related that I learned. This wasn’t a time of sitting around doing nothing; I was literally saving my life and documenting it all to help others who may find themselves in similar places, not to mention providing countless proactive tips so they don’t have to come to the difficult decision that I came to.
I was able to make the decision that day to save myself because I had made some sound financial decisions and had the savings to do so. I am a single woman in the workforce and chose do put my health first, without the assistance of a second income. Further, I took the time to write a book while I was out of the corporate world and had the time to do so. I learned where my passion was, that I had knowledge to share, and I acted.
I’m sharing this vulnerable experience as I am now feeling ready and eager to return to the workforce and it appears to be a completely different landscape. While I understand that things have changed, the market may be tighter, my search criteria may have pivoted, I may appear over-qualified for positions I’m applying for, and I recently relocated, I can’t help but wonder if I am being met with a brick wall due to the time off, or “gap”, now on my resume. The invaluable 1.5 years I spent to save myself were now a deterrent in my job search. I am not being met with questions; I’m being met with no responses. It’s quite a shock to the person that always landed the first job she applied to and has worked for some of the top financial and energy firms in the Bay Area.
I know I’m not alone. As a former HR Director I’ve met with many candidates that took some time off between jobs to care for family or for medical or other reasons. I would listen to their stories with understanding and compassion. I assumed I’d be met with that same response. Candidates that have “gaps” in their resumes not only may have important stories to share, but they were financially savvy enough to do so, and are reentering the workforce invigorated, eager, refreshed, and ready. They want the job, are appreciative of the understanding of their unique situation, and will work hard in return. In a time where such a high importance is placed on mental health, these “gaps” should be celebrated, and the brick wall should come down.
I recently read Michael Singer’s book, The Surrender Experiment. In the book he explains how his success was largely in part to trusting that the universe will provide the best outcome possible, even better than he could have imagined, and the right people were always placed in front of him at the right time. I read that book from my HR perspective, thinking back to the candidates that were placed in front of me, some that I didn’t even realize would end up being exactly what we needed, especially when we approached their interviews with an open mind.
My request in sharing this is that we bring compassion and understanding back to the recruiting and hiring process. Let’s give those candidates with a unique resume a chance to have their story shared, and an open mind to see what they may be bringing to the table. They may have had a profound, life-changing experience, or took the time to help someone, to heal, or to find their passion, and that’s not an easy thing to do or decision to make. They may be exactly what is needed at your company.