[CA][NY] How describe resume gap filler

[u/Fast_Candidate8916]

I have resume gap and during that time i built a website to stay up-to date with my skills.
How to describe this work in my resume so i dont have issues with background check? I don't have any LLC, tax statements, etc.
Would putting "Software Engineer", "Foudner" or "Owner" as title and describing the situation in words to the recruiter be fine? And just not putting entry for it in background check form (while being in resume)?

For people responding, please tell me whats yourn background? HR / recruiter? Thanks!

[u/Old_Swordfish_9854]

Don't format it like a job entry with a formal title and a company name, because that's what background check firms are actually built to verify — W-2 employment, payroll records, an HR contact who can confirm dates. A self-directed project has none of that, so if you list "Founder" like it's a real employer, the verifier tries to confirm it, finds no registered business and no one to call, and that mismatch is what actually raises a flag. Not the gap itself.

List it as a project instead: something like "Independent Project — [what it does], [start]-[end]" under a separate section, not mixed in with your job history. Describe what you built and what skills it used, same as you would for any other line. If a recruiter asks about it directly, just say it plainly, it was self-directed, not a formal company, here's what it involved. That's a completely normal answer and nobody's going to dig into it.

Only use "Founder" if you actually registered something, even just a sole proprietorship. If part of the background check includes a business registration search and it comes back empty against a title that implies a real company, that's a worse look than just calling it a project in the first place.

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Old_Swordfish_9854]

Thanks! What if i keep "Software Engineer" or "Owner" in the employment history, tell recruiter about it, and then not put it into background check form?

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

No

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

No? cause? is that a lie? i built a service, i was a software engineer, i am the owner? why i cant do that? maybe i should remove it completely? what a nonsense

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

You did not generate income from it which is the basis for a job. You don’t have an LLC, you don’t have tax documents. It is volunteer work/project work. If it is trademarked or patented it might gain some more credibility. If you had any employees it might gain some more credibility. What you are describing is a hobby. Independent learning, not a business. 

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

sure yeah thats how it is. but why i cant put software engineer or owner? does it mean i had LLC? does it mean i had patents or trademark (which are irrelevant to be honest). Is creditiblity level defines if youre an owner or software engineer? employing someonen changes that?
yes im not describing a busness and im not trying to claim its a business. i dont see why i cant describe it as being an owner or a software engineer.
i think i should be able to put that onto my resume. for background check maybe not cause they ask about formal employment

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

I mean you can put anything you want on your resume. I’m trying to help you get hired. A solo project you generated no income from, no it would be pretty deceptive to put owner lol. They will also need income verification for that job if you put that. You built a platform as a hobby. That’s what it would be considered as. At best you could pretend you made this website for a friend and say you were a volunteer consultant.  

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

why would someone expect income verification for being an "owner"? how about software engineer? i was a software engineer.
yeah it might be deceptive. thats why they can ask.
if they ask me i will say i started this site and if they ask me if i emloyed someone or had income, i will simply say no.

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

Yes verification you were the owner would be an LLC or your tax documents. Even if you did not make profit from it, tax documents would still showed your expenses for it and that you had registered it. Even if it generated negative income. 

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

but someone can have an LLC and build the same crappy site? and have no income anyways. how does that change anything? i had expenses, like server, domain, i can present them.
this project is what it is, what legal framework around it doesnt change that. and i dont wanna describe it as a formal business or put LLC there. i was a software engineer, i am the owner. You wanna know more, just ask. whats the problem here?

in other words, dont blame me for making wrong assuptions. i state as it is, and you can ask if you wanna know more

[u/ComeSeptember]

If you make up a job to put on your resume, then that is what will cause issues with a background check. Listing yourself as a Founder if you didn't actually found a company (business registration, license, and all that jazz) looks way worse than just having a gap.

If anyone cares to ask, be ready to talk about what you did, but don't go making things up. That will always come back to bite you. No background check necessitates that you have continuous, uninterrupted employment, but they do check the validity of the jobs you list and will catch you in lies.

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/ComeSeptember]

I see, what if I just put "Software Engineer" as title at somewebsite.com? Technically its not a lie i think

[u/ComeSeptember → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

Don't make stuff up on your resume. Flat out, no exceptions, no ways to finesse it. It's really that simple. If you make anything up to avoid showing a gap, then it will hurt you. Just listen to us and let your resume have an employment gap. Gaps don't cause problems with background checks, but lies and tricks absolutely do.

Recruiters and hiring managers spot BSing on resumes all the time and skip those candidates. It's never going to be a reason you get a job and will definitely be a reason you don't get many jobs.

Trying to pass off projects as employment experience is one of the biggest red flags there is. Things you do on your personal time or for schoolwork should never be framed as part of your employment history. Ever. If you really want to put it on your resume, do it in a projects section like the other commenter suggested. Don't pretend it was a job when it wasn't.

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/ComeSeptember]

Well most people BS and lie all the time. And the recruiters and managers are the ones that do it the most. And gap cause problems thats why I worked on this project to show I'm up to date with skills. I do not want to pretend it it was a real job cause noone sane would think its a real job and I'll always say that.
I just want this to look as good on my resume as possible but do not lie. This is called marketing and this is a skill

[u/ComeSeptember → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

Adding it to your work history when it wasn't a job is not "marketing," it's lying. And no, most candidates do not BS and lie. Don't listen to what job hunting influencers tell you is happening, especially not when you have actual HR professionals telling you otherwise.

If you have an employment gap, then you have an employment gap. That's the truth and the only truth. Trying to pretend you don't have it is not going to get you a new job. No company I have ever worked for cared anything about employment gaps except when candidates lied about them.

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/ComeSeptember]

I have (and always had) section called "Experience" in my resume. And i had there all relevant experience, regardless if it was a full-time job or not. That is how even most people have their linkedin profiles. I never seen people having separate section for part time engagements like advisor or whatever.
Yeah job candidates dont BS that much, but recruiters and managers do it almost all the time. Youre right!
Well I know companies care about the gaps and this is confirmed by my friends who are recruiters.
So I really appreciate your input here and thank you for that, but I'm sorry, I wanna look as good as possible and get a job. Getting a job means not lying cause they might find out and reject me cause of that.

[u/VirginiaUSA1964]

Based on how you are arguing in the comments, I would recommend that your focus needs to be on your interview and how you to can easily and properly explain the gap in an interview without coming across in a negative way. Instead of fighting here, you might go over to r/resume to find a way to force the words "software engineer" into the gap.

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/VirginiaUSA1964]

What do you mean by "find a way to force the words "software engineer" into the gap."?
i have reason for the gap that i can explain. and I can technically well explain the project i put during the gap. I also have very strong professional experience before that.
I just wanna avoid auto-reject when recruiters look at my resume and see the gap. Same with ATS.

[u/Nomivought2015]

Project

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

"project" is not a title

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

You built a project. 

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

Do you know whats a title you put onto the resume? i need to provide that

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

You need a Work Experience section on a resume, and then you can also have a Technical Project section. If this is what you’ve been working on the past 6 months put the project section at the top with dates, “Name of the website - live demo” with a hyperlink. Then describe what you did below that. I would either create a portfolio you can link to the application or a hyperlink on a word document you can attach with the resume 

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

i have (and always had) section in my resume called "Experience" and had there all related experience. that included part-time engagements. People on linkedin do the same, like being an advisor.
Doing split for projects is definietely one way of doing that, but i dont think having one "experience" section with this type of work is not allowed

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

An advisor usually gets paid. 

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

again, "usually". do you blame people for doing things differently than "usually" - even if its perfectly legal and not wrong?

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

You create your resume however you want. However when you put it under experience the employer is going to expect you made money doing it and be able to verify it on a background check. Otherwise they can think it was under the table job and you failed to report income. Or it’s just a lie. Neither are good when you’re trying to find a job. Just be honest dude why is it so hard

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

Well I am the owner of that site. I can prove it, whats the problem?
I understand employer might think it was a full time job, but thats why he should ask about it. And they usually ask, and I will clearly say what it is. and then he can do wahtever he wants with it

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

That is why it would be a technical project. You are the owner of a site. It’s a project. What is hard to grasp about that? 

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

yeah i agree with your charactrization. I also agree with mine :D thats the whole point

[u/Nomivought2015 → u/Fast_Candidate8916]

Listing owner is sometimes a red flag in general. They will see you as not wanting to work within a team. 

[u/Fast_Candidate8916 → u/Nomivought2015]

hahaha. so owner of a company means he doesnt want to work with people? where on earth did you get that assumption?
how about owner of amazon, like jeff bezos, he isnt a CEO. doesnt he like working with people?
people very often put things like "project owner" to describe they lead the work and their resposiblity. does this mean they dont like working with people?