[AnimalMuppet]

We hired a guy in your situation. (Worse, actually - he'd been out of coding for 10 years.)

We weren't sure if he could still do it. So we offered him a three-month contract at a low rate, with the understanding that, if he panned out, we would hire him at a normal salary. He panned out. So we hired him.

This approach meant that we didn't have to guess whether he could still do the work. He got to show us. And if he couldn't, well, we weren't out that much. And if he could, he wasn't out that much.

[hownow]

That is very encouraging to hear. Did he propose the 3 month trial contract or you guys? I thought of offering such a thing but not sure if it seems too desperate. Thank you for your comment.

[AnimalMuppet]

I think we did, but I have no direct knowledge.

In your shoes, I wouldn't be afraid to propose it - but only to a potential employer that you think is serious, but the work gap is a real issue for them.

[jklein11]

I disagree with this advice.

If I was on the fence about hiring someone because I wasn't sure they would do the job and they offered to drop the price it would make me think that person is also not confident that they could do the job.

As a hiring manager, there is more on the line than the employee's salary. Making a bad hire can hurt morale, reduce productivity, and hurt the hiring manager's reputation. Having that extra money in your budget won't outweigh the potential damage that could be done.

During a job search you need to make those risks seem as small as possible.