[Lex-2008]

Not a manager myself, and I don't have any positions in my hands, but can give you some advice:

1. Register at LinkedIn, fill in your profile as much as you can (especially "skills" section) - it will start offering you matching opportunities. Also, you can find some recruiters there - they will be very happy to make you close the vacancies they're working on.

2. I believe UK also has some startup hubs, but I know only one in Oslo, Norway - and they have a page which lists all jobs in their member companies: https://jobs.startuplab.no/ - note that these are startups, so quite small companies, but I'm aware of at least one case when they helped relocating a non-EU citizen to Norway.

[kinos]

Don't lie, but do fill in your empty time with something that isn't "unemployed" or irrelevant.

Something such as running your own business is a good option.

[countername]

> Don't lie, but do fill in your empty time with something that isn't "unemployed" or irrelevant.

what could you (or someone else :)) suggest for the CV, if there were some family problems which came with mental/health issues for the past year, where I didn't found time to work on a project or get it finished?

edit: especially for linkedin and similiar sites

[mundo]

I'm a hiring manager and here's my opinion:

* If it's less than a year, you don't need to explain it or justify it. Just leave it blank on the CV and in the interview, say something like, "...and then I took some time off to take care of a family member."

* If it's more than a year, you still don't need to explain it or justify it, but you should acknowledge it and explain what you've done to make sure you stay sharp. "...and then I took some time off to take care of a family member, but I don't want to get rusty so I've been [whatever]." Don't BS on that last part, good interviewers will delve in to it just like they would for a job. If you say you've been taking Pluralsight courses on ML, I'm going to ask what you learned.

* Seriously don't explain it or justify it. Even if it's totally reasonable, just give me one vague sentence and get back to the stuff that's relevant to the job interview.

Good luck!

[countername]

big thanks!

[kinos]

Did you attend any events, watch anything related to the field, or read any articles related to it? That's bare minimum research right there.

[mirimir]

Volunteer work is another good option.

Both at the time, because it keeps you active, and later, because it shows character.

[xwowsersx]

I second the LinkedIn advice. As annoying as LinkedIn can be, when you are on the job hunt, it's actually very useful.