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by ldjb 1950 days ago
That's an interesting question and something that hadn't really occurred to me.

Personally, over the past few years I've been a developer, a product owner and now a product manager.

But if I were to apply for a new developer role, would I leave out my current product manager role from my CV? Absolutely not!

It's generally considered a bad idea to have gaps in your CV. And actually having worked various roles can actually be to your advantage. There are transferable skills you would have gained as a product owner that you can apply to a developer role. In fact, very few developers will have the skills required to be a product owner, so employers should look favourably upon your skillset.

Case in point: my experience as a developer has put me at quite an advantage in the product management field. Due to my technical knowledge/experience, I can understand how systems work better than most other product managers, and I'm better placed to know what the development team needs of me.

So I would say, don't leave gaps in your CV, include all the really good experience you have, even if it is varied, and use that to your advantage to show how these experiences will help you in the role you're applying for.

2 comments

How about if I was a stay-at-home dad for a year? I haven't included that in my resume - I figured if I were asked I have no problem speaking about it, I'm actually super proud of it, it just doesn't strike me as something I should put in my list of experience.
Employers worry about gaps in CV because of two possible scenarios:

- you were actively looking, but were unable to find a job during that whole time - for them it's social proof that you suck

- you're actually picky and "high maintenance"

"you were actively looking, but were unable to find a job during that whole time - for them it's social proof that you suck"

Gee... I would hope I don't suck. Most places I apply to ghost me when they find out I'm deaf! They don't want to "deal with accommodations".

I think that's a perfectly reasonable reason for you to have a gap in your career, and prospective employers should be understanding of that.

It is something you should be prepared to explain at an interview, but I don't think it would cause any problem.

You're right that it doesn't really count as experience. Employers won't necessarily mind a one year gap on your CV, but if you do find it difficult to get to the interview stage, it could help to add a short note to your CV explaining the gap. But I'd hope that wouldn't be necessary.

How’s the compensation (pay and/or stock options) for your product manager role now, as compared to your development roles of past?