wondering what’s worse for your resume: a gap or a minimum wage job?

Honestly? A gap or a survival job won’t ruin a tech resume—what matters more is how your friend frames it.If they take a minimum wage job to stay afloat, they don’t have to include it unless they want to explain the gap. It’s totally okay to leave it off or just mention it briefly in the interview as “temporary work during a career transition.”

I say take the job if they need it to survive. Mental health + stability > resume perfection. You can leave it off the resume if you want, or just list it as “temporary role during career transition.”

I say take the job if they need it to survive. Mental health + stability > resume perfection. You can leave it off the resume if you want, or just list it as “temporary role during career transition.” Tech folks will understand. We’ve all been there lately. Better to explain a gap with honesty than burn out trying to look “strategic.”

I've been laid off twice. Took an Amazon warehouse job just to keep my rent paid. Didn’t list it. Interviewer asked what I did during the gap, I just said “took temp work while continuing my job search and learning.” They nodded and moved on.

Honestly? Most recruiters don’t penalize someone for taking a survival job during a layoff gap—especially now. If they ask about it, just frame it as “staying active while job searching.” No need to put it front and center on a tech resume either. Gaps aren’t the red flag they used to be. What matters more is what you’ve done in tech—projects, certifications, learning, etc.

TLDR: Gap = fine. Grocery job = also fine. But neither will make or break it if the tech skills are solid.

it shows hustle. i'd rather see someone working ANY job than just sitting around waiting for a tech role to magically appear 🙃

Recruiters know the market’s trash. If someone worked at Target to stay afloat, I’d respect that more than just doing nothing tbh.