I was diagnosed with OCD in 2010, even thought I had been suffering with symptom from 2008,currently I take Fluoxetine daily to control symptoms. Furthermore, I was depressed in 2010 after OCD diagnosis. After graduating college I was trying hard to keep working on my app idea, I have done considerable amount of work, but I kept procrastinating doing other work (volunteering, helping relatives, neighbors, helping my father's farming work), time to time I muster courage to work on my app by summoning my will power, but it only last for about a week, I have read/watch many science based articles./videos for battling procrastinating, but I stil could work for a week by using up willpower. Due to my this chronic procrastination I was blaming myself for years, until this year I decide to learn more about ADHD even though I have heard of it before, after knowing about ADHD, I grasp what is going on with me (executive dis-functioning) which explained by knowing lot and failing execute, time blindness, clouded mind, distractability etc. So I went to meet my psychiatrist, and he prescribed me Atomoxitine, in the first days Atomoxitine regardless of its strong side effects, I felt my mind was clam, I was able to very quickly (ex: tasks that took me a day were done in hour), this remembered me what my mind was used to be like a decade ago, which was quiet and how much benefit those neurotypicals had over me all those years, with medication I was hopeful. After the use of Atomoxitine for first two days quietness of the mind reduced, but I have the ability to keep on working regularly on my projects with Atomoxitine (do not have to use up my will power all the time) which was quite useful, I am thinking of trying other stimulant medication in the future.
During those years I had work on some small freelance projects for friends in React and Android and currently working fully fledge ecommerce site for my cousin as business partners.
I have to keep eye on my parents since my mom is suffering from Parkinson's for years, she needs help with daily activities, sometimes get delusional and suicidal, dad also have high blood pressure time to time, issue in prostate (getting ready for operation later this year). My dad is farmer since he is old and have health issues sometimes I have to look into his farming duties.
So now to my question, recent months I was thinking for applying for job as SE, since I am having hard time with economic crisis and structured environment like company help me to work/learn easily, in the meantime gain career capital. But I do not know how could I explain my 6-year gap of unemployment, whether they will hire me due to my health conditions?
Any advice highly appreciated!
For some reason, both recruiters and potential employers were laser-focused on that "work gap" and attributed it to time in prison despite the offer to show them copies of my tax returns.
I'd just not mention it at all. If asked you can tell them the truth that you were trying out some of your own business ideas and doing some freelance but then got unwell. Don't go into detail about the illness or other family stuff.
If they specifically ask and press you about your health after saying that then they are probably breaking the law if you are in a western country. If they ask you could just say something like "I don't really want to go into it all - suffice to say that I'm all better now and excited to get back to work" etc. A good interviewer should just skip over the health issue and hopefully say something like "Sorry to hear about your illness, but hey I'd love to hear about those business ideas you were working on! Tell me more!" Etc.
It might be worth trying to pick up some more freelance stuff now for a couple of reasons: ease back into a working life on your own terms, and also to have some more recent work experience to demonstrate to prospective employers.
Good luck.
As far as your health conditions, if they do not impact your work, it is none of your employer's business. And depending on your diagnosis may even qualify as a protected disability.
It really shouldn't be a problem. Just say you want to work in a team environment to grow as an engineer.
Also perhaps you want to grow your freelancing business instead. That should give you more control on your schedule to take care of your family. Just my 2 cents.
My general advice is don't try to explain it on your resume.
Cross the explanation bridge if and when it comes up.
Good luck.
"That's when I wasn't working."
The only topic to bring up is at the end if they like you and make you an offer, make sure you tell the hiring manager that you will need some flexibility in your schedule as sometimes you need to handle family matters like take your parents to the doctor. Where I work, during WFH plenty of people take 30-60 minutes off to pick their kids up to school or whatnot. The only time to bring this up earlier is if they ask what you want in a job - then you can say some time flexibility for family matters.
If you're "currently working fully fledge ecommerce site" then you don't have a resume gap, you're working on an ecommerce site. You did freelance projects in React and Android before. I mean some people have a more impressive resume but it's not a 6 year gap.
If you think your current work isn't impressive enough, look on angel.co or something and tell some pre-seed or low seed company you'll work part time for them mostly for the experience, and for future recommendations if they like the work. Say you need to be paid something every two weeks but realize they are strapped and it does not have to be much. Tell them you'll work for two months and will then start interviewing (and continue working), but that you're junior and they might get three, four or more months of work from you.
They might have a web page, and/or app, and/or social media presence, and have gone through a small amount of seed already, and a real corporate setup with the state and so forth. So that future employers have something to see. It is a resume bullet (if companies ask why it's only 2-3 months initially say it is a consulting gig), and when companies ask what you're up to, you can honestly tell them what you've done - you just put in a feature for them on the website with ReactJS or whatever.
Also, you're promising them two months of work, but you can even interview elsewhere from day one, you just can't use this company as a resume bullet for two months. If you get lucky and get an offer within the first six weeks, just tell them you have become busy and will be dropping out somewhat, but will try to keep your promise of two months worth of work when you can.
There are no-seed, low-seed companies that operate like this. If they get lucky they get a good college student studying CS, or maybe a moonlighting experienced dev who wants to transition from backend to ReactJS or something like that.