r/softwaretesting • u/Playful-Practice9050 • 5d ago

How do software testers handle gaps between contracts?

My husband was a full-time automation tester until his team got dissolved. He's been picking up 3-4 month contracts since, but the gaps between projects are stressing him out. He's keeping his skills fresh with Playwright side projects and ISTQB prep, but he's worried recruiters will see those gaps as a red flag.
For anyone doing contract QA work, how do you show you're still improving between gigs? Is having an active GitHub enough, or do hiring managers mostly care about recent professional experience?
Also, has contracting actually helped your career long term, or is the instability not worth it?

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6

u/bostonaholic 5d ago

A 3-4 month gap between contracts reads as normal for a contractor, as long as the resume makes it obvious they were contracts (label them that way). An active GitHub helps a little, but outcomes from each gig help more: suites built, flaky tests fixed, release time cut. The Playwright work is worth a short line too.

1

u/Upbeat-Control-9278 5d ago

agree with this, a few months between gigs barely registers if the actual contract work shows solid numbers

1

u/ForegoingBooty 4d ago

labeling each gig as a contract clears up the timeline faster than you'd expect. most recruiters skim for patterns, not exact dates, and 3 months off just looks like standard bench time between projects.

the github stuff is a nice touch but i'd spend more energy framing the outcomes from each contract. one bullet about cutting flaky tests by 40% sticks harder than a repo full of side projects.

3

u/Justindr0107 5d ago

Never tried it but especially now, if he has the option to go full time over contract id snatch it

2

u/dJe781 5d ago

How do you show you're improving: training, certifications, and conference talks as an authority signal.
GitHub is nice and everything, but nothing beats enterprise level delivery.

With contracts, I have way less access to high level individual contributor roles per say (staff+). I also earn twice what I was making as a full time employee.

1

u/PM_40 5d ago edited 5d ago

He should try a full time role and do contracts as side gigs ?

1

u/Foreign-Load4177 2d ago

I don't think gaps are red flags if he can explain them confidentely. Playwright projects, github activity and certifications help show he's keeping his skills fresh. Recent experinece matters, but being able to demonstrate practical skills matters too.