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A statement made by Sir Winston Churchill in 1939 about  what role the Soviet Union might play in World War II:  "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia.  It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,  but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest." The Corporate World is like that  Not easy to decipher. Not easy to figure out.  Not easy to crack the code to upward mobility.  A Riddle wrapped in a Mystery inside an Enigma. And that's why many people tend to get stuck,  rising to a certain level and then hitting a glass ceiling.  Unable to move across functions - hitting glass walls too.    The one's who move up and across steadily,  are ones who have cracked the corporate code.  Or maybe they are just natural at leadership skills.  For those professionals who are stuck, they need to  demystify the mystery and unravel the riddle to survive.  How to do it, you ask? Well, Not rocket science.  Be observant. Be dedicated. Be disciplined.

  Don't worry about that gap in your resume or that gap in career due to layoff or for that matter, any other reason. Its OK.  Most job seekers are worried about it and in my job interview coaching over the past 2 years; I have had this conversation with them in detail - coming at it from multiple angles.  1. Gap in the resume is not new and women have had it for ages on account of motherhood. So it's not a new problem. Yes, the reason of gap is different but HR people do know how to process a career-gap in their mind.  2. Layoffs have increased this century and it has rapidly gone from performance-based clean-up to literal wiping out of departments and projects or functions where the best of performers get laid off. AND HR / Recruiters have now come to understand that. (So if a Recruiter is still viewing your career gap negatively; he is yet to get on to the HR maturity ladder)  3. Self-designed career breaks are also something that professionals are taking. This is more recen