I've never taken a break in my adult life. I went straight from school to working full-time and never had a chance to pause. It almost felt like a gift in a way, to be able to focus on my child ...

Do you have a unique job search strategy that's worked for you? Contact this editor, Jane Zhang, at janezhang@businessinsider.com. If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on MSN.

An ex-Microsoft engineer explains how and why he update his résumé every 6 to 9 months, and why you should to.