When you count YOE, do you include the gap year and internship (3/6/9months)?

I include the time in the womb too

YOE is generally FT experience. Gap years are excluded since you are not working. Also internships typically don’t count towards work ex

Nope

I do. But I'm trying to Compensate for joining tech late

Our talent acquisition group does not count internships as YOE

Frankly if you're looking at positions, YOE doesn't matter unless it's like 2 vs 5 YOE - if you're a new grad I would say anything at or under 3 YOE is reasonable, but don't be afraid to apply for more.

Not if you want to be taken seriously