Since the pandemic, most employers are more understanding and less discriminating about continuity gaps – but you must be ready to explain the gaps clearly, confidently, and without stumbling. Owning your career trajectory means connecting all the dots for the recruiter and hiring manager. Shaping the narrative around any gaps in yourself can help make them a non-issue. The author discusses five common reasons for gaps in work history – and how to own the gap during the interview process.
At least once in every interview process you will be asked some version of, “Can you walk me through your resume?” In addition to your skills and experience, you should explain your transitions between jobs, including gaps. This is critical: If you ignore the gaps between jobs when referring to your resume, you will lose the opportunity to control the narrative about your job shifts or time away from the commercial workforce.
Based on my research on employment gaps for my book, Want → A New Career: The Definitive Playbook for Transitioning to a New Career or Finding Your Dream JobHere are five common reasons for gaps in work history — and how to own the gap during the interview process:
Stay-at-home parenting
If you are on leave from the commercial workforce to raise children, explain how you used the time to gain work-related skills, knowledge, or experience. For example, do you volunteer at your children’s school? Organizing events or fundraising efforts? Are you the parent who makes travel arrangements for sports team events? All those things can be translated to the job you are applying for. For example, say you are looking to further your career in global fundraising. You can tell the interviewer, “I took time off to care for our children but I was able to keep my skills fresh while volunteering for a children’s sports league, developing fundraising goals and helping the team to successfully meet fundraising quotas to provide financial assistance for those in need.”
Grieving or caring for a sick family member
If you spend time caring for a parent or family member, the choice you make to spend that important time with them is theirs. Look at that experience through the lens of work. For example, if you’re trying to get back into a customer service role, you might focus on your role as a partner to your family member’s health care providers:
I am on leave to take care of my father. During that time I was able to use my effective communication skills with many health care providers, as well as my organizational skills to coordinate meetings with his financial planner, brokers, and legal representation, which gave him peace of mind. I want to use both my problem solving skills and my ability to stay calm under pressure in this job.
If you are applying for a finance job, you can focus on your role as an executor:
I took a vacation to be with my mother before she died. I was named executor because I am very responsible, organized, and financially capable. I was able to use my financial skills to restore his condition as well as soft skills, such as using effective communication with multiple creditors, including utilities, credit card companies, medical facilities, and banking institutions. My skills have enabled me to quickly and efficiently close the ground, and now I am looking to bring my skills to a new challenge.
Travel the world
When returning to a corporate work setting after taking time to explore, focus on how you used the time to gain new perspectives. For example, if you are interviewing at a multinational company, you can discuss the nuances of interacting with people from different cultures and how experiencing life in other countries gives you a perspective. which many people do not have in the workplace. If you’re looking for an operations role, you can focus on your excellence in travel planning, budgeting as it relates to a P&L, and how you use critical thinking to determine where to go next. . If you’ve spent time learning a second, third, or fourth language, explain how your conversational or fluency ability makes you a better candidate than non-native speakers.
Going back to school
Maybe you went back to school to get an MBA or a doctorate. If you are in school full time, explain how the specific projects you worked on are directly related to the job and how they, along with any previous work experience, will allow you to bring unique position value. Maybe you’ve earned an MBA and want to work in business operations. Do you work on projects for real companies? Include them in your resume so you can mention them in an interview.
When you develop your skills not to return to school for a traditional degree – for example, by taking a course or getting a certification – describe how these skills can be used in a future job and set you apart from other candidates. If you read certain books to gain a new perspective in your field or improve your leadership capabilities, talk about how you can apply the principles you’ve learned on the job.
Laid off the job
If it’s you affected by a mass removal That’s not related to performance, explain to the interviewer that the business strategy has changed and your department or team has been let go with the latest layoffs. You can even put a bad situation in a positive way: “But it’s a blessing because I’m thinking of looking for a new challenge.”
If you’ve been terminated for performance, it’s clear that your boss doesn’t think you’re successful at your job, but maybe you have a different perspective or don’t feel the role is what you expected. In this case, you can explain that the work is different from what you believed and did not use your skills and capabilities in the most effective way. Always explain what you learned from the experience and how you are actively working to ensure that your next step is closer to your expectations. For example:
I found out shortly after I started that the job was not as described, but since I was committed to the company, I wanted to give it my best effort. Ultimately, my skills in A, B, and C were not used effectively to provide value to the business. So we parted amicably, allowing me to spend time looking for the right job where I can bring the best value based on business needs.
If you were in a toxic environment or decided to quit for any other reason, don’t bring that negativity into job interviews. Find a positive perspective on why you’re leaving — for example, “I need focused time to find a job that better aligns with my values, and I can’t find time to do this while working 60 hours a week.” Above all, do not harm anyone, because that behavior makes you look like someone who blames others without being held accountable — and who can do the same in the new company. It’s time to take the high road.
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Since the pandemic, most employers are more understanding and less discriminating about continuity gaps – but you must be ready to explain the gaps clearly, confidently, and without stumbling. Owning your career trajectory means connecting all the dots for the recruiter and hiring manager. Shaping the narrative around any gaps in yourself can help make them a non-issue.
