(By Aryong Lim) Explaining a career gap in your work history to a potential employer is tough. Many Singapore professionals take a long time off in their careers. Other than a layoff, it is quite common for job seekers to leave the workforce to recover from an injury or illness, raise their children, take care of aging or ill relatives, pursue other interests, or even because of a challenging job search.
There are numerous completely legitimate reasons to justify the long break in their work. Still, employers just do not like to see any gaps in your work history. Some employers fear that a gap signals your unreliability or you are likely to quit your new job soon.
The first thing that you need to do is to acknowledge the gap. There is no use in denying it and dismissing it as an unimportant low point in your career life. You need to describe the situation as truthfully as you can to the recruiter. Stay away from apologetic words. Stick to the facts and keep your emotions out of your explanation.
Next, reassure the employer that despite this gap, you will not turn out to be a bad hireand that there is no risk in investing in you. State what you have done during this gap. Did you attend trainings and seminars whilst actively looking and applying for top engineering jobs? Did you do volunteer work in order to enrich your marketing experience? Did you apply for temp jobs to finance your needs whilst unemployed? Surely, you must have done something worthwhile during this gap. Now is the time to mention this.
Lastly, you need to shift the conversation back to the positive mode. Here are some examples that can best explain a break in your employment record:
It is true that between 2001 and 2005, I was out of job. And I can understand that this might concern you. I am proud to say, however, that I made use of all the free time wisely. From 2001 to 2003, I enrolled in a short diploma course on marketing communications. This helped improve how I analyse business situations and opportunities.
I had taken advantage of an internship opportunity with a marketing agency from 2004 to 2005. I was not getting paid, but it was an extraordinary experience. Eventually, the agency hired me as a regular account executive.
Do you have an upcoming job interview? Are you nervous that you might get questioned about your career gap? Remember these three things:
- Be honest and acknowledge the issue. Being dishonest is more of a sure-fire way to get rejected than the gap in your employment history itself.
- Explain in detail the things that you did while unemployed. Put a positive spin to your volunteering and temping experiences.
- End the conversation on a positive note. Highlight that there may have been an interruption in your career, but you are well-equipped with the right skills and qualifications that still make you a perfect fit for the role.
Reference: www.headhunt.com.sg/blog/explaining-gaps-in-your-work-history-during-an-interview/
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