An employment gap can be defined as a specific period for which a person now looking for a job was unemployed. If you have a certain period of the gap in your resume, you should certainly know that you are not the only one. Many people willingly or unwillingly suffer from employment gaps.

When people take employment gaps willingly, there are many reasons behind it. To start with, a person might need to continue with his or her education, look after their child, travel somewhere, go through some medical treatments, etc. On the other hand; a person might be forced to stay unemployed for a specific period just because they are not able to find the right job opportunity.

Even though we all have our reasons behind the employment gap, it is very stressful when we leave for an interview. The thought of explaining the gaps during an interview makes a person scared many times. Especially these days when people have an option to work from home, explaining why you opted for not working at all is tough. However, this should not be the scenario. An interviewer would not bother about your employment gaps if you know the right way of explaining them and you are confident enough about it.

The first thing that you must keep in your mind when going for an interview with some employment gaps in your resume is that never be ashamed or scared to talk about it. It is always better to discuss the gaps and explain them with full confidence rather than leaving the employers in doubt.

Here are some of the best ways through which you can explain your employment gaps to the interviewer-

●  Resume Preparation: Take leave for looking after a patient

Well, one of the major reasons why a person takes gap in his or her professional life is that they need to look after some family member due to their illness and inability to look after their own self.

Remember that you don’t need to provide deep information about your relationship with the person you took care of or about their illness or any other details in your resume. The detailing is required only when the interviewer asks you for it. Until or unless you are asked about this detailed information, just give a short and crisp idea to the employer.

Once you make the reason for you leaving the last job, make sure that you give a proper reason for why you are joining or looking for a job back. The reason might include things like the patient has now recovered and taken care of without someone else’s help or that you have hired someone else to look after them etc.

Also, you might need to assure the employers that you are now totally ready to enter the professional world back.

You can say that ‘After giving a deep thought to the scenario when my partner/ child/ mother/ father fall severely sick, I came to the decision that it is tough to cope up with the job while looking after them. Hence, I decided to leave my job for a while and take care of them full time as they are my priority.

●    When you had to leave your job due to your health

Well, it is not always about the sickness of others. Sometimes, a person is forced to leave his or her job as they are sick or have continuous health issues.

In such a case as well, you don’t need to provide small details or elaborate on your health issues. You can simply tell them that you were sick and as suggested by the doctors or experts, you needed to rest for a while.

Also, you will need to explain why you think you are eligible for the job role you have applied for.

Another thing that will improve your chances of getting the job in such a scenario is telling the employers how you made your time off productive. If you have done any courses, certification programs or gained any kind of skill and knowledge during your gap period, the interview would be the time to tell them.

You can say, ‘I was unable to continue with my last job due to my poor health. It became very difficult to manage the work-life along with ongoing medical issues. Hence, as I felt the need and I was also advised by the doctors to take some rest, I decided to take some time off. However, now I have recovered and I am healthy enough to work effectively in my job role.’ After this explain why the concerned job role attracts you and why the employers should hire you.

●   Looking for a new job opportunity

Sometimes, we get an employment gap just because our search for the right job is not fulfilled. In such a case it is very important that you stay determined and serious about finding a job that suits you. Do not lose your hope as would do nothing but affect your career. Also, try to gather as many new skills and knowledge during this gap as you can.

You can say, ‘After leaving my last job due to (specify the reason here), I began looking for a new job that suited my skills and desires. I needed a job opportunity that could be fulfilled with my existing skills and knowledge and that would also help to enhance my experience for the future.’ After this explain why you are interested in the concerned job profile, company, why you should be hired, how you have used your gap period, etc.

●  You took time off to travel

We tend to get frustrated after working for long years without any change. After all, humans need to relax a bit so that they feel motivated to work further.

Hence, some people take time off from their jobs and professional life to travel places. They feel the need to refresh their minds, bodies, and souls so that they can find new motivation to work harder.

There is nothing wrong with taking off for traveling. In fact, it shows how much your value yourself.

When you have an employment gap due to the same reason in your resume, the key is to not feel ashamed of it. Embrace what you did for yourself.

You can say, ‘after working continuously for several years in the corporate world, I felt the need to take a break. I decided that I need to go on a vacation so that I can explore different cultures, worlds and specifically explore myself. I felt that working continuously for so long made me lose my interest and focus. However, now I am ready to enter the corporate world back and focus on my professional life.’

●  Taking care of your children

Sometimes people need to take leave from their professional lives just to look after their children. This is one of the most common reasons behind the gaps in resume.

In such a case, you don’t need to explain much. You can say, ‘I recently became a father or a mother. I had no one to look after my child and hence I decided to prioritize my child over work life. I left my last job to take care of my young child.’ Then you can explain how your child is now old enough to be left at daycare or school or that you have arranged someone to help you out. You will need to assure the employers that you will be able to focus on your job and why you should be hired.

● Resume Preparation: You took some time to continue your education

It is never too late or too soon to pursue your education. Some people tend to complete their education before joining a job while others leave it in middle to do a job and then come back after a while.

Begin by explaining why you decided to go back to studying. The reasons are several like you didn’t have the finances earlier but now you have saved enough, you like to study and research, you need extra skills for your desired role, you have developed a new interest in some field, etc.

You can say, ‘I felt that I need to acquire some more skills and knowledge in order to achieve my career goals. So, I decided that I should not postpone my education any further and took some break from my work life.’ Then you will need to elaborate on your career goals, why you are eligible etc.

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