How to explain Employment Gaps during an interview?

When you get to the interview, be prepared to discuss your resume. If you have any gaps in employment, be prepared to explain them. Some people are terrified that an interviewer will discover that they were without a job for a period of time. It is not necessarily bad, but you do have to tell the interviewer why in the best possible light.

What is an employment Gap and how to explain employment gaps in your resume?

A gap in your resume is any period where you were not employed. Hiring managers usually consider a period of 6 months or more in between jobs as an employment gap. There are numerous explanations you can use to explain employments gaps, and here are some suggestions.

You were laid off due to economic conditions and your former company downsized. As a result, you had trouble finding a job. It is OK to say you were laid off because IT HAPPENS to the best of us. Especially with the Covid 19 pandemic, reasonable employers understand. The key thing is to explain you were actively searching while pursuing further education or professional training. Avoid going into the negative aspects of the job search.

Other reasonable explanations you could provide are

Caring for a sick family member
Caring for a young child
Pursuing any other type of professional training
Pursuing further education or going back to school
Trying to start a business or freelance career.

If you are unsure what possible questions could be generated from your resume, have another person look at it. It is best to be prepared for certain questions and scenarios that will likely come up in an interview. You do not want to be caught unaware or floundering for an answer. Give yourself time to figure out the best explanation for times of unemployment, so an interviewer sees it as reasonable or even beneficial to them in the case of additional education and classes.

Some final advice. Be honest but do not volunteer information that could sabotage yourself. And do not worry about every employment gap in your resume. As long as you are prepared with reasonable explanations, you will be fine.

Still unsure of what to do on your resume? Did you know you can get a Free Resume Review from us here?

Are you looking for jobs in Singapore? You can find a listing of the most popular job sites in Singapore here.

Would you like to have more career advice for your job search in Singapore, you can also visit MyCareersFuture here.

Would you like to know what the market rate for your salary in Singapore is? Visit the Manpower Ministry guide here.