How to talk about gaps in employment
Over the last couple of years, with a lot of tech companies and other large employers downsizing, people are experiencing layoffs and unexpected changes in employment. If this is your situation, don’t lose hope! Here are some tips to help you talk through gaps in employment or what may appear as “job-hopping” due to circumstances beyond your control.
1. Gaps in employment
Experiencing an employment gap during the pandemic is something many people (including myself) need to explain. This is an opportunity to bring up any upskilling, self-development or other career-minded activities you did during your employment gap. Share the new things you learned and how they will benefit your new employer. Did you take any courses? Did you work on some personal projects or learn new technologies to test your skills? Did you earn any new certifications? Utilizing your employment gap to gain skills, knowledge or certifications is a great way to show that you are motivated to jump back into the workforce.
2. Job-hopping or underemployment
The reality of the past few years with the pandemic and company lay-offs has led to more job-hopping. Often, the reason for job-hopping is out of a person’s control. It could be that you were underemployed because the bills still needed to be paid. Maybe you took short-term contracts to fill in the gap. Or perhaps you found yourself in your dream job and then the company downsized.
This is all understandable but it’s important to be transparent. Prepare how you will discuss any short-term roles. I recommend getting ahead by saying, “I’m sure you noticed that I’ve had some short tenure and job hopping; I’d like to address this and commit to you that this is not the real me – the last few years have been challenging and I made some job choices to stay employed. I’m excited to recommit to my career and professional journey.”
Talk about how these short-term experiences have enabled you stay on track with your career journey. Whatever the reason, you should emphasize that the decision was “temporary” and that you are looking forward to re-engaging in a stimulating position that will leverage your strengths while allowing you to make contributions to a forward-thinking company.
3. Salary
This is a touchy subject that many find uncomfortable. Colorado, along with several other states, are required to put salary ranges on job postings. This is great for the candidate (provided that the company has a reasonable range) because it allows you to see if your target salary rate is within the company’s range. The potential of going through the interview process only to be presented with a salary rate that does not match your requirements is eliminated. However, you should do your homework and understand the salary ranges in your local market. It is important to be realistic about where your tenure and skillset fit within the range. Keep in mind that the top of the salary range is for someone who has all the desired skills and tenure. If you have made a career pivot or are early in your career, the top of the range is likely not a “now” salary, but something to work towards as you gain additional experience.
As you prepare for your interview, use these tips to “own” your employment gap and come off as confident and relaxed about your career path.
For more thoughts on how to prepare for your interview, visit us here.
