5 steps to explain employment gaps

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Are you worried about how to explain your employment gaps? On second thought, don't I deserve a break? If you are surprised why do you even need to explain yourself, you must understand that this is necessary to maximize your chances of landing the job. There is no sure way of getting a job but there is definitely a way of failing it. So don't jeopardize your chances of getting it. Though employment gaps are normal, how you communicate about this gap is going to make a whole lot of difference to your application. There are 5 steps to explain your employment gaps and be sure to address to the 3 most important interview questions:

1. Be Honest

No matter how long was your break and what was the reason for it, be honest. What did you do in between? What was your takeaway? Maybe you stopped for a year to travel, to experience different lifestyle, to take care of your kids, whatever it is, never lie to your prospective employers. At the same time, rationalize the reason for taking the break.

2. Give Assurance

Now that you have explained your reason, what is the possibility of you taking another break soon? For instance, you have a baby. Will you take frequent breaks for your new born? How do you plan to minimize the disruption to your work? Do not wait for them to ask you. Once you explained yourself, go on to present your work plan.

3. Move Forward

After you covered the gap adequately, move the topic forward. Do not hang there or wait for the interviewers to start questioning you. Be sure to be as natural as possible to move to the next topic. A good topic would be, what is your career plan?

4. Show Interest

How can the interviewers be sure that you are ready to commit yourself back to work? How do you present yourself? Are you interested? Eager to get a job? Do you understand your job scope? Tell the interviewers why you applied for this company, this job. This may be a good time to ask some questions too.

5. Focus Suitability

Round it up by focusing on why you are the perfect candidate for this position. Give examples of your past experience in performing on similar jobs. What are the difficult situations you encountered? How did you overcome them? What were your accomplishments in your previous employment?

Interview is 90% on how well you can verbalize your actions, thoughts and accomplishments. Expecting a group of people to know you and your work capabilities within that 1 to 2 hours is impossible. (HR don't have superpowers!) So if you can't communicate well about your employment gap, try following the 5 steps and start preparing now.