Job Interview Questions and Answers
Question 71: Why are there gaps in your employment history?
Answer this question by explaining each recent gap in your work history that is longer than six months. You should try to put a positive spin on your answer. Good reasons to explain away employment gaps are that you took some time off to raise your children or to go back to school and get your degree or obtain necessary training to get a better job. Although not ideal, acceptable reasons to explain employment gaps are that you took a year off to travel or that the economy has been very bad and you simply couldn't find work in a year and a half. Don't say it was because "no one would hire me" or "I kept getting fired" without putting a positive spin on your answer. Mention that your current goal is long-term employment and back that up with any proof you have to want job stability such as a new baby, new marriage, new home, etc. If the job you're applying for offers you the challenges and environment you were always looking for, you should point out this fact.
Good answer 1: "The reason that there is a two year gap in my employment history is that I could afford to be very choosy as I had a substantial amount of money in savings, which allowed me to spent almost two years looking for the right position. I resigned from Acme Corporation because the work was very unchallenging and I wanted to make sure that I found a new position that offered me the type of challenging, interesting work and advancement for opportunities that I was searching for. So, I interviewed for many positions and was offered quite a few of them, but I turned them down because they were not right for me."
Good answer 2: "When I was younger, I did some foolish things, one of which was not having any idea of what I wanted to do with my life, so I was generally unfocused and ended up quitting several good jobs so I could attend school full-time and get the necessary training to enter a new field. The two-year employment gap between my job at Acme and XYZ Industries occurred because I was attending university full-time while my wife supported us financially. The most recent employment gap occurred because I again decided to go back to school and earn a degree so I could qualify for much better jobs."
