I am attempting to return to the workforce after a three-year absence. I was laid off from my job with Company Q of one and a half years along with the rest of my department in January 2000 (I was offered relocation but declined it) and subsequently underwent an episode of clinical depression from which I have recently recovered. How should I explain this on my cover letter and in interviews?
My earlier work history compounds the problem. My first job after college with lasted for three years, after which I quit due to work-related stress. Six months later I was hired by Company P, for which I worked for four months before succumbing to a really bad depression for which I went on long-term disability. After a year and a half’s recovery period, upon being able to return to work I was not given my job back by Company P but instead designated an “inactive employee” eligible for benefits only, so I went and got hired by Company Q instead, who laid me off, bringing me to the current juncture.
My inclination is to explain the gaps in my work history as the result of unspecified health issues but not to be any more specific than that. (Actually, this is what I did prior to being hired by Company Q; the hiring manager invited me to a corridor window to check out the view while he surrepetitiously examined me under natural light). In your humble opinion, is this the best strategy?
I would leave the time element off of your resume. Structure your resume in terms that highlight what you’ve accomplished and what you know, but without specification of the time periods covered.
Of course you should be able to explain time spent doing things once you’re in an interview if the interviewer brings it up, but I would not recommend that you bring that up. A resume is only intended to get you an interview and there is no set format that it has to be in. Use whatever format is to your advantage.
Lie, Lie, Lie. I don’t like when a company gets nosey, especially when the absences are health-related (and particularly, mental health-related). Make up a self-employed story, or say you took off to raise the family or care for an elderly relative or something. Don’t give them a chance to let their prejudices keep you from getting a job!
I’m interested in this as I have a nearly two year gap right now.
Regarding leaving dates off the resume, that can be done although that may cause them to think that you are an old fart and you may not get a call back. In any case, the time frames are likely to come up in an interview and will have to be included on the actual application. The application is a signed legal document, so lying on that is probably not a good idea (at least for anything that is verifiable).
Don’t bother with the dates on the resume (or list by year as mentioned above). If it comes up in the interview (and it probably won’t), just tell them it was due to health issues, but that you are now all better and are looking for the opportunity to use your skills.
So the general consensus is, time is not my friend?
I tried this during my last job search. In a first interview the HR weenie asked for the month for each year-only date I had supplied and when I told her, revealing the period of extended employment, she attempted to end the interview process right there. I objected and was allowed to complete the rest of the interviews scheduled for that day, but I knew that I had killed my chances for working there, and it was very embarassing.
From that experience, I don’t think that attempting to conceal the gaps would be effective. All I would be doing is weeding myself out later in the process. I think I’ll stick with the dates with the nonspecific health issues and leave it at that.
As someone who has had to explain a 3 year gap in his job employment history, I used the following tactics:
You could say there were some family issues that arose that you had to take care of. (this is true as regards your health issues.)
You could say that you spent time writing a novel or a series of short stories. (Everybody that I know has said that they’ve done this, what are they going to do, ask you to show them your manuscripts?
I’ve had several long breaks between jobs, in each case I’ve put down things like “career break” - “travelling” - “self study” - blahdy blahdy blahdy, normally with something along the lines of “temporary work via an agency to suplement savings”.
I find this works pretty well, sure you’ll get asked questions about where you travelled, or what you studied, but then you can drop details of any holiday, etc into that gap.
Family issues is another one you can mention, I wouldn’t necessarily put it on your CV that you spent a year caring for your sick mother, but when asked about a break you can say that, even if all you did was drop in to see her once a week.
Don’t lie outright, but be “creative” with the truth. Afterall a CV is an advert for yourself, and when was the last time you saw an advert that haddn’t been just a little embellished!
Also, You don’t need to list every job you ever had, only the ones relevant for the job you are now applying for. If asked you can say, sure I worked in the chicken factory for a year, but I didn’t see how that would benefit providing tech support to your firm, so I left it out.
As far as the law stands in the UK, you don’t have to tell them about your health issues unless directly asked (face-to-face or via a form), then if you lie disaplinery action may be taken if it’s ever found out. But you don;t have to volunteer the information.
