That is, omitting it and explaining the gap with something else.
In know someone (it’s not me, not that it would make a difference) who experienced a period of mental illness. I advised her not to divulge this during an interview and to say instead that she had a “personal issue” she had to take care of. Am I giving good advice or is there a better way? It was a 6-month gap of unemployment, and I’m not sure what she should say if pressed. I still think she should avoid telling them, because most recruiters will, when given a huge choice of applicants, put someone like her to the bottom of the list, regardless of whether this is “fair” or not.
What do you think she should say if pressed further, i.e. getting the job is dependent on her being very transparent about the 6 month absence from the job market?
I know a man who has been out of work for two years owing to a brain aneurysm (to be accurate, I don’t think it was a typical aneurysm, I believe it had something to do with fluid build up causing brain swelling–something horrible of that nature).
Now, this man can choose to be honest when he returns for interviews, but I’m not convinced this is a good idea. It would create an impression of “fragility”, or liability, for want of better words. They would likely choose another candidate, on a pretext of them being a better fit for the company. By all measures he has made a more or less full recovery, though the process was very slow and long.
I’m at a loss, though, to come up with suggestions for ethically evading the question of the two year unemployment gap. Any thoughts? Impressions matter and, in my opinion, complete honesty can cost you–agree or disagree?
In the first scenario, a couple of repetitions of something like, “I felt it necessary to take some time off work to deal with a personal matter,” should be enough to forestall any further questioning. There’s a lot that cannot be asked about in an interview (especially medical issues, mental or otherwise), and most interviewers don’t want the potential HR hassle that comes with prying too deeply into those areas.
Now, it doesn’t mean that an interviewer won’t interpret that answer in a negative way, but unless your friend volunteers details, I can’t think of a way it would come to light.
Attitude and inflection of voice would be important in conveying the notion that the 6-month gap was voluntary, no potential detriment to future employment, and ultimately a positive.
In the second case, I suspect it would be a better idea to volunteer that it was a medical issue, but to follow it up with something along the lines of, “It has been successfully dealt with, I am fully capable of performing all aspects of this job, and it will have no negative impact on my future here at your company,” (assuming all of that is true). Again, that should be sufficient for the interviewer. Again, however, I can’t think of a way to impart that information without the risk of the interviewer interpreting it as “fragility” or undesirability. I don’t think there’s any way to avoid that completely.
Good points. The fragility issue is the main thing I’d be concerned with–and I suppose the only way to avoid it would be to omit mentioning it. That technically would be a lie of omission, but if it’s a question of avoiding a bad impression that doesn’t vibe with his true abilities, maybe it’s worth it? As long as it’s intelligently done and won’t result in him being discovered as dishonest.
Agreed that it’s most important to convinced employees that you will not be a liability and will be able to perform the job.
My two cents: she could try redoing her resume without referring to specific months (e.g. 2008-2010 worked at the Post Office, 2011-2013 worked at Joe’s House of Nuts, etc.). Then the topic might not come up to begin with.
Never, ever, ever divulge a medical problem during an interview. ONLY divulge at work **after getting the job ** (and if possible, after you’ve been there a bit) if you will need accommodation.
carlb is completely right that interviewers can’t get into details about health issues; that opens up a huge problem with ADA and fairness in hiring and so on.
This. You can even say “family matter that has now been resolved”. People will assume it was a divorce or death, and won’t probe further. You can then follow up the answer by talking about how you kept up with industry news or obtained additional training, and cite a book or article you read during that time. Take the focus off the time out of work.
I had a couple of six-month gaps in employment during the recession. My problems finding work were partly because of the recession, and partly because I had to be careful what jobs I took, because my untreated and new chronic migraine made me unable to do some jobs (such as IT help desk, for example). I explain the gaps by saying the recession had hit the area hard and there weren’t jobs in my field (true), and I was weeded out as “overqualified” by clerical jobs (also true). I just leave out the migraine part.
We aren’t really all obligated to go straight from one job to the next to avoid suspicion are we? I’d just go with “I was working on some projects,” which is not even a lie. It implies you were perhaps freelancing, inventing something, developing an app, writing a book, so financially on top of things you were taking time off on purpose, furthering your education, etc. Talk about anything productive/professional you did during your time off that does not relate to your illness.
I would definitely avoid any reference to time off for mental illness either before or after getting the job. Why bring your every move into question ever?
Honestly, I would consider characterizing it as a “personal issue” to not be a lie. Personal health is a personal issue. Whether or not it was a mental health issue or a broken bone doesn’t change that. It’s not specific, but then you aren’t required to be. They can probe if they want. If they don’t, its their responsibility.
In the same vein, a “family issue” could be anything from a bitter, six month divorce with high-powered attorneys and restraining orders to wrapping up grandma’s estate.
Was it Hydrocephalus (AKA Water on the Brain)? My wife had it and required 3 brain surgeries before they found a shunt that worked correctly. She was off of work for a little over 6 months; however, she didn’t lose her job, but was on extended sick leave. She’s had 2 other jobs since then and didn’t divulge the condition. Aside from some loss of feeling in the fingers on the left hand, she has recovered. Of course she didn’t have a break in jobs so that wasn’t a problem.
IMHO if someone fights through a difficult condition, they are not frail. Quite the opposite.
A friend of mine who was a VP of a large company told me that women have a built in pass for employment blanks of several months to years. Taking care of family, getting married and it didn’t work out, going to school to retrain. Any reasonable answer would be acceptable. Just don’t lie.
I believe an answer such as suggested by carlb, would be fine if the question was, “Why weren’t you working for this period of time”. If however, she was asked “Have you ever had treatment for a mental illness,” (there are some government jobs where this is an allowed questions) she would need to tell the truth. And yes you can still be hired with such an admission.
I agree that referring to it as “a personal issue” is not a lie. And in most cases, it would be illegal for the interviewer to pry further. You aren’t allowed to ask about marriage, divorce, kids, etc. I suppose some employers would pry anyway, but most wouldn’t.
