Career Break .. No Problem

 





Don't worry about that gap in your resume or that gap in career due to layoff or for that matter, any other reason. Its OK. 

Most job seekers are worried about it and in my job interview coaching over the past 2 years; I have had this conversation with them in detail - coming at it from multiple angles. 

1. Gap in the resume is not new and women have had it for ages on account of motherhood. So it's not a new problem. Yes, the reason of gap is different but HR people do know how to process a career-gap in their mind. 

2. Layoffs have increased this century and it has rapidly gone from performance-based clean-up to literal wiping out of departments and projects or functions where the best of performers get laid off. AND HR / Recruiters have now come to understand that. (So if a Recruiter is still viewing your career gap negatively; he is yet to get on to the HR maturity ladder) 

3. Self-designed career breaks are also something that professionals are taking. This is more recent (a decade or so) but surely happening. We are moving into a multi-stage career era where people do not stay in the same career for their entire lifetime.  

4. The thing I ask individuals to think about is What did they do with the gap? Did they do 'nothing' or 'just searching for a job'. That is not a good palatable response for the Recruiter. Show that you made good use of that time. And I don't mean you start flashing certifications and go pompous about how you utilised that period productively for your learning and development. It could be a combination of learning and spending time with family and your hobbies or a pet project of yours or an entrepreneurial venture or something.  

A career break is nothing to feel bad about or be worried about in an interview. If the Recruiter is looking at it negatively, it's their loss and their problem. 

#JobInterviewPreparation #CoachHemant #LeadershipDevelopment #GrowthMindset #OvercomeCareerStagnation 


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