Nashville Employers - Don’t Pre-Judge People Based on Employment Gaps.

Whenever I read of self-proclaimed “experts” warning hiring managers to be wary of job candidates with employment gaps, it frankly makes me angry. Don’t they realize that life often throws curve balls? It’s time they accept this fact and stop judging others without understanding the underlying facts behind career interruptions and detours. 

As a recruiter for Nashville-area talent – I’ve had a front row seat to how unexpected events touch job candidates. And what I’ve learned is that life doesn’t really care how much you earn, or whether you’re an early career candidate or a seasoned C-level executive. If you live long enough, unfortunate events will almost certainly impact your career at some point. 

After all, life is unpredictable. Who would have ever predicted that in 2010 the Greater Nashville Area would experience a 1000-year flood, leaving over 10,000 properties damaged or destroyed, and permanently shuttering nearly 400 businesses? I know I didn’t. However, the fact remains that this did happen – and it unexpectedly interrupted the careers of many talented people in the local area. In the span of a weekend, thousands of people lost their homes and belongings – and many even lost their jobs. 

And let’s not forget the ebb and flow of the world economy and tremendous changes within entire industries – as it is very common for highly talented and extremely successful people to experienced long job searches (or detours) during these periods of chaos and uncertainty. 

For instance, millions of people lost their jobs between 2008 and 2010 – during the worst global recession since World War II. If you weathered this period of time unscathed, consider yourself extremely lucky. Entire industries were decimated – as were countless professions. It took several years for some to return to pre-recession levels. 

Anyone arrogant or na?ve enough to pass judgment on others for employment gaps, please repeat after me, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” In short, as a hiring manager, have some compassion and empathy – as, one day, you may experience the same experience as the person you are now judging. 

Let’s also keep in mind that talented people often have employment breaks for a host of other unfortunate and uncontrollable events: 

-      To recover from their own serious illness or injury. 

-      To act as a caregiver for a spouse, child, parent or friend who is seriously ill or injured. 

-      To take care of complex family matters after the death of a spouse, parent or sibling. 

-      To deal with other life-altering events. 

 If none of these things have ever happened to you – again, consider yourself very fortunate. Realistically though, over time, it’s likely that one, or more, of these situations will significantly impact your own career at some point in your life. 

And it’s not just unfortunate events that create employment gaps. Some people choose to take a break from their careers for opportunities that come their way – and we should respect them for their choices. 

-      To focus on being a parent. 

-      To return to school or receive additional training. 

-      To gain a global, multi-cultural perspective, through travel. 

-      To act as a public servant helping others (e.g. mission trip). 

In closing, stop unfairly judging people based simply on “employment gaps” seen on a resume – without knowing the facts. It’s unfair, unkind, and it’s likely to lead to many missed opportunities in hiring the very best talent. In most cases, during an interview, you’ll discover very understandable reasons for these periods of time away from a career. 

In fact, you’ll likely learn that a “gap” is often a peek into the character of a person who has heroically stepped up to deal with an unexpected event – and, after all, isn’t that what you’re looking for in a prospective employee? 

 WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE AN EMPLOYMENT GAP.    

Be prepared to discuss your employment gap – but don’t burn through valuable interview time going into infinite personal detail. Wear a smile and keep the explanation simple. Before the interview, rehearse your explanation and try to keep it under 20 seconds. 

Consider what you did during the “gap time”. You might have gained skills or knowledge during this period, even if you weren’t paid. Perhaps you provided consultation to an organization or pursued online continuing education. 

At times, you might chose to insert an entry within your chronological career history, rather than leave an unexplained gap. 

EXAMPLES:

ATTENDED GRADUATE SCHOOL (2004 to 2005) 

TOOK SABBATICAL AND TRAVELED THROUGHOUT EUROPE (2012) 

SERVED AS CAREGIVER FOR ELDERLY PARENT (2014 to 2016) 

RAISED CHILDREN UNTIL THEY STARTED SCHOOL (2000 – 2005) 

  Despite what you’ve likely been told, your resume isn’t your “permanent record”. Instead, it is a personal branding tool – and its sole objective is to get you interviews. So, if you’ve experienced a protracted job search – eliminate months from your resume and stick with years. As long as your job search didn’t go beyond a year – it won’t jump off the page when the employer is initially considering your candidacy. Once you show up for the interview, and it’s time to fill out a job application, provide the exact months on the form. At that point you’re already in the door and you can verbally respond to any concerns. 

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