How to Answer Interview Questions About Resume Gaps

How to Answer Interview Questions About Resume GapsHow to Answer Interview Questions About Resume GapsCareer progression often gets described as a ladder, which implies that workers take steady steps toward higzu sich positions. In reality, however, journeys rarely follow such a tidy progression. For instance, people may remain on a rung while taking time off to raise children or settling in after moving to a new town. Thus, plenty of candidates present resume gaps the key is how you handle them.Show hiring managers that youre a great match for a job despite resume gaps (maybe even because of them) with these strategies for gracefully answering questions about the issue.Heres how to answer interview questions about resume gapsTell the truth.Resist all temptation to lie. Your credibility immediately gets destroyed if an employer discovers fudged dates. Besides, trying to cover or worrying about being found out adds an unwanted layer of nervousness to your interview.Share the basics in your cover letter.If your resume raises questions as to employment history, consider offering an explanation in your cover letter instead of leaving the hiring manager to make his or her own assumptions. This forum provides the chance to compose a concise, effective answer that clues in employers before youre put on the spot at an interview. It also lets you highlight personal growth and how you kept your skills sharp during the time off.Practice talking about gaps.Since the subject of resume gaps is likely to arise in the interview, be ready. Prepare answers to questions such as What were you doing between jobs X and Y? or Why did you stop working for X years?Focus on the more professional elements of what you did at that time, suggests Lavie Margolin, author of Mastering the Job Interview. Pull out your relevant community work, volunteer experiences, and consulting elements as well. At the same time, there is no reason to be embarrassed about prioritizing your life as a parent, c aring for an elderly parent, or overcoming an unexpected illness. Just dont let that overtake the interview. Make it clear you would be able to focus on your next job, when given the opportunity.Stay confident.Positive, forward-thinking applicants get noticed. Instead of dwelling on resume gaps (or worse yet, apologizing for them), turn your attention to all the wonderful things you have to offer the company here and now. Perhaps you became a master at time management while raising three kids or spent the period after a layoff getting additional certification in your industry.Remember, employers care more about their own future than they do about your past.