Posted by Mair on June 2, 2001, at 6:43:44
In reply to Re: How do you explain gaps in work history?, posted by caroline on June 2, 2001, at 3:38:10
Jane - I'm an employer not an employee and I have interviewed tons of people over the last 20 years. I concur with a lot of what's been said here with the caveat that I wouldn't make up any extravagant lies. If you're applying to work in a huge place, maybe it doesn't make a difference. I work in a 9 person office. People are much more convivial and curious about the lives of others. An extravagant lie may draw attention to yourself and be easier to pick up on later. Even if an otherwise happy employer may understand why you did what you did, he still is going to feel a little cheated. You also need a lie that you are comfortable with and that doesn't invite a huge slew of follow-up questions. You don't want to spend the whole interview or the first several weeks of your employment explaining your hiatuses.
We always do ask about gaps, particularly where the person is someone who hasn't stuck with any jobs for a long period of time. I like the idea of being a little vague about the period of time of your gap on your resume, but you'd better be prepared to give more specific dates if asked. The excuse of dealing with family matters seems pretty inocuous altho it's tough for us to evaluate this without knowing more about the frequency and length of your gaps. Sometimes we've been told that someone just didn't get along with a previous employer and they had a mutual parting of the ways. We usually accept that at face value since it's a likely scenario. Unless that person is listed as a reference, we don't bother to call them because we've already been alerted that the recommendation will be negative. Lastly, it goes without saying that make sure you don't list as a reference a previous employer who is familiar with your mental health history, unless it's someone you can absolutely trust to be discrete.
I once hired a secretary who was seemingly coming back into the work force after an 8 year gap, which she explained as raising kids. We talked to the most recent employer she listed and he gave her a glowing recommendation. We hired her and she accepted. The day before she was supposed to start she called us and confessed that in fact she had worked for someone else more recently and had just been convicted and placed on probation for embezzling from her last employer. I think she only called us because it was a condition of her probation that she reveal this information and maybe she feared that her probation officer would call us. This is a very different scenario from yours, and involved a much more serious deception. I just relate it as evidence that sometimes employers are justified in being curious about your personal history and abundantly cautious.
Good Luck
Mair
PS - employers are impressed with people who can speak convincingly and with great self assurance, altho we're quick to pick up on bull____. On a more positive note, if an employer thinks you can do the job, he/she will try to rationalize away any doubts or negative reports.
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poster:Mair
thread:6253
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010526/msgs/6262.html