Continuity of work experience is a mandatory component of the image of an ideal employee. But if you had a break in work, how to justify it to a potential employer to get a position?
If you decide to take a break from your professional activities, then any reason for you is a valid one. But for the employer, your experience will already have less value, because during the period of “idle time” you could have impaired or lost professional skills. The employer needs to know that during this period you not only did not lose them, but acquired new ones and improved your qualifications. It is more important to explain not why you quit for a while, but what you did to return.
If you had a big break from four months, then you need to argue it. Consider the main reasons for which the experience can be interrupted, and recommendations on how to explain them to the employer.
Personal circumstances
The generalized definition of “for family reasons” does not inspire confidence in the employer, since he does not say anything concretely. Even workaholics and strict managers have health problems, there are relatives who are sick and need care. Such valid reasons may even facilitate contact.
In these circumstances, it is important to use any opportunity to improve their skills.
Difficulties in finding a job
You can lose your job for various reasons, it does not always depend on the person himself, and it happens that you can’t quickly find a new one. The main thing is that this time is not wasted – you need to keep yourself in shape, perform remote work, build up portfolios, attend professional courses, etc. So you can convince your employer that you have not dropped out of the workflow, are aware of the latest news from your field, have not lost your skills, and the process of your adaptation in the new place will be the same as that of any other specialist.
Study
Young professionals and students study – a natural reason for a break in work. In this case, the HR-manager should not have any questions. But there are cases when an expert, who has taken place in a certain field, decides to continue his studies in order to improve his qualifications or change his field of activity. In this situation, it is worth focusing on what you have studied and what you have learned from it. Before searching for a job, devote some time to familiarizing yourself with the current situation in the area you are going to work in to prove to your employer that you are fully prepared.
Own business
In this case, you do not always want to admit that time was spent. If the cause of a long break was your own project, then the employer may not take it very well. This may suggest that you did not have enough professional or personal qualities to do your job. In addition, the employer may think that the person who worked for himself has lost the habit of obeying. You must completely refute these concerns and concentrate on the experience that was eventually obtained and how you can apply it. You may have to lower your salary expectations in order to gain a foothold in the labor
