Unemployment on a Job Application

 

One of the disadvantages of being unemployed is how to explain the time gap on a job application. The large gaps in your employment record can turn some employers off and they will just toss your job application. What kind of action can you take to prevent this? Honesty is always the best policy and it can provide some leverage when filling out that application either for a sales job or any other. Here are some reasons for unemployment and how to answer the questions concerning the issue.

 

Downsizing: This is probably the easiest and most accepted reason for job unemployment. For one thing, this is beyond your control. You can simply explain that your position was eliminated and you were let go. You can state whether you were on good terms with your employers and if you are eligible for rehire. If you are, you can tell the interviewer that you are eligible for rehire but have decided to pursue other options which is why you are there.

 

Medical leave: You do not have to explain the medical condition that caused you to leave your other job. However, you can assure the new employer that your health is no longer an issue and you’ve been cleared to return to work. This should not be an issue unless you were fired for absenteeism.

 

Termination: This one is tricky. You should mention this one immediately. You need to be truthful about the reason for the firing. Admit what you did wrong and what lessons you learned. You can also explain how you would handle the same situation now or how to avoid the problem to begin with. Always turn a negative into a positive.

 

Resignation: If you left to stay home with the kids, make a note. Explain what functions you performed or skills that you developed from that experience that could benefit the prospective employer. If you left on moral grounds, state that you disagreed with the company's administration, supervisory or financial policies and that you gave the employer two weeks notice before you left. You don’t have to explain it any further than that.

 

Some managers are more interested in what you did with your time off than why you were unemployed. Unemployment is not a vacation time. You can do volunteer work, tutor, coach sports, pursue freelance work, or go back to school. All these things can be used as experience regardless if its paid or volunteer. Experience is experience. Going to school full time is the same as a full time job. By showing what you’ve achieved during this difficult period will demonstrate to potential employers your attitude, resourcefulness and what you were able to accomplish when the chips were down.

 

 

 

Comments, as always, are welcome!

 

 

 

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

 

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 7 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Decending Darkness, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She is a Affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association She also does freelances work for Beyond and for Salesheads. More of her blogs can be found at Salesheads blog.