Explaining an Irregular Employment History

A carefully-crafted resume can downplay an irregular employment history. If, for example, you’ve had several jobs in the past few years, or had a long gap between jobs, it’s possible to create a resume that will deemphasize this and help you land an interview (note that you should never lie about your work history—this can easily come back to haunt you). But what do you do when you get to the interview and have to answer questions about your work history?

If you’ve had several jobs in a short space of time, an employer is bound to be concerned that you won’t stick around for long if they hire you. In fact, they’re likely to ask you just why you’ve had so many jobs. If you’ve been laid off this is a much easier question to answer—after all, company downsizing isn’t your fault, and it’s not something you could have controlled. However, if you’ve voluntarily left your jobs this is more difficult to explain.

Why not take control of the problem and bring it up before the interviewer does? This gives you the opportunity to explain the situation on your own terms, and your interviewer will not be left with the impression that you’ve been trying to hide something. You can include a reference to your work history in the conversation fairly easily.

For example, when the interviewer asks “why do you want this job?” you could reply by saying “you’ll have noticed that I’ve had several jobs in the last few years—it’s been important for me to find out what I really want in a job before making a serious commitment. I’m more than ready to do that now, and I want to prove my worth in a company that will benefit from the wide-ranging experience I’ve gained in my previous positions. The requirements of the job you’re offering are a perfect match for my skills and experience.”

Explaining a gap in your work history can be done just as easily. If you’ve been searching for a job for a long time, for example, you can explain that you’ve been searching for the perfect position, and that you want to contribute to a company that will utilize all of your skills and experience. If you’re returning to work after having spent several years caring for your children, it is best to state this briefly, and then follow up by mentioning any volunteer work, part time work or educational activities you’ve taken part in that have allowed you to keep your skills up-to-date.

Also, please review our Tools to Find a Job section.