I noticed you left your last job about a year ago,
and you haven't worked since.
Why is that?
Well, even though I was doing well in my prior role,
I found myself feeling just pretty burnt out and not
myself, so I decided to take some time to travel and do
some self-reflection.
Wow.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
There may come a time in your career
when you will leave your industry for a bit
and try something new, or just take time away from work
altogether, and that's OK.
But if you have gaps in your resume,
you should be prepared to answer questions about them
during the interview process.
This video is going to highlight some common reasons
for a non-linear or functional resume,
and how to properly address them when
interviewing for a new job.
Kylie recently took some time away from work to travel,
and is now looking to get back into the hospitality industry.
Let's listen in.
I noticed you left your last job about a year ago,
but you haven't worked since.
Why is that?
I just got to a point where I just
didn't feel like working anymore and wanted
to take some time for myself.
And I got to travel and that was pretty great,
but I think I'm ready to get back into the swing of things.
OK, let's talk about this answer.
Gap years are so common now and the age
of the great resignation, and recognizing
that you want to take time away to focus on yourself
is never a bad thing.
But this answer had two main issues, it's incredibly vague
and lacks the certainty that they
want to re-enter the workforce.
Don't be afraid to lean into your time off,
what you learned, and how that's prepared you to come back.
Let's see that one again.
I noticed you left your last job about a year ago,
and you haven't worked since.
Why is that?
Even though I was doing well in my prior role,
I found myself feeling pretty burnt out and just not myself,
so I decided to take some time to travel and do
some self-reflection.
And that was very helpful because with that space,
I was able to determine what was causing me so much stress.
And I feel better able to manage it moving forward.
And I was so excited to see this position open up,
and I'm confident with my skill set from before
as well as what I've learned about myself in the past year,
I'll be successful in this role.
That was great.
Transparency is key when asked about a gap year,
and you shouldn't be ashamed to talk about it
with a future employer.
This kind of emotional intelligence
and self-awareness, will make you a stronger candidate
because employers want to know they can retain you
and that you aren't a flight risk.
So when you decide to get back into the workforce,
be confident in your decision and express that confidence
during your interview.
I know you've been out of the workforce for a bit
so I would just love to hear about why
you applied for this position?
Sure.
The last few years were great.
I was able to devote all my time to raising my child
and was always busy looking after him.
But now that he's in school, I'm honestly kind of bored
so I thought when I saw the job posting,
it matched pretty well with what I used to do.
And now that I have the time back,
I might as well go back to work.
Let's unpack this one.
Parenting is one of the most universal reasons
why people leave the workforce.
And sometimes it could be years before they
return if they do at all.
But if you decide to go back to work after a parenting hiatus,
the reason should never be simply that you're bored.
You should actively want the job you're interviewing for.
Not to just fill your schedule but to reinvest in your career.
Let's have all you do that one again.
I know you've been out of the workforce for a bit
so I would just love to hear about why
you applied for this job?
Absolutely.
I love the advertising work that I used to do,
but I knew I wanted to take some time away from the workforce
after having my son.
So now that he's in school and I know I have the time back,
I'm so excited at the opportunity
to get back to doing what I was passionate about
and continuing my professional goals.
So when I saw the job position, it really piqued my interest.
It felt like a natural reentry for me given my past work
experience, and I can really envision myself having
long-term growth in this world.
Great.
Yes, there's so much to like about this response.
She addresses both her prior experience
in the industry, as well as the experience
she gained during her time away, as good assets
for this particular position.
And even though experience is earned while taking time off
to parent, aren't industry specific,
they are still valuable nonetheless.
This final scenario is a little different.
Unlike the first two, which included time away
from the workforce altogether.
In this scenario, Seth left an industry for another,
and is now interviewing for a position
back in that original industry.
I'm seeing here, you worked in sales in a similar position
to what we're chatting about today,
but then you jumped into event planning.
What made you make that change?
First and foremost, I hated what I was doing there,
and my boss did not make it any easier.
So a friend of mine was telling me about her event planning job
and sounded really cool.
So as soon as a position opened up there, I decided to apply
and I got right in.
Two red flags here.
One, never use language like you hated something
you used to do as a reason for leaving.
And two, avoid discussing past managers in a negative light.
Your talking points should be positive
and focus on your personal and professional growth.
Now, let's run it back and see that one again.
I'm seeing you worked in a sales position
similar to the one we're chatting about today,
but then you jumped into event planning.
So what made you make that change?
I was in sales for a while, and I
had felt that my career was plateauing a little bit,
and that I wanted to try new things.
A friend of mine told me about their event planning job
and it sounded really interesting
and like something I could apply my existing skills to.
So I waited for a position open up, applied, got in, been here
a year, I've learned a lot.
This is already so much better.
Seth identifies a particular reason
why he originally left the industry,
and expressed his interest in trying something new.
Not only that, but he draws attention
to their growth over the last year in his current job,
which should bode well in applying for this new role.
Let's see how this one wraps up.
Thank you for sharing that.
So I am curious though after leaving the sales industry,
what made you interested in this position?
What made you want to come back?
I feel that this last year has taught me that I really like
face-to-face time with clients.
Event planning has some decent client time,
but the majority of the role is logistics and operations.
I picked up some really valuable skill sets to that end.
But what really excites me about this position in particular,
is that it's specific to new business,
and there's tons of face-to-face time with the clients, which
I feel is directly in my wheelhouse.
And honestly, where I want to be moving forward with my career.
That was excellent.
Seth explains clearly why he wants
to come back to this role in his former industry,
and the transferable skills he learned during his time away.
And by ending the answer centered around his career
growth, shows he is committed to stay at the company.
Remember, it's completely normal for your resume
to deviate in direction throughout your career.
But it's important to come prepared
in the likely event you're asked about it during an interview.
Was this video helpful?
Make sure to like and subscribe.
And what is self-reflection?
It's where you work on the self to better oneself.
People do that?
Nice chat.
[LAUGHS]
Thank you.