Minding the Gap

Marketplace has been asking readers to send in some personal stories, and a contributor named Bill Marshall recently shared his story about being laid off this summer and being asked the question, “What do you do?” while unemployed.

“You’re not going to say, ‘I’m unemployed and living off my savings,’” he said. “It doesn’t really impress people.”

As Jenny Ament points out at the top of the radio piece, lots of Americans had to deal with gaps in their employment histories during the recession. In fact, Ester and I were both laid off from a startup we worked at together during the height of the financial crisis. Fortunately I was able to cobble together some freelance work right after, so when people asked me what I was up to, I just said, “I’m currently working on a story about [x],” and left it at that.

But how do you explain a gap while on the job hunt?

The Boston Globe suggests keeping positive and being honest when employers ask about employment gaps:

Interviewer from XYZ: So John, you have been out of work for over a year. That’s a long time. Tell me about the circumstances of when and why you left ABC and tell me what you have been doing since you left ABC.”

You: Jane, thanks for giving me an opportunity to explain. First, I should point out that I was with ABC for nine-plus years. I started with ABC right out of college and then was promoted three times. Like a lot of companies, they struggled financially in 2008 and 2009. I survived three layoffs but finally in early 2010, I was laid off too. As you probably recall 2010 was a tough year and a lot of Massachusetts-based companies were not hiring. Fortunately, through networking, I have been able to secure quite a few consulting roles with several small- and mid-sized companies. What I have learned is that I thoroughly enjoy working in smaller, entrepreneurial environments, much like XYZ.

Solid advice.

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