Hi HN, I have been unemployed for 4 years, one year voluntary and following caused by illness. What is the best way to cover my lack of employment without discussing the disability that caused it when going for an interview? Looking particularly for mainly entry level jobs. What's the best excuse for the lapse of time not spent working or studying?
What to do with no work history for 4 years?
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Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#2Set up a blog (of your past HN comments) and say you were an aspiring writer the entire time. Is this false?
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#3Are you looking for a good lie or something? A positive framing of the truth is probably the better option.
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#4> What is the best way to cover my lack of employment without discussing the disability that caused it when going for an interview?
If the interviewers have been trained in the law and this is for US work, they will defer questions around illness to HR just like questions around religion, home ownership, etc. See the Americans with Disabilities act if you haven't already:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Ac...
I don't see how you can talk about the gap without talking about the illness, though.
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#5No post body was provided.
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#6Better to be honest, just say that you had an illness and you couldn't work. They won't ask you for details and if they do, say that you don't feel comfortable discussing.
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#7Increasingly the employment gap doesn’t matter and a lot of employers advise interviewers to not ask. Often the answer is something like care taking, illness, or other semi-protected life event that HR just doesn’t want to unwrap.
I would be honest. There’s no better excuse for not working than you were unable to due to an illness. As mortals we all appreciate this reason. If you are interviewing with someone who doesn’t understand that, do you really want to work for them?
If it’s the nature of the illness that you are uncomfortable disclosing be aware you are entitled to medical privacy. Just tell them it was a serious illness that prevented you from working and if they ask for specifics tell them it is private. Again if they can’t respect that 1) they may be violating local or state laws if not their own policies, 2) do you want to work for them?
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#8Why even bother? Either you can do the work or you can’t do the work. Talk about relevant experience you have if they ask ( and they will ask what you’ve been working on recently, if my experience as an interviewer of hundreds of swes is worth anything ). Other than that do your best to indicate that you’re enthusiastic about the role and that you’ll make their life easier.
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#9You don't need to make an excuse at all! Just tell the truth.
Re: What to do with no work history for 4 years?
#10Increasingly the employment gap doesn’t matter and a lot of employers advise interviewers to not ask. Often the answer is something like care taking, illness, or other semi-protected life event that HR just doesn’t want to unwrap. I would be honest. There’s no better excuse for not working than you were unable to due to an illness. As mortals we all appreciate this reason. If you are interviewing with someone who doe…
In this case, "taking care of a sick relative" is also an accurate statement, and reveals less information.