Why do employers care about gaps in my work history? - Comparably | Comparably

Why do employers care about gaps in my work history?

Leadership

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32 Answers

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    Top Employee Response

    Because it typically represents a time when an employee was not gaining new experience or being productive

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    Could suggest instability, problems are previous employer, impatience.

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    They want to know the money they put into you to train you is a good investment

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    Main concern is on whether or not the employee will be there for the long haul. It's costly to train, find and train the replacement.

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    What were you doing in that time? Are you reliable, hungry, and always on the move to get something done? That's what we hope was happening during a gap.

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    Because they want to make sure you haven’t been in prison, addicted to drugs, or playing video games in Moms basement for a while.

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    Because it makes it seem like you are hiding something.

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    Because everyone wants to explore the unexplained.

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    I think leaders care more about how well you can explain gaps. Life happens and gaps may be unavoidable — I.e., Family need? How well can you articulate the gap and alleviate any concerns of prospective employer?

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    Shows that your not a determined person. May be lazy. Could be black listed.

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    Does it show anything about your work ethic.

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    It might be read as a red flag showing lack of commitment and responsibility.

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    Because it looks like you were slacking off.

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    Curious as to what you have been doing

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    Because it shows you got lazy

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    Don't know - some people link with inability to get a job

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    Did I just get tired of working?

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    To see what you have done and how continuous is your work history. Even for your credit you need to show why gaps

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    To understand the full story of your background/experience and eliminate risk of a bad hire.

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    Because they seem to think you are lazy or have a problem if you have a gap like could have been in prison or rehabilitation but anyways I believe that employers shouldn't look at this they should mind their business your are there for a job not to become part of a family

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    Because they have no understanding that you may have given your all to a bad past employer that hung you out to dry. This has become a much more common occurrence on resumes recently as businesses stop honoring the tradition of respecting employees enough to provide a notice & severance prior to eliminating positions. Pennies before people these days rather than helping those that have worked for you!

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    Because they are grasping for excuses not to hire you.

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    They want to see consistancy.

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    Could be an indication of motivation level and desire to work and be productive.

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    Depends how long and if you have valid reasons.

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    I don’t have any but I guess it would be to assess someone’s work ethics

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    Gaia imply you’re not employable or difficult

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    Because they are probably curious as to why you were not working.

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    Concern about mental stability and working under pressure. It is nice to know what baggage a candidate may bring with them to the new job.

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    They want to know why you didn't work during that time

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    Because it implies undesirable unemployment and/or relatively low work ethic

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    Employers infer that a large gap might mean you are unemployable or have some hidden issues. Personally I think this is unfair in the modern economy where so many people get laid off all the time.