How to Explain Unemployment in a Job Interview

n the UK, the employment rate is 75.1% for people aged 16 to 64, it has decreased slightly from the previous year. If you have been out of work for a while and you have an interview looming, you might feel awkward about explaining your unemployment. This is a normal apprehension and one that is felt by most candidates in this situation. However, unemployment can happen to anyone for any reason. It may be that you were made redundant from the role, you had to stop work to provide care to a family member or you may have decided to have a career break. These are some tips for explaining unemployment in a job interview.

Preparation is Key

Make sure you are prepared to answer questions about your unemployment in your interview, so you know exactly what you will say. If you are taken unaware with questions about the period where you were not working, you might end up making yourself more nervous, which could affect your job interview outcome.

Honesty is the Best Policy

Regardless of the reasons for your unemployment, it is important to be honest. There is no point in trying to bluff your way out of it, as the truth may come out in the future. Even if you have been fired from your last role, you should be honest about it. It might show up in an employment reference or somehow from your previous company may know someone from the company you are applying to. Honesty is always the best policy.

Positive Spin

There is no need to go into huge amounts of detail when you are explaining unemployment. For instance, if you were let go from your last job, explain what happened and what you learnt from it but don’t start to go into the finer details. For example, you might say:

“I was let go from my last job due to my time keeping but this was a result of childcare responsibilities which has now been resolved.”

You being honest about what happened, you are explaining why and what you have done to resolve the issue. Employers are not there to judge you, and they will always appreciate your honesty. 

Fill the Gaps

Make sure you try to fill any unemployment gaps positively, rather than just stating you were unemployed. For example, you could say you were actively job hunting and attending careers fairs or you were undertaking training courses. Even something as simple as working out at the gym can show the recruiter that you haven’t just wasted your time during your period of unemployment. Unemployment can be difficult but showing that you remained positive and proactive can be a huge green flag to a potential employer.

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