Table of Contents
Introduction
Due to many unforeseeable and unfortunate circumstances, people have to take a break from their employment. Many people presume that they won’t get a job after a break in their employment. But this is a wrong notation, there are many circumstances in which people have to take an employment gap.
Even recruiters are aware and considerate of this fact. The only thing that can help you in getting a job after an employment gap of a few months or several years is the reason behind your employment gap and the way you present it.
Always talk about your employment gap honestly and clearly. Read below to know more about getting a job after a break in employment in India.
Popular reasons for an Employment Gap
Most of the time a person needs a break in his employment due to medical or personal reasons. Many candidates feel hesitant to share their personal reasons, but in order to get a job and explain your situation clearly, you need to be transparent about your situation to your recruiters.
Let’s consider the case of Mike Khanna before going through the general causes of gaps in employment. Mike completed his MBA from one of the top business schools and after working for 10 years in the marketing of FMCG products he decided to start his own venture with a partner.
Though his intention was good and he was a dedicated man, his partner abandoned him and migrated to the USA. This came as a blow to Mike and now he is struggling to find a job with a decent salary because of his employment gap.
Let’s go through some of the popular reasons that compel a candidate to take a break in his employment:
- Health issues: Even while working, anyone can be diagnosed with an urgent medical situation. Some people might need to undergo surgeries or have to go abroad or relocate because of it. This might lead to an employment gap.
- Higher Studies: This is a common reason for breaks in employment among youngsters. They have to go for higher studies or graduation courses that might exceed the sabbatical period.
- Family Emergencies: Some personal losses can be really hard, the candidate might have any dedicated family commitments that might consume a few years.
- The previous firm was shut down: There are many cases in which due to an abrupt massive loss the entire firm might shut down. In a lot of cases, the employees are not compensated and laid off without issuing any proper experience certificate, which makes the year of service unexplainable.
- To start a business: Entrepreneurship is quite appealing yet challenging. Many people have a vision and they take their chance, some succeed and some don’t. But sometimes the efforts become unexplainable to the world and appear as an employment break.
Why is it difficult to find a job after a long gap?
The actual issue arises when a person starts looking for a job after years of break. After a few years, the industry undergoes a lot of changes, from the technology being used to the work culture everything seems to be updated.
The skills required by the companies change dramatically over a few years. As a fresher, you are innovative and energetic so that adds to your strength and you get hired. But years-long gaps in employment make the person a bit unaware.
To overcome these challenges you need to gear up and work on yourself so that you become presentable in front of the recruiters and earn your dream job.
How to find a job after a long gap?
After a long gap, you need to be quite dedicated and determined before you start your job hunt. There will be situations where you will have to explain your employment gap, stay confident and honest. Don’t think that you are the only person in the industry who has been through something unexpected.
There are many candidates who resume their careers after breaks due to some crucial commitments. You can still find a job. Read below, to find out How can you find a job after a long gap in employment?
- Upskill yourself: You need to upskill yourself and be aware of all the changes that have occurred over the last few years. You can take an online course or read a few blogs. Nowadays, every domain has a specific certification that gets a lot of attention from recruiters, try to attain that or earn skill badges on LinkedIn for getting your application shortlisted.
Confused about which course to apply for? Don’t worry Coding Ninjas has a variety of courses and placement guidenace for you.
- Clear employability assessments: Many platforms such as AMCAT, eLitmus, MyAnatomy conduct employability assessments. If you clear such assessments you are given a chance to apply to various job opportunities and send your resumes to recruiters. The exam pattern, syllabus of such assessments are available on their portal. Make sure that you prepare well before appearing for the assessment so that you get a high score and come in the top performers.
- Stay active on the Groups: Most of the job applications are posted online and the recruitment drive is hosted virtually. You need to stay active on Telegram channels, job portals, discussion forums to receive regular updates about vacancies. Tell your friends and make a few connections in your domain, so that you can get referrals and you get to know about openings from them.
- Increase your social credibility: You need “social credibility” to find a job after an employment gap of a few years. Nowadays LinkedIn and Quora are being considered as really good platforms for corporate networking and building connections and reaching out to people, who might actually show you the path or at least help you in reaching the correct point of contact. You can even add your resume to your LinkedIn profile and apply to jobs directly. Refers are the best way of assuring your credibility.
- Update your resume: In the first instance, it is your resume that gives the first impression about you to the recruiter. Hence, you need to work really hard on building a good resume. Do not forget to mention the reason behind your gap in your resume, stay to the point and present it subtly. Mention all the skills that you have and the courses you have completed.
- Practice for your Technical Interview: As a first step, you must be aware of all the required/skills that you must master to crack interviews. Solving of aptitude tests, good knowledge of one programming language, core subjects (DBMS, OS, Computer Networks), and mastery in data structures and algorithms is a must
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can get a job after a two years gap. The only requirement is that you brush up your skills by reading the updates and creating projects or reports so that you can prove your worth to your recruiter.
If you have a long employment gap then you can find a job with the help of referrals or by doing some latest course or learning any contemporary skills that would add to your resume and make it appealing to your recruiter.
A four-year gap in employment might get your resume rejected in case you don’t mention the reason for this break in employment. Hence, you must honestly mention the reason in your resume.
Yes, it is definitely possible to get a job after a long gap, you just need to be determined and have perseverance.
A seven-year gap is huge, but you can mention each year to your human resource manager or even with your resume you can attach a gap affidavit that explains the reason and genuineness of your absence.
You need “social credibility” to find a job after eight years. Nowadays LinkedIn has been a really good platform for corporate networking and building connections and reaching out to people, who might actually show you the path or at least help you in reaching the correct point of contact.
The easiest way to get a job if you have not worked for 10 years is to apply for entry-level positions at companies related to your skillset. You can prove your worth eventually and once you regain your energy you can compete for promotions and attain a better position.
In case you have been absent for a long while, you can contact your previous recruiter. There are several cases in which the old company retains its ex-employee if the reason behind his absence was genuine, else you might get a job opportunity with the help of referrals.
Key Takeaways
These employment gaps issues are quite common and so is its solution. The ways to get a job after a gap in education are more like suggestions, a job can only be achieved with a lot of dedication and perseverance. In many cases, you get a job quite early.
Therefore, you must keep on applying and upskilling yourself and keep updating yourself about your latest achievements and courses in your resume and application profiles. Hence, don’t think that if you have an employment or educational gap you can’t end up having a fruitful career.
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By Vanshika Singolia
