The Interview Question of the Week - Why Have You Been Out Of Work So Long?

 

Once again, it's time for the Interview Question of the Week!

 

For most job seekers, being invited to interview for a job is exciting. The interview is their chance to wow the hiring manager and is the door to the opportunity they have been looking for. This is the chance to shine, and the best way to stand out from the crowd is to be prepared for anything the interviewer might throw out.

 

In order to help you get prepared, each week we take a new interview question and break it down to come up with the best possible answer. When you think about your answers to these questions ahead of time, you will already have an idea of how you want to answer it, and you won't have to worry about suddenly drawing a blank or stammering through it.

 

So, here is the Interview Question of the Week:

 

Question:

Why have you been out of work so long?

 

Why its a trap:

When you have been having an extended job search, employers sometimes wonder if there is some reason that you haven't been snapped up by another company. Even in a tough job market like we are experiencing now, there is still the prejudice that people who have been unable to find a job quickly are either unmotivated or lacking in skills or ability. Neither of these are true, of course. I think that the reason the prejudice survives is that it is difficult for someone who has a job they care about to admit that losing your job and not being able to find another right away can happen to even the best of us, through no fault of our own. The idea that anyone can find themselves in that position is scary and it is easier to assume that unemployed people are in that situation because they weren't good employees or because they don't want a new job bad enough.

 

The best answer:

When you answer this question, you want to point to factors that have kept you unemployed by choice. Job searching is sort of like dating, you want to appear to be single because you are waiting to find the right person, not because you can't find a date. Answering the question this way will help you avoid looking desperate.

 

For example: “After my job was downsized, I did some hard thinking and decided that I wasn't going to just take the first job I could find. I am determined to make something good out of a bad situation. So, I started looking at what I do best, and what I am passionate about. Then, I searched for companies that would be able to offer me those opportunities.”

 

“In addition, the housing market has been tough, and there haven't been many job openings. So, between that and my being very picky about finding the right opportunity, it has taken some time. But I am confident that when I find the right fit, it will have been worthwhile.”

 

What do you think about this question and answer? Are there other questions you would like to see answered here? Let me know in the comments.

 

If you are looking for a job in Real Estate, visit RealEstateJobsite for the best Real Estate job listings.

 

 

By Melissa Kennedy-Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for RealEstateJobSiteBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.