Employment Gap-Story of Patience
Dear Connection,
After working years as a reputable doctor with a thriving practice,
Dr. SoandSo decided it was time for him to take a break. He started to realize that he missed spending time with his family. His kids were growing up fast right before his eyes. He became concerned that he had missed out so much. Acting on his concern, he called a family meeting, discussed his feelings, and announced that he would temporarily close his practice and go on a sabbatical. This sabbatical will allow him to spend the quality time he desires with his family. They were going to travel as much as possible and enjoy each other’s company.
Knowing that his decision to close his office would impact his staff, he offered a generous severance to each of them. He permitted them to seek employment elsewhere because he was unsure how long his sabbatical would last.
Patience, his nurse practitioner, leaped at the opportunity. Not because she wanted a vacation but because she needed the time off to spend with her elderly parents. Her mother’s dementia had progressed rapidly, and her father’s health was declining. This break was a welcomed blessing in disguise.
Months passed, and Dr. SoandSo returned, but not to his practice. Instead, while on his sabbatical, he realized that working at the local hospital would best serve him and his family rather than reopening his practice. Working at the hospital would allow him to maintain a work-life balance.
He updated his resume to include his sabbatical and started the interview process. Eventually, he was hired.
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His nurse practitioner, Patience, sadly had a different outcome. Her mother passed away, and her father had to be in hospice. Despite her credentials, her solid work experience, and references, it was a challenge for her to find another job. She kept running into the same issue of having to explain the gap in her employment. Recruiters felt that it reflected poorly.
Both Dr. SoandSo and Patience have excellent work experience. Both showed the gap in employment on their resumes. Fortunately for the doctor, his gap was overlooked and never questioned. Unfortunately for Patience, she had to explain the reason for her gap and relive the heartbreaking story about her parents with each interview.
Recruiters and Hiring Managers, it is time to modernize our mindset.
This current employment landscape has shown us that anything goes. Let's normalize gaps in employment as part of the candidate's employment history.
Do not use this as an excuse to disqualify a qualified candidate. The gap is simply a part of their work story. It does not mean it is a loss of skill. Your concern should be whether they can do the job and whether there is value added to the organization and the team.