One of the difficult things to do is get back into the workforce after you’ve been out for awhile.
Whether you took time off to raise kids, took time off to travel or have a break, or were laid off or otherwise terminated and have found it difficult to find a new job, the longer you are out of work the harder it can be to get a new job.
Sometimes it’s because the longer you are out of work, the more potential employers wonder why you have been out of work for so long.
Hiring managers aren’t the only people who often wonder about this, either.
I recall meeting with a young guy who was just starting his career and had a very specific skillset, experience that I thought one of my clients would be interested in. The issue was that he’d been out of work for about 9 months and the job he lost (he’d be laid off) was the first job he’d ever held. He was a young guy with less than 2 years of work experience so in some respects he wasn’t the most ideal candidate for a recruiter to help since he had a bit of experience in a specific area but not enough experience to be considered for many positions that required skills that he simply didn’t have.
When I met with him following an initial telephone conversation, my first impression was that he wasn’t really that motivated and seemed to have no problem being out of work. He was still living at home and didn’t seem to be doing much in his spare time and the more I spoke with him, he gave me no impression that he was desperate or even willing to do much to get a new job.
I’m fairly certain that if I’d have been a hiring manager and he’d interviewed with me and acted the same way, I wouldn’t have bothered interviewing him a second time because I’d have been convinced he wasn’t really that motivated.
On the other hand, you have those people who are out of work and do the exact opposite. When you meet them, they give you the impression that they are so desperate for a job that they’d literally take anything you offered them.
I once interviewed a young guy for a specific job with one of my clients who told me that he’d take any job with the company and would gladly accept even a salary that would have literally amounted to less than minimum wage. And he was serious. I was actually nervous about putting him in front of the client because he came across as being just so desperate for a job that it was actually sad to see.
Neither impression is a very good one to give a hiring manager – or a recruiter – so if you’re out of work, think about the hints you give people that can influence your job search and ask yourself if you’re leaning too far one way or the other.
Remember that you’re always being watched and evaluated during interviews and when otherwise meeting with hiring authorities including recruiters so in addition to answering questions to the best of your ability, remember the non-verbal cues you’re giving out too.
