How to explain gap in employment due to mental health issues

matthewo111 · 20-05-2019 05:35PM #1

Hi all,

Just looking for advice/get a pulse on how to handle a situation. I recently changed jobs (old job was a place I had worked for 4+years, and I had the beginnings of a good career). However in the lead-up to and in the initial weeks of my employment at the new job I got a very strong flair-up in my generalized anxiety disorder symptoms.

Without going into details, it was pretty bad for me, and my mental health took a big hit. I ended up quitting the job two weeks in - to save my life (that might sound dramatic but its true). I've had 6 weeks of illness benefit and I'm doing much better, I'm on meds, attending therapy etc.. I'm on the mend.

But I want to get back to work soon. And I don't want my career to suffer any further than it already has so I don't want too lengthy an absence from work. So I'm applying for a few roles.

My question is, how do I explain this event in my life to potential employers. Should I be frank and honest about my mental health issues. Or should I leave this whole thing out, and try to make up with some other reason for leaving my last job (and hope they don't do a background search and find out about the two week stint)... I'm afraid either way is not good. I would have referees who would vouch for me no problem, and I hope the 4 years shows I'm at least capable of being reliable. But still... I'm worried about what's best. If anyone has been in a similar situation, or has some thoughts, I would be open to hearing it.

Thanks.

TLDR: Had mental health issues which caused me to quit from a new job, wondering how to explain to potential employers.

Fr_Dougal · 20-05-2019 05:39PM

Tell them you took some time out to travel, or that you had to care for an elderly relative. I wouldn’t mention the mental health issues.

SEPT 23 1989 · 20-05-2019 05:39PM

I wouldn't tell them about it tell them you were caring for a sick relative

Strumms · 20-05-2019 06:11PM

Tell them you took a career break to rest, spend time with friends and family and travel. You feel fresh, invigorated ready and rested to meet head on a new and exciting challenge and opportunity and that’s why you are here today.

whiskeyman · 20-05-2019 06:18PM

It's not the 6 week gap I'd be worried about, it's the 2 weeks in a new company then you quit.
I presume you'll have to mention it as it's on your p45? Or could you omit that bit?
If I was an employer, the travel thing wouldn't wash with me. Things like that you plan better. If anything, it shows you're wreckless and not committed.
Time out for a close family member would be better, but it's a tough one. Your past references will be key I reckon.

Best of luck and hope all goes well.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 20-05-2019 06:18PM

Do not mention personal or mental health issues as it will guarantee you don't get the job.

Tell them you left to travel or to deal with some family issues which have now been resolved but it was only a short period and you could say you were simply looking for the right job to come up in that time and because it was only 6-8 weeks they might not even ask as that is not a n unreasonable time to be 'looking' for a new job.

beertons · 20-05-2019 06:19PM

Just say you took some time off.

20-05-2019 06:20PM

what would you think the odds are of it coming up again

what do you feel is fair on the employer

best of luck whichever way you choose

kneemos · 20-05-2019 06:25PM

How would they know? No need to tell them anything.

r3nu4l · 20-05-2019 06:31PM

I'm a manager in a company and interview people for positions every year. I've had people tell me about mental health issues and they still got the job because I felt they were the best candidate at the time.

That said, not all companies are the same, the company I work for is just very progressive in many ways. So, you can say you quit for medical reasons if you like and you may be required to do a fitness for work medical, or you could go down the road of saying you unexpectedly had to care for someone and had no choice but to quit....

Strumms · 20-05-2019 06:36PM

You quit because you had to unexpectedly care for someone... yourself.

JohnnyFlash · 20-05-2019 06:43PM

Sure 6 weeks is nothing. Tell an auld fib, and well done on getting yourself back up and running so quickly. Shows tremendous resolve to be honest. There’s plenty of lads farting through life claiming to have mental health issues because they don’t want to work, or feel they deserve someone to give them something for nothing. You faced your challenge head on.

21-05-2019 07:49AM

Such a small gap might not even register with them. Sure you could have just been job hunting in that time. Some people have much bigger gaps than that solely because they could not actually find work. Totally normal.

In fact most people I think on a CV do not put the actual dates of their start and end of work but just the months. Which likely will further reduce the gap. If you put something like June 2015 - April 2019 on a CV then the gap until now looks tiny even if you left on April 2nd.

If you feel you need to have something prepared though just in case - then I find telling the truth without telling the whole truth is much better than lying. Say you quit the job because you felt it was not a right fit for you at the time - and you took the time to settle yourself after that and to be sure of what you want going forward before you applied for another job so you were sure you would be ready.

Technically all of that is true from what you have described.

prunudo · 21-05-2019 09:25AM

Its a shame that even after all the campaigns about mental health awareness people still feel they can't bring it up for being judged.
There are many reasons you could give to explain the gap, from the job not being as you were lead to believe or as somebody else said you had care for somebody. Although it is so short they may not notice you don't want to trip yourself up with lies either.
Personally I'd say that I was sick and had to take some time off to recuperate, you don't need to explain the specific illness.

matthewo111 · 22-05-2019 02:29PM

Hi folks,

Thanks for the advice on this. It looks like leaving it out and telling a white lie is the overwhelming favourite here. A little concerned still about whether I should mention the two weeks in the new place, p45s are not used any more and its on the employees to register through revenue website. I imagine if they did a background check they might find out. Anyway. Thanks again.

ziedth · 22-05-2019 02:49PM

I wouldn't mention it to be honest. It's a red flag to most people while I can't see a reasonable way that a future employer would discover it. Play the percentages, much bigger chance of their being an issue if you are up front

Hedgelayer · 22-05-2019 03:10PM

I was out of work due to a bad accident years ago, 4 years of recovery from two prolapsed disc's, a pelvis which broke and 4 surgical procedures.

I said the good old had to look after a sick relative, did a few courses in between to keep my self busy.

It was fas courses, and a ce scheme for the last year and a half.

When on disability allowance, one could do a few fas courses and schemes back then.

Still in the same job 14 years later.

22-05-2019 03:16PM

Tell the truth or say you were off work for medical treatment you do not have to say exactly what medical treatment, you could have been having treatment for anything could have been anything.

It's not a good idea to think employers will have a problem with this its not good for your mental health employers may not have any issue with it.

mrslancaster · 22-05-2019 08:51PM

Agree with others - don't mention it as the gap is so short it might not be noticed. You could have been off on holidays travelling or checking out the possibility of relocating to the uk or personal family reasons, there's any number of reasons for a 6/8 week gap.

Fr_Dougal · 22-05-2019 09:14PM

mariaalice wrote: »

Tell the truth or say you were off work for medical treatment you do not have to say exactly what medical treatment, you could have been having treatment for anything could have been anything.

It's not a good idea to think employers will have a problem with this its not good for your mental health employers may not have any issue with it.

I would recommend not taking this advice.

Strumms · 22-05-2019 09:24PM

mariaalice wrote: »

Tell the truth or say you were off work for medical treatment you do not have to say exactly what medical treatment, you could have been having treatment for anything could have been anything.

It's not a good idea to think employers will have a problem with this its not good for your mental health employers may not have any issue with it.

An employer WILL seek to find out what medical issue you have had. That’s a given, they may even insist on a medical or psychiatric evaluation, which why the true but vague ‘caring for a loved one’ is a truthful and appropriate response. They WILL be less inclined to pry, probably respond with ‘well great, I hope they are doing better’..

look, you could do a really great interview... 9/10, be clearly the best and most desirable candidate and someone else 7/10 or 8/10. There will be employers out there who would rather the other guys as in their mind they won’t have had ‘history’ with illness and don’t want the ‘hassle’ in case problems might reoccur. They see recruiting as a hassle first off. Go with my advice, it’s truthful, you are under no obligation otherwise to them.

kowloon · 22-05-2019 09:25PM

r3nu4l wrote: »

I'm a manager in a company and interview people for positions every year. I've had people tell me about mental health issues and they still got the job because I felt they were the best candidate at the time.

Would I be jumping to conclusions if I thought a mod for Motivation and Personal Development is probably a lot more understanding of issues like this than the average employer?

I reckon most employers would bin your CV upon reading about a mental health issue.

Strumms · 22-05-2019 09:26PM

kowloon wrote: »

Would I be jumping to conclusions if I thought a mod for Motivation and Personal Development is probably a lot more understanding of issues like this than the average employer?

I reckon most employers would bin your CV upon reading about a mental health issue.

Yes, I think they’d be the exception rather then the rule.

22-05-2019 09:35PM

Strumms wrote: »

An employer WILL seek to find out what medical issue you have had. That’s a given, they may even insist on a medical or psychiatric evaluation, which why the true but vague ‘caring for a loved one’ is a truthful and appropriate response. They WILL be less inclined to pry, probably respond with ‘well great, I hope they are doing better’..

look, you could do a really great interview... 9/10, be clearly the best and most desirable candidate and someone else 7/10 or 8/10. There will be employers out there who would rather the other guys as in their mind they won’t have had ‘history’ with illness and don’t want the ‘hassle’ in case problems might reoccur. They see recruiting as a hassle first off. Go with my advice, it’s truthful, you are under no obligation otherwise to them.

Its 6 weeks, not 6 years they do not have to say exactly what illness they have.

22-05-2019 09:48PM

It's a tricky one OP. I think it depends on the position you are applying for. There are some roles that are very stressful and even triggering. Professions like paramedics, prison officers, frontline mental health services etc, even the full on nature of the legal world or trying to reach deadlines; They can test the resolve of even the most mentally healthiest. In fact forget about employers, you yourself need to be sure of your resilience and stability for any work like that.

However if you feel you have made huge progress and sufficiently manage your GAD then you may be able to instill the same confidence in a potential employer. I don't think hesitancy in telling necessarily needs to be connected to stigma though. There is the very real question of "will this person cope with such a role".

sk8erboii · 22-05-2019 09:52PM

matthewo111 wrote: »

Hi all,

Just looking for advice/get a pulse on how to handle a situation. I recently changed jobs (old job was a place I had worked for 4+years, and I had the beginnings of a good career). However in the lead-up to and in the initial weeks of my employment at the new job I got a very strong flair-up in my generalized anxiety disorder symptoms.

Without going into details, it was pretty bad for me, and my mental health took a big hit. I ended up quitting the job two weeks in - to save my life (that might sound dramatic but its true). I've had 6 weeks of illness benefit and I'm doing much better, I'm on meds, attending therapy etc.. I'm on the mend.

But I want to get back to work soon. And I don't want my career to suffer any further than it already has so I don't want too lengthy an absence from work. So I'm applying for a few roles.

My question is, how do I explain this event in my life to potential employers. Should I be frank and honest about my mental health issues. Or should I leave this whole thing out, and try to make up with some other reason for leaving my last job (and hope they don't do a background search and find out about the two week stint)... I'm afraid either way is not good. I would have referees who would vouch for me no problem, and I hope the 4 years shows I'm at least capable of being reliable. But still... I'm worried about what's best. If anyone has been in a similar situation, or has some thoughts, I would be open to hearing it.

Thanks.

TLDR: Had mental health issues which caused me to quit from a new job, wondering how to explain to potential employers.

Mate no ones gonna care for 6 weeks

fryup · 22-05-2019 09:56PM

matthewo111 wrote: »

Without going into details, it was pretty bad for me, and my mental health took a big hit. I ended up quitting the job two weeks in - to save my life (that might sound dramatic but its true).not good.

what was your job? must have been stressful for you to quit after just 2 weeks

ToddyDoody · 22-05-2019 10:04PM

You'd be surprised how busy and under resourced some hr departments are. Since the recession ended, my experience has been that they forward on relevant CVs to the hiring manager, have a discussion about which ones to pick when they get a free spot then call for interview. Unless there's a glaringly obvious gap I doubt there'd be much of a problem.

More important question - salary expectation.

GottaGetGatt · 22-05-2019 10:16PM

6 weeks. That’s cute.

One eyed Jack · 22-05-2019 10:26PM

matthewo111 wrote: »

TLDR: Had mental health issues which caused me to quit from a new job, wondering how to explain to potential employers.

Be honest with yourself before you even start thinking about whether or not to be dishonest with any potential employers. How do you imagine you’ll manage your GAD when you’re having to hide the fact from potential employers, and would you actually want to work for an employer who didn’t care about their employees mental health and well being?

I would suggest being honest with yourself first, and then being honest with any potential employers. If you aren’t successful in being employed for a role, it’s for the best, because if you’re dishonest with any potential employers, it sets a bad precedent for yourself, and you’re back to the two weeks employment before everything goes tits up again. It’ll be a vicious cycle where you imagine you’re well enough to take up employment again, then have to leave again soon after- and that’s not doing yourself any favours.

At least if you’re honest with any potential employers, you’re taking a risk of course, but there’s also the possibility they will appreciate your honesty and will be very supportive. Employers at the end of the day are people too and they have their own stresses and strains that they may well be more understanding than you give them credit for.

mrslancaster · 22-05-2019 10:34PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Be honest with yourself before you even start thinking about whether or not to be dishonest with any potential employers. How do you imagine you’ll manage your GAD when you’re having to hide the fact from potential employers, and would you actually want to work for an employer who didn’t care about their employees mental health and well being?

I would suggest being honest with yourself first, and then being honest with any potential employers. If you aren’t successful in being employed for a role, it’s for the best, because if you’re dishonest with any potential employers, it sets a bad precedent for yourself, and you’re back to the two weeks employment before everything goes tits up again. It’ll be a vicious cycle where you imagine you’re well enough to take up employment again, then have to leave again soon after- and that’s not doing yourself any favours.

At least if you’re honest with any potential employers, you’re taking a riskwocourse, but there’s also the possibility they will appreciate your honesty and will be very supportive. Employers at the end of the day are people too and they have their own stresses and strains that they may well be more understanding than you give them credit for.

ime employers always put their own interests first. It would be different if OP was already working somewhere then ER should be understanding and supportive and appreciate honesty but at interview stage? Not sure about that. Why do some think it's necessary to divulge private medical issues?

How to explain gap in employment due to mental health issues

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