How To Explain A Travel Gap In An Interview
It is becoming increasingly common for people to take a career break and explore the world. To explain a travel gap in an interview is not that hard, since foreign travel can be an enriching experience; as well as exploring new cultures, you get a greater understanding of people and this can be extremely beneficial in the workplace.
However, the blank space it leaves on your CV could prove problematic when it comes to explaining the gap in employment during the interview stage for a new job.
If you have been employed for several years and have held down a few positions, you can reduce the level of detail. Remember, you can quite easily show just the years of employment on your CV rather than the months. If you only travelled for a short period of time, it is easy to bridge the gap.
Obviously, this isn’t applicable for longer absences or if you have only been part of the workforce for a few years. Therefore, we will examine the various ways in which you can explain the travel gap to a hiring team’s satisfaction below.
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Setting The Scene
You can begin by offering a brief summary of what you did during your travel time. Be sure to omit details of anything unrelated to the job post. Hopefully, you had a worthwhile experience that didn’t just consist of drinking co*cktails and lying on a lounger on the beach.
Explain Why You Decided To Travel
Everyone has reasons for taking time out for travel; perhaps you were a new graduate and wanted to see the world to gain a semblance of maturity. Maybe you wished to travel before you had major responsibilities in your life.
Alternatively, you decided to take a break to assess your career because you felt you were on the wrong track or else you wanted to learn more skills.
This explanation should help the interviewer understand your decision and they may even relate to your feelings.
Outline What You Accomplished
Ideally, you should be able to explain what you did and how your experiences can benefit the company. This means outlining the skills you learned, how they relate to the position and how they ultimately made you a better employee. Always have examples of the skills you learned and a story to back it up.
While technical skills look great on a CV, so-called ‘soft’ skills can ultimately land you the job. You can reframe your global travel experience as a period of your life where you picked up crucial soft skills such as:
- Communication: Verbal and non-verbal skills are required in order to converse in foreign cultures as there are language and cultural barriers to be overcome. The more you learn about people the better your communication skills become; those with excellent communication skills tend to rise the fastest in organisations.
- Teamwork: If you worked as a volunteer on a project, it is possible to suggest that you gained vital teamwork skills.
- Problem Solving: If you travel abroad for any period of time you are likely to come across obstacles ranging from trivial to serious. You can explain how you dealt with an issue on your travels; this should be evidence of your ability to cope with bad situations and come up with solutions.
Volunteering
If you have volunteered in any capacity while travelling abroad it is crucial for you to emphasise it in your CV. Include details of where you volunteered, what your role was and information regarding the end result. For example, you may have taught schoolchildren conversational English or how to work with computers. Alternatively, you may have worked as part of a team that helped clean up an area after a natural disaster.
If your volunteering spell lasted for 6+ months you have the option to include it in your work history.
Creativity
Unless they are told otherwise, an interviewer may assume that your foreign expedition was nothing more than an excuse to party and lounge around on the beach. For many people, being immersed in another culture enables them to find their creative side. If you have started a blog or another endeavorinspired by your travels, provide evidence of it. This helps place your gap in an extremely positive light.
When To Downplay It
The period of time you travelled the world may well be the most influential experience of your life. However, you might have decided to use the time abroad to let your hair down and run wild. Outlining your hell-raising party nights in Bangkok probably isn’t the best way to get the job!
If there are few things you did while you travelled that can be used constructively, your best course of action is to address specific questions as concisely as possible and move on.
It is also important to emphasise the fact that your thirst for exploration has been quenched and you have no intention of repeating the feat for a considerable period of time. Employers want career-minded people and aren’t likely to hire someone who is always on the verge of unleashing his inner Vasco De Gama!
Conclusion
It should be noted that the middle of your CV is typically not the best location for details of your travel gap. It is good practice to explain the gap in your cover letter. You can elaborate on the skills picked up while abroad and state why you believe the position is ideal for you to get back into the workplace. This should also make it easier to anticipate the questions you’ll be asked in the interview.
If you are asked about travel gaps, it’s important to point out how the time off made you more independent, confident and adaptable. Your aim is to convince the hiring team that you’re the ideal candidate for the role because you’ve had time off to recharge your batteries while learning a variety of new skills.
