Den they will ask y 6 months so long time. Shud hv gotten a job by now.

N if say take breaks they will ask is it necessary for you to take breaks.

N if say do part time while finding suitable job den will ask y u quit without job.
Yet cannot say anythg bad abt prev coy so say that cz want to focus on job search ...
Which comes bk to the question y focus on jobsearch 6 months can't find a job.

I understand what u are going through. Same situation. If u meet nasty/not understanding employers, no matter what u say will sound wrong to them. If u meet understanding employers, just speak the sincere truth and hope that they will accept it. The bottomline is u must not lie about anything and not badmouth ur previous company.

So which is the answer that worked for you..

I hv experimented with all types of answers n running out of ideas. Seemed everythg is wrong.

I just tell them the honest truth, that I have been applying for jobs and in the process of waiting. Yes this answer got me bombarded with even more questions like why take so long etc. I just gave a smile and said I'm still trying. I feel that if u try to beat about the bush and come up with excuses, the interviewers would see through and that's worse.

When you have secured an interview, my advise is to focus on what and how you can contribute to the organisation. You need to speak with confidence and at the same time explain that it has taken some time for you to find a company that has a good match with your skills and experience. Once you are shortlisted for interview, they will be looking more at your personality traits and a lot depends on whether they like you or not.

Something to think about.

As a middle manager I am sometimes asked to sit in on interviews. As we are looking for technical skills, the right paper qualifications and experience count quite a lot. But in deciding among several similarly qualified individuals, it is the "intangibles" that make the decider.

Body language, personality, confidence (dont overdo this), sincerity and truthfulness (admit this one hard to pick up if interviewee is lying).

And if the interviewee is going to work with me, my inputs / comments to the HR, Director count a fair bit. How do I decide? I will decide on the person I think I can work well with and who can be depended on. As our projects are long term, yes, we dont want staff who are not committed, who will leave when the going gets tough.

Trust me, 6 months gap still ok. You can say the companies were choosy and you can't do anything about it except keeping a lookout continuously and you need to consider those positions carefully too. You must be aware that any interviewers can shoot any type of questions under the sun. They can be horribly persistent in their quest for truth. Just answer honestly and be patient.1758

Based on ur experience, what are some acceptable answers that an interviewee can give to account for a e.g 6 months unemployment gap?

I graduated from NUS in 1997 and have been gainfully employed for the past 17 years.
I am moving into my early 40s and decided to take 6mths to 1 year break at this point before continuing my next lap of working journey towards 60 years old.

Would society be so unforgiving to scrutinize my break at mid-career?

I hate to give explanations despite it being a planned rest schedule.

economy is now quite uncertain. Are you sure you wan to take such risk?

How about securing a new job but inform your new employer that you can only start work with them 3 month to 6 month later before you quitting your current job?