Many job seekers worry that being unemployed makes them unemployable. Research shows the worry is not baseless. Hiring managers can hold negative assumptions about candidates who are out of work.
A 2021 survey by the job site Indeed asked 500 job seekers and 599 employers about this bias. It found that 77 percent of job seekers and 83 percent of employers believed it is easier to find work when you already have a job. Seventy percent of hiring managers said they believed an unemployed person would be a less productive employee. The same survey pointed to a way through: 74 percent of hiring managers said they would hire an unemployed candidate who briefly addressed the unemployment during the interview.
The reasons for the bias are practical. Employers may assume skills have gone stale, or they may prefer the safety of a candidate someone else still employs. A long gap can also raise questions the candidate never gets a chance to answer.
Job seekers can push back. Address the gap directly in the cover letter or interview instead of hiding it. Describe what you did during the time off, such as freelance work, courses, volunteering, or family care. Keep skills current with short courses and stay in touch with former colleagues. A strong network still opens more doors than cold applications, so use your alumni network in your job search.
A few states and cities limit how employers can treat unemployed applicants, but protections vary and most hiring bias is legal. The practical answer is preparation. A clear story about the gap, recent activity to point to, and a focused search will do more than waiting for the bias to disappear.
Building new credentials can also help. Online master’s degrees are widely accepted by employers today, and it helps to know what skills a master’s degree can add to your resume. For the longer term, read about how to keep your career moving after a plateau.
