Interview Question: "What Have You Been Doing Since Your Last Job?"

It's common for interviewers to ask candidates with gaps in their employment history about what they've done with their time since their last job. This can be a challenging question to answer because it requires candidates to consider what they've accomplished in their time off from work. If you're preparing for an upcoming interview after a period of unemployment, it may be helpful for you to learn more about this type of question. In this article, we discuss why employers ask "What have you been doing since your last job?" and explain how to respond, with four example answers to use as a reference. Related: 10 Things To Never Say in a Job Interview

Why employer ask "What have you been doing since your last job?"

Employers typically ask this question to candidates who have an apparent gap in their employment history. Through your answer to this question, employers can gain insight into how you've spent your time outside of a professional role. From here, they may use the information they receive to assess your level of initiative, understand your personal or professional motivations and determine what your values are.

How to answer "What have you been doing since your last job?"

Here's a step-by-step guide for answering this question effectively:

1. Think about what you've done since your last professional role

To prepare your response, consider all that you've done since you left your last role. Think about any personal or professional endeavors you've undertaken and what you accomplished during this time. If you've been unemployed for an extended period of time, it may be helpful to make a timeline of events that you can reference as you outline your answer. Related: How To Explain Employment Gaps in an Interview

2. Identify a few important experiences you can discuss

After reviewing your unemployment timeline, try to identify a few important experiences that you might be able to discuss in your answer. For instance, it's common for candidates to explain how they've spent their time off from work giving back to their community, pursuing a side project or developing new skills they can apply in a professional capacity. Choose two to three experiences that stand out to you from your time off and write them down.

3. Try to choose an experience that shows your initiative

Think carefully and choose one experience from those you listed that you can discuss in your response to this question. It may be beneficial for you to select an experience that shows your initiative as a candidate or demonstrates what values are important to you. For instance, discussing how you spent your period of unemployment pursuing additional education might show how driven you are in achieving your career goals. Alternatively, explaining that you took time away from your career to focus on raising your children might suggest you value your family.

4. Be honest throughout your response

Once you choose the experience you want to discuss, you can begin forming your response. Try to be honest throughout your answer by explaining why you left your previous role, how you filled your time and what you learned through that experience. Consider making connections between the insight you gained during your time off and the requirements of the role for which you're applying to help the interview understand why you're pursuing it. Related: How To Get a Job Quickly After Being Unemployed for a Year

Example answers to "What have you been doing since your last job?"

There are various approaches you can take in answering this question, and it may be helpful for you to review a few example responses to gain a better understanding of how to form your own. Here are four sample answers to use as a reference when preparing your response:

Example 1: Volunteering

"I left my last job about a year ago, and since then I've been lucky enough to dedicate my time to volunteering in my community. I started working with a local nonprofit that provides technology-specific education to underserved high school students. I served as a volunteer instructor and taught four separate courses, consisting of approximately 10 students each. In my courses, students learned the essentials for coding in a few different languages and explored the various career options available to them in the tech sector. This experience helped me realize that, even as a professional in the field, I can still make time to give back to my community, and I hope to continue volunteering after securing a new position."

Example 2: Working on a passion project

"After leaving my role as an educator, I decided to pursue writing, which has always been a passion of mine. Each day, I contributed about 1,000 words to a creative fiction manuscript, and I was able to finalize it just last month. I've been working with an agent to sell the book to a publisher, but this process may take some time. After finishing my book, I realized that I didn't want to return to a career in education—writing is much more fulfilling for me, and so I decided I wanted to pursue a career in communications so I can apply those skills. I hope to be able to work creatively and support organizations in achieving their missions through the generation of effective communications strategies." Related: How To Explain Your Reasons for Leaving a Job (With Examples)

Example 3: Pursuing education

"I worked for about 10 years as an administrative assistant for a local law firm, and to be honest, I really loved my job. I felt valued by my supervisors and coworkers, and I found a lot of fulfillment in helping support the firm's operations. It was actually through this role that I realized I wanted to pursue my own career in the legal field. For the last year, I've been taking classes at a local university to gain the educational qualifications necessary to work as a legal assistant. Eventually, I want to attend law school and become an attorney myself, but I think exploring the field in an entry-level position first is the best path forward for me at this time."

Example 4: Focusing on personal matters

"I had a successful career as a nurse in the intensive care unit at Bayview Hospital until I decided that I wanted to take some time off to focus on my family. At the time, my father was ill, and I felt the need to take care of him so he could benefit from the comfort of a family member. Thankfully, he recovered, but afterward, my husband and I found out we were pregnant. After receiving this news, I decided that I'd put a pause on my career until our child was old enough to attend school full time. I focused on raising our child and actually volunteered in a local pediatrics clinic to keep my nursing skills relevant. Now that my child is older, I want to return to the healthcare field and support new parents by working in labor and delivery."