Unemployed (or Have an Employment Gap) and Applying to Business School? Here’s What to Do

As an MBA admissions consultant, I often help clients with one concern. They want to know how to address an employment gap in their MBA application. The past year brought upheaval. More prospective MBA candidates than usual faced job changes. Many experienced periods of unemployment. They fear admissions committees will view this negatively. They worry about comparison with other applicants. This is especially true in competitive cycles. They fear it will derail their chances of acceptance.

The good news? Adcoms are human. They have likely changed jobs. Some have even been laid off themselves. They also read the news. They know many employers made cuts. Companies did this to weather the slowdown. However, don’t gloss over an employment gap. Don’t assume they’ll ‘get it’.

The key to navigating unemployment? Be proactive. This applies whether you’re unemployed or out of work during application. Here are three ways to do that:

1) Address the elephant in the room.

Application volumes are surging. Adcoms don’t want to search for answers. They don’t want to hunt for explanations about employment gaps on your resume. As a rule of thumb, explain gaps of three months or longer. Use the optional essay for this. The data form may also have a place for this. If you are currently unemployed, even if it hasn’t been three months, you should also provide an explanation.
In straightforward, concise language, explain the context of the situation and – importantly – what you were doing during the break. Ideally it was more than searching for a job and watching Netflix; perhaps you learned a new hobby or job-relevant skill, volunteered in your community, or traveled to new and exciting places.

If you are currently unemployed, explain the reason for your separation from your prior employer but be careful to avoid placing blame (on the company or yourself!). It can also help to highlight accelerated career progression and/or above average performance ratings you earned prior to leaving; this proactively addresses the adcom’s potential concern that you do not excel relative to peers.

2) Take action.

Since you can’t change the past, this advice primarily applies to those who are currently unemployed. As Round 1 and 2 deadlines are behind us and, generally speaking, we don’t recommend applying in Round 3, it also applies primarily to those targeting a ‘21/’22 application.

With roughly a year and a half until you matriculate, it will be hard to justify not seeking a new job before then. It may seem daunting to onboard into a new company while studying for the GMAT and working on applications, but by remaining on the career sidelines you are decreasing your competitiveness. The vast majority of applicants are doing double duty while also gaining very relevant experience in navigating challenging times at work.

However, while you are in job search mode (which may take awhile in the current climate and that’s ok!), think about ways you can continue to add value – to your community, an organization in need (check out Taproot for ideas), or even just to yourself. Knowing that the adcom will be considering your actions when they assess your application, now is not the time to tread water (which is boring anyway!).

3) Reflect and discuss your insights.

As with any major life change (or event like a global pandemic!), leaving your job likely triggered a period of self-reflection. Perhaps you gave more thought to the type of organization you want to be a part of or even whether your current career path is right for you after all. Use this to your advantage!

View the circumstances as an opportunity to pivot towards the type of work you see yourself doing post-MBA and beyond. If a holistic shift isn’t possible (after all, you are planning to get an MBA for a reason), perhaps your next role can help build some of the skills you will ultimately need to make your desired transition. The adcom will take note if you explain this rationale in your application essays!

As an example, a past client of mine knew she had a passion for nonprofit work, but her early career had led her down a different path. In advance of her MBA applications, she found herself at a crossroads and actively sought a position in the nonprofit space. While the role she accepted was functionally different from what she hopes to do post-MBA, demonstrating knowledge of the nonprofit sector made for a compelling application and she was accepted (with full scholarship!) to her top choice program.

So this is basically a roundabout way of recommending you turn lemons into lemonade. After the past twelve months, this is something we should all be pretty good at by now!

If you need help strategizing, click here to schedule a free consultation.