I hate that this is an acceptable interview question.
If it was any of your business I would have put that information in there. Or more diplomatic would be saying something like ‘I was caring for my dying relative, I left that information out because I wanted to include only the most relevant skills for this position.’
To play the devil’s advocate, if you are an employer you would want to find out why the person has been unemployed. Was he unreliable as a person before? Was he combative with his previous employer and colleagues? Was he actually in prison all this time? What if this guy is a corporate spy?
There is plenty of anti-work circlejerk in lemmy, and they are not completely wrong, but there are employers who do act in good faith. And certainly as an employer, they do not want to hire a person who was fired for stealing from their previous workplace. Which is why a huge employment gap is certainly a red flag from an employer’s perspective. And which is why it’s always important to leave a company on good terms. Because even if you left the previous job to genuinely care for a family member, you have someone to vouch for you to the prospective new employer.
Was he unreliable as a person before? Was he combative with his previous employer and colleagues? Was he actually in prison all this time? What if this guy is a corporate spy?
I’m not sure you will get that information by asking about a gap.
I believe it would be more acceptable to ask questions more specific to your concerns. “Can you tell me why you left x position?” Even then, you are not going to get the information you are so suspicious about, you will get a bullshit interview answer.
