I hope you can help. I am going to an interview soon but don't know how to explain my absences from my current job without it affecting the outcome.

Over the past 2 years I have had around ten absences and have been off the last three months all as a result of depression and panic attacks (partly due to my current job).

How do I explain this to a potential new employer when I know that moving to a new job like this is going to help?
Rozlynne B

The Masked Recruiter says:

The first thing to set your mind at rest is that you’ve been invited along to an interview – your prospective employer has been persuaded by your CV that have the skills they’re looking for to fill the role.

Often people forget what an achievement getting over this first hurdle this actually is, so give yourself a pat on the back.

Your email asks how to explain your absences from your current role. The only real answer is to be honest with them. There’s no point covering it up as they will be likely to find out when asking your previous employer for a reference.

Although references usually only consist of confirmation of the job you held and your dates of employment, absence records are also often requested and you don’t want them getting any nasty surprises.

What you want to be wary of is coming across as negative about your last employer. Nobody wants a bad egg in their team and even if you have a perfectly valid reason for being off with depression because of your job, you want to put all that in the past and look towards a bright future.

Say something like “Due to personal reasons I unfortunately had to take some time off work, but these are all behind me now and I’m ready to make a fresh start”. This is probably best timed near the end of when you’re describing your career so far. That way you can carry on talking about some of the achievements you have had, and your aspirations for the future, almost skating over what you have just said

“Personal reasons” is a highly useful term when it comes to explaining absences. It puts your interviewer in a difficult situation where they have to make a decision to pry more into your personal life or just leave it as it is.