Career gaps — for caregiving, health, layoffs, or just life — are common, and interviewers see them constantly. The gap is rarely the problem. The flinch is.
Name it, briefly
A short, matter-of-fact sentence defuses it: what it was, that it’s resolved, and that you’re ready. You don’t owe anyone your medical history or a long story. Confidence reads as competence.
Then redirect
- One calm sentence about the gap.
- A pivot to what you did to stay sharp, if anything.
- A forward turn to why you’re excited about this role.
Treat it as ordinary and the interviewer will too. Apologize for it and you invite them to wonder why.