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Some will, some won't. In all honesty I think you should be glad for the ones that will reject you based on that. It shows a toxic culture focused on things tha

by ebbv 10y ago

Some will, some won't. In all honesty I think you should be glad for the ones that will reject you based on that. It shows a toxic culture focused on things that aren't really important. Much more important is where your degree is from as to whether it means anything. You should have an answer prepared for why it took longer that is reasonable and doesn't reflect badly. I.e. "I failed classes and had to take them over." doesn't sound good. "I took a lighter class load so that I could work while going to school to lower my debt." sounds reasonable. "Going through a lot of stuff" isn't good enough.

Practicality 10y ago
I dropped out of school in 2001 because my parents got divorced and I no longer had a stable home to live in and I also broke my leg and had huge medical bills, so I needed to make money and get an apartment instead. I would call that "going through a lot of stuff." It's not good enough though? Why not?
- ebbv 10y ago
  So the way you would want to explain that to a potential employer is "I had to take a break from school due to financial problems." The actual phrase "I was going through some stuff." is not good enough. It's an unprofessional answer. You need to be able to explain what "stuff" is in a professional way that makes sense and isn't overly dramatic. Otherwise the concern is you're going to "go through some stuff" as an employee and have excessive sick days, etc.
  - Practicality 10y ago
    Yes, exactly right. Good answer :) I mean, I would probably naturally start with "There was a lot going on," and then explain. You know, being that I am human and all, so I have emotions. Hopefully in an interview you would actually be able to have a conversation, rather than it just being a series of questions where they write down the answer and move on. I suppose you would need to gauge the style of the interview. If it really is going to be that formal, yes, you would need to have precise response like that. It's hard to imagine an interviewer who wouldn't automatically ask the follow up question when someone gives a vague answer. Sometimes responding to comments it seems like I am arguing a counter-point, but really I am just continuing the same line of thought from a different view.

by ebbv 10y ago

Practicality 10y ago

I dropped out of school in 2001 because my parents got divorced and I no longer had a stable home to live in and I also broke my leg and had huge medical bills, so I needed to make money and get an apartment instead. I would call that "going through a lot of stuff." It's not good enough though? Why not?

ebbv 10y ago
So the way you would want to explain that to a potential employer is "I had to take a break from school due to financial problems." The actual phrase "I was going through some stuff." is not good enough. It's an unprofessional answer. You need to be able to explain what "stuff" is in a professional way that makes sense and isn't overly dramatic. Otherwise the concern is you're going to "go through some stuff" as an employee and have excessive sick days, etc.
- Practicality 10y ago
  Yes, exactly right. Good answer :) I mean, I would probably naturally start with "There was a lot going on," and then explain. You know, being that I am human and all, so I have emotions. Hopefully in an interview you would actually be able to have a conversation, rather than it just being a series of questions where they write down the answer and move on. I suppose you would need to gauge the style of the interview. If it really is going to be that formal, yes, you would need to have precise response like that. It's hard to imagine an interviewer who wouldn't automatically ask the follow up question when someone gives a vague answer. Sometimes responding to comments it seems like I am arguing a counter-point, but really I am just continuing the same line of thought from a different view.