How to Answer: Besides vacation and holiday time, how many days were you absent from work last year?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a SIU Investigator job interview.
5. Besides vacation and holiday time, how many days were you absent from work last year?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
The company wants to hire an SIU investigator who is responsible and dependable and who shows up to work when scheduled. The interviewer asks this question to evaluate your work attendance in the past year. If you called off work many times in the past year, they might hesitate to offer you the position unless your reasons were excusable.
Written by Krista Wenz on March 12th, 2022
Focus Your Answer On
Focus on giving the exact number of days you missed work and why. If the interviewer deems your absence from work an excused and unavoidable reason to miss work, it will likely not be an issue. If you have many unexcused absences, they may disqualify you as a viable candidate.
Written by Krista Wenz on March 12th, 2022
What to Avoid
You want to avoid saying you cannot remember how often you missed work or answer truthfully. The interviewer will contact your former employer for a reference and ask them the same question. It is best to be honest and explain any absences from work in the past year, allowing the interviewer to decide if your reasons were unavoidable or not.
Written by Krista Wenz on March 12th, 2022
Answer Example
"I was absent from work two days last year. I missed one day because my son had strep throat, and my husband was out of town. I needed to take my son to the doctor, and I called my supervisor and notified him two hours before my shift. I had a doctor's note, and my supervisor allowed me to use a sick day. The second day I missed was due to a minor vehicle accident. I was rear-ended on my way to work and went to the emergency room for evaluation. I called my supervisor from the accident scene, and he said to take off as much time as needed. I was fine and was able to return to work the next day."
Written by Krista Wenz on March 12th, 2022