Do employers look negatively on job seekers who took a buyout? (employee, interviews)

[Fringe Event]

My company, which has been having financial difficulties, offered a buyout based on years of service to any employee who qualified. After much consideration, I decided to take the buyout and try to find a job that is more focused in an area that I want to do (my job had many different kinds of responsibilities and I wanted more focus).

Unfortunately, my company did not really offer much time to decide to accept the offer, and also one of the conditions was giving them a firm departure date within a six month window (no leaving any sooner or later). This buyout was really aimed at workers much older than me; I just happened to be on the younger end of the eligible scale, so I think the assumption was that all the buyout takers would be retiring from the workforce or something.

So I was really torn about whether I should leave sooner (to start my job search now in summer) or later (when it would be winter). I was afraid that I might find a job during the summer or fall and then be unable to start working at it promptly, since staying to the agreed upon quit date was a condition of getting the buyout. I also was afraid that I would not have enough energy to conduct a proper job search if I was trying to do it during the very hectic fall season on my job.

So, I gave five weeks' notice and then started my job search immediately. (I had a promising set of interviews at one company almost right away, but did not get the job, which was a shame because I would have had no gap in my employment, but them's the breaks...)

Are employers going to look negatively on my (a) having taken a buyout and (b) having a (hopefully small) employment gap because of the time I chose to leave? I feel like I really didn't have many options when it came to my exit date, but are employers going to want to listen to my explanation (or will they even ask, or will they just assume something negative?)

I sometimes worry that employers think buyout takers are greedy, but I really want to change careers and this buyout offer was rather unexpected. I'm going to need every penny of that money to cushion my job search - I'm not going on vacation! I was considered a good employee (and I'm under 50) and people seemed very unhappy to see me go, but I felt my career at this company had reached a dead end, and I was honestly getting afraid that I would "up and quit" out of frustration. (I had to train 10 people to take over my job...) I was at the company for a long time (a "negative," I know) but my resume demonstrates an ever increasing skill set and increasing responsibility.

Also, my aspirations in terms of job scope are not unrealistic... I know I'll never make the kind of money I was making before. I'm looking for part time to full time work, maybe at a smaller company. But I really don't know how employers think of people who take buyouts. Is there a stigma attached? How can I best "tell my story" to a prospective employer and reassure them that I'm still a very energetic worker who just wants a change in focus at a new company?

[Serious Conversation]

You weren't fired and took something that was offered. I don't see why this would be looked at negatively.

[eightbitguy]

I took a "voluntary layoff" twice, and it has never been an issue in interviews. Most recent time was to move from VA to WA and when getting the "why did you leave your last position" question I say I took a voluntary layoff and used the severance to get settled during/after the move.

I don't think it will hurt you at all.

[jaypee]

No.