How to Return to Work After a Career Break

By: Madeline Buri

Madeline Buri writes about careers and job searching for The Balance website. She covers topics related to career changes, job hunting, and returning from maternity leave, and has been writing for The Balance since 2014.

How to Return to the Workforce

Many working mothers consider taking a break after the birth of their child for an average period of two years. It’s not just mothers: whether due to unemployment or personal factors, whether the career break was planned or unplanned, taking time off work is not uncommon.

However, returning to the workforce after a long hiatus can be challenging. Some executives and hiring managers may understand the years you’ve spent away from the 9-to-5 grind, but they may still hesitate to hire you.

With time away from the job market, you might need to update your skills – in addition to your resume and interview skills. It can also be difficult to feel confident and competent.

Tips for Returning to Work After a Career Break

Feeling overwhelmed? Anxious? Don’t worry: here’s how to successfully job hunt and transition back to work after a break.

Assess Your Job Desires and Needs

Don’t immediately start browsing job boards. Instead, think about what you want: what kind of job will be fulfilling and satisfying? Do you want to return to a role similar to the one you had before leaving the workforce, or do you want to try something a little different?

Consider what you want from a job and why (beyond financial reasons) you want to work again. Also take into account your needs, whether it be salary requirements, flexible hours, or anything else.

Prepare a list of “must-haves” for your next job. Also think about the career break you took. Did you learn a new skill, volunteer, start a side project, or take classes? Even if you weren’t actively working, you may have notable achievements that you can mention during interviews or add to your resume.

Relearn Your Industry and Build Your Network

If it has been a long time since you last worked, you may need to reacquaint yourself with your industry and the job opportunities available within it. You may need to take some actionable steps:

• Research your industry: Spend some time on Glassdoor.com to research companies and your industry. You may be interested in finding out the salary ranges for the roles that interest you. Here’s more information about how to research companies before an interview.
• Build your network: Reach out to former colleagues to let them know you’re returning to the job market. You could get potential job leads, and those contacts may be able to update you on the latest industry trends – major players, new terminology, and so forth. Ask your contacts for tips and advice on how to return to work. Attend conferences and conduct informational interviews: setting up informal informational interviews can also help you stay updated on the latest developments in your industry. This will help keep your references current during job interviews. Conferences can also help you access the latest developments, plus provide an opportunity to expand your network. Even participating in a relevant LinkedIn group for your industry can help you get back into the professional atmosphere.

Refresh Your Skills

While researching your industry, you may discover a whole new world of terminology. There may be new programs that are essential. Or perhaps the tools are the same, but it’s been a while since you’ve used them.

Get

By refreshing your skills before going out for interviews or sending cover letters – it will help you feel more confident as a candidate.

• Volunteering: Even if it’s unrelated to your field, regular volunteering can help you get accustomed to an organized environment, which employers like to see. It’s a bonus if the volunteering builds or maintains skills that potential employers want to see in candidates.
• Training Courses: If there are new products or programs that are unfamiliar to you, consider taking a training course (whether in-person or online). Once you master the new skill, you can include it in the skills section of your resume.
• Newsletters, Podcasts, etc.: To some extent, you may not need new skills. Some fields do not change quickly. It may just be a reminder for yourself about how the industry works, whether by reviewing your old textbooks, attending conferences, starting to read industry news, listening to podcasts, or subscribing to newsletters, etc.

Practicing Job Search Skills

If you find it hard to remember the last time you applied for a job, you probably need to update your resume. (And maybe your LinkedIn profile too!) While updating your resume, you might prefer to opt for a functional format instead of a chronological one – this may help to focus on any gaps in your employment history.

You will also want to practice interviews – this means reviewing your answers to common interview questions and pulling together interview outfits. Additionally, check out these tips for responding to interview questions about unemployment and how to explain the employment gap on your resume.

Explaining Your Career Break – But Keep It Brief

If you have had a long career break, you will likely need to discuss it in your cover letter, as well as during interviews.

Regardless of the reason for your long absence from the job market, keep your explanation brief. A simple sentence will suffice. Here are some examples:

• I spent time caring for a sick relative.
• It was important for me to be home with my child until he started kindergarten.
• I was volunteering at a homeless shelter while studying accounting classes.
• I spent the past few years traveling around the world and working on my language skills.

Whatever the reason for your absence, try to summarize it in a concise sentence – then redirect the conversation to the work you did before your absence. Your relevant experience remains, even if a long time has passed.

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Sources:

The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

LinkedIn News. “Nearly Half of Mothers Work, Take a Break, and Work Again. Why Is There Still Such a Stigma?” Accessed Jan. 18, 2021.

Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-return-to-work-after-a-career-break-4169939