Background and Challenges
A career-break is a time when a professional is out from employment due to personal or professional reasons. Sometimes, taking a break is not voluntary and is induced by the circumstances, but guess what, no reason is wrong enough to not have it once in your lifetime.
Yes, some people may say “Who leaves a job like that?” or “Why can’t you manage to work your personal life along with work?”. But if you want to take a break from your career, don’t let people affect your decision and put fear in your mind because it is very easy to go into a downward spiral if you don’t feel confident in your own decision.
You can take a career-break because you need one.. Period!!
However, a career-break brings along some problems too, such as:
Dipping bank balance,
The feeling of being a failure and loneliness,
Uncertainty about the future,
Fear about your social reputation,
And managing ongoing personal and financial responsibilities
But there are two sides to a coin. You will have many positive experiences too.
Positive side of Career-Break
One can make this career-break one of the best experiences ever and do so many activities to replenish oneself for personal and professional development, such as:
You can spend time to learn a new skill which can help in your professional development.
Engage in peaceful experiences like yoga, travelling and bogging.
Work on your personality development.
Expand you professional network.
Explore your hobbies.
Whatever be the reason, a break will help you to sail through after you got off the hamster wheel. And who knows, the experiences you’re gaining in this period might help you land a better job in the future when you plan to resume your career.
Transitioning back to employment and job search might feel overwhelmed with feelings of lack of confidence and no clarity on where to start, so here are few tips that will help you to re-start your professional journey.
Tips for Resuming Your Career:
It’s not easy to restart work after being out from employment. We all know how hard it is to find the right job even as a fresher. But after being on a career-break it can be even harder. So here are our top 5 tips for restating your professional life.
1. Assess your career aspirations
You should not make the mistake of jumping straight to the first job that you land. Take your time to determine what you’d like to get out of a job, and why you’re interested in working again. Consider all the factors like recently learnt skills during your career-break, any classes that you have taken, if you started a side hustle, salary requirements, flexible hours, or anything else that is important to you. Assess your career aspirations before making your first move.
2. Update your resume
Second most important thing is to update your resume, so that it can differentiate you from other candidates. If you have not been working for a long time, don’t hide it. Maybe some organizations or employers will not appreciate a break but the right ones will surely do.
3. Expand your network
Reach out to your former colleagues to let them know you’re ready to work again. Not only can you get potential job leads, but these contacts may also be able to update you on the latest industry outlook. Also, ask your connections for advice and tips on getting back into the workforce. Identify your target companies and roles and reach out to people working in that profile. You may also be particularly interested to find out the salary range for roles that are of interest to you.
4. Prepare for your Interview
While encountering your first interview, you may be asked why you have a career gap and what you did with your time. Honesty is the first step. Make it clear as to why you decided it was the right thing for you to do and what you did during your break.
5. Take help from career-returner programs
Many organizations run “Returnship” programs which are aimed to bring back job-seekers back to work who have taken a career-break. These global Re-entry program provides networking and mentorship opportunities.
Everyone has different career ladders which they climb at their own pace. And despite the stigma attached to this concept, a career-break is very common among employees.
So, take the risk and do the comeback when you feel like it to give your best in your dream job.
Still, feeling paranoid, we might help you in a better way. Write to us at recruitment@re-employed.com!