5 Tips From My Personal Experience, For Women Returning To Work After A Career Break

Did you take a break from your career to nurture your kids and your family? Are kids now well on their own, and a feeling of worthlessness has set in? Do you want to return to work but are clueless about where to start or what to do?

Well, let me tell you, a year ago, I was sailing in the same boat, and this feeling of cluelessness and ineptitude was not very amusing.

However, it is definitely not as tricky as it seems; in fact, if anything, the second innings of women returning to work can be pretty fulfilling because now, with all the experiences life has thrown at us, we very well know what we are good at. Hence, we can start negotiating our careers in that same direction.

Let’s get started.

Learn new skills

As I mentioned before, the pace at which most industries are changing is not funny. Most organisations are technology-based, which we all know changes every 6 to 8 months or technology-enabled. So, it is pretty practical to learn some new skill sets to make yourself relevant and employable.

Skills like coding or digital marketing are pretty in demand. Take up a short course or do a certification. Almost all good colleges offer multiple online courses. Enroll yourself in one that is of your interest and make your resume relevant for employers.

Volunteer

The best way to fill the gap in your career and make your resume worth considering is volunteering.

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With the advent of digital space, it is quite easy these days to find work where you can provide your expertise without being paid. Maybe an NGO or online platform will take up your services, though they don’t pay. This helps you hone your skills, and fill the gap in your resume with some recent experience.

For instance, when I started my second innings and thought that writing was something I wanted to pursue as a career now, one of my mentors introduced me to a woman’s magazine where they were taking up volunteers to create stories, interview people, and work as an assistant editor under the guidance of a seasoned editor. I learned a lot there and attributed a large part of my gaining confidence to that job profile.

So don’t hesitate to take up those unpaid assignments, as you don’t know how it might take you places.

Start networking

In case you were unable to keep in touch with your peers during your sabbatical, chances are you haven’t done any professional networking at all, whether it’s in person or online. Now is the best time to reach out to them.

Meet up with them for coffee, and start following them on LinkedIn to see what they’re up to. Consider joining a new LinkedIn or Facebook group or reconnecting with an old one.

The whole idea is to register your presence once again, which will help you hunt for work in your domain.

Analyse your work flexibility

It is important that you remain practical. Though you have decided to start working again, it might not be feasible for you to work 9 to 9 in a corporate set-up, as you are still needed at home once your kids return from school. Hence, it is always advisable to set up realistic goals.

You must communicate this thing to your employer, and take up job profiles where you can work from home as well or take up a part-time gig.

However, if your kids have flown out and you have an empty nest, it’s best to take up a job where you can be out for quite a while, and you don’t feel the pinch of loneliness.

Prepare yourself for an interview

As I mentioned earlier, these days, a lot may change in a sector within a few months. And you certainly don’t want to appear clueless during your interviews. So do your research to ensure you’re up to date in your domain.

Look for YouTube videos or blogs on sample interview questions. This may provide you insight into the upgrading in your field, allowing you to prepare ahead of time by brushing up on your knowledge. This way, you’ll feel more confident going into an interview, which will translate into positive results.

If you have taken a break from work for a while now, the good news is that you are not the only one; women are increasingly taking a hiatus from their careers to attend to their families. However, I hope that you will be more prepared and more confident in your job search by following these five suggestions.

First published here.

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