Returning to Work after a Career Break

​Earlier this month, we wrote about career breaks and various reasons professionals take them. We shared too advice from Bethany Mayer, including her perspective on career breaks and how she re-entered the workforce, ultimately becoming CEO of a technology company and then an Independent Board Member.

​This post builds on that advice and focuses on those preparing to return after a break. As returning to work after a period away can be particularly difficult, we suggest resources which may help. Please do let us know in the comments about additional information sources, materials or programmes you’ve come across that may help our readers in different countries make the transition back into the corporate world.

​Want you back for good
So, how practically can we make the transition back into our profession after a period away? This is a common question from Protagion’s members in that stage of their careers. A personal strategy is naturally dependent on the specific profession, the length of and reasons for the break, the breadth of the individual’s network, their new career aspirations, and other factors. Nevertheless, there are some general elements to consider when looking to get back into your profession and career:

• Part-time work and/or volunteering can ease you into the working world again e.g. helping a charity with marketing or their financial statements
• Reconnecting with your professional bodies can be very helpful if you’ve been distant e.g. joining working parties or committees can help you to network with peers and also assist in meeting your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) responsibilities
• Making contact with ex-colleagues to discuss what has changed since you left will update you on industry trends… this interaction will be much easier if you remained in contact while away, including through LinkedIn

• ​Brushing up on skills e.g. wider reading or perhaps additional study or online courses – some skills can be polished once you’re back at the job, but reminding yourself of the fundamentals and being aware of emerging trends can help tremendously
• Reflecting on what you learnt while you were away (e.g. entrepreneurial skills, organisation skills, creativity – perhaps even showing some of your creative outputs), and emphasising your transferable skills to potential employers
• Feelings of nervousness are normal, and you may also feel like an imposter for a while once back at work – these should hopefully fade as you settle in and demonstrate your value

​Ultimately, you are aiming to return to a place where your skills and experience are recognised and valued, and you feel part of the team. Read more about how some employers are actively seeking returners below, including examples of programmes in different industries. We also link to some general resources for those looking to get back into the corporate world.

Employers, recruiters and referrals
An increasing number of employers are appreciating the contribution that returners can make, and have career re-entry programmes in place to make the transition easier (including great induction). In fact, these programmes can support diversity and inclusion initiatives too, and returners can bring fresh perspectives into the organisation.

Be aware too that some recruiters can be dismissive of or disrespectful to those looking to return, conveying the impression that your skills are worthless if you haven’t done that exact job in the past six months! The horror stories some of our members tell us… In our experience, personal referrals from your network are most helpful, and specific returner programmes/internships can be great too.

Some examples of returner programmes:

• Consulting
  • Accenture (UK) and Accenture (Ireland)
  • Capgemini (UK)
  • Deloitte (UK)
  • EY (UK) 
  • KPMG (UK) 
• Construction
  • Morgan Sindall (UK)
  • Skanska (UK)
  • Tideway (UK)
    
  • Wilmott Dixon (UK) 
• Financial Services
  • Barclays (UK) 
  • Credit Suisse (UK & Switzerland) 
  • Fitch Ratings (UK) 
  • JP Morgan (UK) 
  • Macquarie (UK) 
  • Morgan Stanley (UK) 
  • Natwest Markets (UK) 
  • Santander (UK) 
  • UBS (UK & Switzerland)
• ​Technology
  • Amazon Web Services (UK & Europe) 
  • HubSpot (UK & Ireland)
• Other
  • FDM Group (UK) 
  • Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) 
  • Network Rail (UK) 
  • Shell (UK)

General resources:

• UK Returner Opportunities: http://wrpn.womenreturners.com/returnships/ 
• Ireland & Europe Returner Opportunities: http://wrpn.womenreturners.com/europe-ex-uk-returner-programmes/ 
• Various countries’ Return-to-Work Opportunities: https://www.irelaunch.com/paidcorporateprograms ​

Please do suggest additional resources you’re aware of that may help our readers make the transition back.