How to Get Back to Work After a Career Break
6 Tips to Get Hired After a Hiatus
In my mid-20s I developed a brain tumor that needed to be surgically removed (7 years tumor free today, woo hoo!). After recovering from brain surgery and realizing that the job I had may have been a contributor to my stress, I took a hiatus from working to concentrate on finding myself.
After discovering what really made me happy (making bagels from scratch) and what made me not so happy (how I felt after eating a ton of bagels from scratch), and my savings started to dwindle, I decided I needed to figure out how to get back to work after my career break.
You may have taken a respite to take care of a loved one, be a stay-at-home parent or, like me, take a mental health breather. Whatever the reason, it can feel overwhelming to get back in the swing of things — I've been there. But it doesn't have to be a grueling process. Here are some tips that can take you from being unemployed to signing an offer letter.
How to Get Back to Work After a Career Break in 6 Steps
Get clear on what you want to do. While you may think you need to "take what you can get," you likely have many more options than you think. Don't just think about the job you want today — think about the job you want 3 years from now. Are the positions you are thinking about applying to on the trajectory to get you to the next level in your career? If not, you may need to concentrate on another role.
If you are unclear, before considering applying to a position, ask yourself: How much do I want to make? Is this a workload I think I can manage? Do I already have some or all of the skills required?
Take stock of your skills. Even without trying, you may have developed some new skills during your time away that would make you an excellent asset to a company. If you volunteered, did you get a chance to lead projects? While taking care of your sick grandmother did you help Nana's friends at the senior center learn Facebook? Maybe during your children's nap-time, you took some free courses on Lynda. Write it all down. If any of these skills are in line with the type of job you are looking for, make sure you get them on your resume.
Also, keep in mind that companies want to make sure that you have been staying on top of your skills while you were away. Research what has been going on in your industry and spend some time on the skills/programs that the position you are looking for requires. If there are skills needed for the jobs you want that you don't have, I would encourage you to take an online course. When you get called for an interview, this will help you demonstrate that you've kept your skills current..
Write a killer resume. The gap between your last job and today may make you feel nervous, but don't let this get to you. For some companies, a gap is not a big deal so long as you have kept up with your skills. Let the job description be your guide in fine-tuning your resume. Keep in mind that most resumes go through an Application Tracking System (ATS), which is a bot that looks for keywords and sends resumes that captures those words to the hiring manager and disregards the ones that don't. So look out for words that are used throughout the job description. For example, if you see the words "cross-functional" used frequently in a job description, you are going to want to harp on your experience with collaborating with other departments and make sure to use the actual words "cross-functional" at least once.
For formatting your resume, stay away from a chronological resume if you have been out of work for over a year and go with a functional or hybrid resume to best highlight your applicable skills.
Work your network. Your network is still the most efficient way to get your foot in the door, especially after a break. Once your resume is on point, be sure to tap into your network and let them know that you are looking. You can do this both in-person and online.
Update your LinkedIn to let people know you are looking. Write an engaging headline and spend time actively engaging on the platform by speaking on topics in your related field to re-establish yourself as a subject matter expert. If a former colleague that you like moved to another company, you can ask if they can put some feelers out for you.
Taking the time now to nurture those relationships will help you long after you find a new position.
Be prepared to talk about your gap during an interview. You do not need to get into the weeds of why you took time off. This is personal to you and in an interview, less is more when it comes to your personal life. You can share that you took a break to deal with a personal matter that is now handled, and mention the skills you were fine-tuning during your time away. This helps the conversation get moving and keeps you in control of the discussion.
Get your mindset right. The decision to go back to work is not made lightly and can often be emotional. Remember that your pause in employment did not take away from your value. You were self-aware enough to take care of what you needed to instead of trying to do it all and get burned out, and that is a great trait. Do not undersell yourself just because you have been off the market: you are still just as brilliant and capable, but now with just a little extra resilience sprinkled in.
3 Women, 7 Lessons: What These Relativity Leaders Learned in 2020
Working at Relativity—the global tech company that equips legal and compliance professionals with a powerful data-organizing and discovery platform—looked different in 2020. The highly collaborative environment of their Chicago headquarters transitioned to a virtual setting, and just like companies around the country, Relativity adapted their goals and major projects to a completely remote environment.
8 (Virtual) Diversity Conferences to Attend in 2021
Diversity Reboot 2021: The One Hundred Day Kickoff
<p><strong>When</strong>: February 1-5, 2021</p><p><strong>Where</strong>: Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Free!</p><p><strong>Where to register: </strong><a href="https://summit.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>We had to include our own Diversity Reboot on our list of the best diversity and inclusion events to attend in 2021 because we know firsthand how the quality of 100+ expert speakers, the enthusiasm of 10,000 participants, and the cutting-edge tech that enables meaningful virtual networking and job fairs combine to create a truly epic five-day experience. This year, the theme 100 Day Kickoff harnesses the energy of the new government's first 100 days in office to help jump-start personal and professional plans to build more diverse and inclusive workplaces. </p><p>Following the February summit, we'll have a monthly series of smaller virtual summits on topics spanning everything from returnships to LGBTQ+ advocacy, so be sure to stay tuned for updates!<br></p>The Future of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 2021
<p><strong>When</strong>: February 3-4, 2021</p><p><strong>Where</strong>: Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Free</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://www.hr.com/en/webcasts_events/virtual_events/upcoming_virtual_events/the-future-of-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-2021_kcxf8glq.html#detail" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>This virtual conference put on by HR.com focuses on how social movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter have pushed DEI at work beyond legal compliance and into a major factor of any company or brand's culture, employee engagement, and performance. Topics include how to uncover and resolve pay gaps across your team and hire top-level diverse talent.</p>Workplace Revolution: From Talk to Collective Action
<p><strong>When</strong>: March 8-12, 2021</p><p><strong>Where</strong>: Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register: </strong>$820</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://cvent.me/ZQ4BbE" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>The Forum on Workplace Inclusion's 33rd annual conference includes 12 session tracks, from DEI Strategy to Social Responsibility, along with 59 workshops and daily networking sessions. This year's theme focuses on one question: "What will it take to start a workplace revolution that moves us from talk to action?"</p>Diversity: How Employers Can Match Words With Deeds
<p><strong>When</strong><strong>: </strong>May 19, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register</strong><strong>: </strong>Early bird registration is $49 and general admission is $149</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://hopin.com/events/may-virtual-conference-diversity-how-employers-can-match-words-with-deeds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Here</a></p><p>From Day One is hosting monthly conferences in 2021 focused on different ways for companies to foster strong relationships with their customers, communities, and employees. May's half-day virtual event is focused specifically on how companies can make diversity promises that don't fall flat and features workshops, panels, and a fireside chat.</p>Hire with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
<p><strong>When:</strong> August 18, 2021</p><p><strong>Where: </strong>Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register: </strong>$195</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://www.hci.org/conferences/2021-virtual-conference-hire-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-august-18-2021" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>This conference put on by the Human Capital Institute is one of 12 virtual conferences that HCI has planned for 2021. This one focuses on fair and inclusive talent acquisition, including how to attract diverse talent, implement inclusive hiring practices, and addressing bias in employee selection. Other conferences will focus on optimizing talent strategy, engaging employees, and developing your workforce.</p>Virtual Grace Hopper Celebration 2021
<p><strong>When:</strong> September 26-29, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual, broadcast from Chicago, Illinois</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Was $799 for regular access to the virtual conference in 2020; 2021 pricing hasn't yet been announced</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://ghc.anitab.org/attend/registration/" target="_blank">Here</a>, though 2021 registration wasn't live at the time of writing</p><p>Grace Hopper might be the best-known conference for women in tech. Through keynote presentations, networking sessions, job fairs, and community-building activities, vGHC reached over 30,000 women for their 2020 conference and are expecting even more in 2021! While not a conference focused exclusively on diversity and inclusion, many speakers plan to focus their talks on creating environments for women to thrive in the male-dominated tech field.</p>Inclusion 2021
<p><strong>When:</strong> October 25-27, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual and in person in Austin, Texas as of now</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Hasn't yet been announced</p><p><strong>Where to register: </strong><a href="https://conferences.shrm.org/inclusion" target="_blank">Here</a>, though 2021 registration wasn't live at the time of writing</p><p>The Society for Human Resource Management's biggest conference of the year saw 1,200 DEI leaders participate last year; SHRM hopes to see even more come to learn, be inspired, and to walk away with a playbook of implementable strategies to create truly inclusive workplace cultures.</p>AfroTech 2021
<p><strong></strong><strong>When:</strong> November 8-13, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Early bird pricing is $149 for individuals and $249 for corporate attendees; regular pricing hasn't yet been announced</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://experience.afrotech.com/" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>AfroTech is a conference hosted by Blavity, a tech media platform for Black millennials. It focuses on emerging tech trends, connecting Black talent with top tech recruiters, and providing networking and educational opportunities, with an overall goal of building a strong Black tech community. Over 10,000 people participated in 2020. While the conference isn't focused specifically on DEI, its main audience of Black tech talent is an important one to understand and to engage at work and beyond, and several speakers plan to focus on issues of race and inclusion at work. </p>Finding Her Sport: Being Part of the Team in a Startup Environment
A Conversation with Vouch's Lead Designer Carrie Phillips
Tips to Prepare for Your Interview at SoftwareONE
Nina Unger, Talent Acquisition Specialist at SoftwareONE gave us a behind-the-scenes look at SoftwareONE's Application process, culture, and values.
Learn about the company and how you can make your application stand out!
To learn more about SoftwareONE and their open roles, click here.