Before Umasree Parvathy took a career break, she had a coveted job in UNICEF as a Research Assistant. Almost a decade later, she realized that the job market had changed immensely and restarting her career after a break would require a lot more planning.
“I stayed home taking care of the kids for five years and realized whatever I had studied was not relevant anymore,” shares Umasree.
This prompted her to embark on a journey of self-growth and exploration. She took up part-time jobs at Loyola College and a research institute to understand where her passions lay.
“I met a consultant who offered me a job as an HR partner at a medical transcription company that supported US working hours. This would mean not being able to meet my kids in the morning. So, I declined the offer and didn’t get another one for months.”
Like Umasree, restarting our careers after a break can be an uphill battle. During the course of writing my first book, Back On Your Feet, I met many women who shared their wonderful stories, experiences and tips on how to start working again after a career break.
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Here are a few of them:
1. Find your why
This is a great starting point to understand the path you want to take to restart your career after a break. Ask yourself: Why do I want to do this job? What drives me? Why should I do THIS and not something else? Gradually, you’ll find a lot more clarity as you’ll find the motivation to prioritize certain interests or jobs over others. This will prepare you for the next step of the process: networking.
2. Reach out to your network
When I took a career break, I made a conscious effort to stay in touch with my network. In fact, most of the women I spoke to for my book exalted the benefits of maintaining a strong professional and social network. You may not find a job opportunity right away, but you might find others on the same journey as yourself. For someone who’s trying to step out of their comfort zone, this can be quite therapeutic.
3. Step out of your comfort zone
The dynamics of your profession may have changed during your career break. Figure out your blind spots and try to bridge the gap between what you have and what you need. It's important to evaluate your skill set and enrich them through upskilling opportunities. Be it updating your resume, doing an internship, pursuing a short course or earning a license/certificate—make yourself indispensable to potential employers.
4.Take charge of your narrative
A lot of women who want to restart their career after a break wonder if they should bring up the gap on their resume. I believe it’s important to control your narrative and discuss it even if your interviewer doesn’t. When Umasree was asked how she’d train employees in her job, she said, “Just like I train my kids.” It’s important to view and present your career break as an enriching experience that enabled you to learn skills required for the job at hand.
Back on Your Feet is available globally on Amazon.