KEEP UP TO DATE
Employers want people who are abreast of the latest trends related to work. Therefore, stay updated during the break. The traditional ways to brush up skills and knowledge, books, magazines, and courses help. However, staying in the field through freelance work is best.
Rather than doing a course, if possible, take up part-time assignments, one can also help a charity, work for NGOs, enhance digital skills or give a hand to startups. This will give the impression that you have used the break well.
NETWORK
Keep in touch with old colleagues and employers. Networking will help you search for an appropriate opening or get good references that can increase your chances of getting selected in a job interview.
EXPLAIN YOUR CAREER BREAK—BUT KEEP IT BRIEF
If you’ve had a long break, you’ll likely have to discuss it within your cover letter, as well as during interviews. No matter what your reason for your extended leave from the workforce, keep your explanation brief. A simple sentence will do. Try, “I’ve spent time caring for a sick relative,” or “It was important to me to be home with my child until nursery school,” “I’ve been volunteering at a homelessness charity” or “I’ve spent the past few years traveling throughout the world, working on my language skills.”
BE FLEXIBLE
“Companies always look at the last role and compensation. So, do not compare your pay cheque or job profile with those who started with you and have grown while you were on a sabbatical,”
This doesn’t mean you should allow yourself to be treated as cheap labour. The compensation should be in keeping with your experience and industry standards.
It is often easier to make a comeback in emerging high-growth sectors or smaller firms. Emphasis should be on job profile and prospects and not on the size of the organisation. “The company was small compared with my previous organisation but the business was expanding and growth prospects were good,”
BE CONFIDENT
It is important to maintain your confidence. You need this to be able to put in job applications, go to interviews, and face the possible rejection which goes hand in hand with looking for a new job. In order to be a strong candidate, you need to be able to sell yourself to potential employers, and for that, you need to be confident. After all, no one is going to believe in you if you do not believe in yourself.
