Free Advice
Re-entering the Workforce: Tips and Techniques for Success
by Brad Karsh
Rejoining the workforce after an extended layoff is perceived to be one of the most difficult transitions in life. You may have been raising your children, caring for a relative, or you may have been “downsized” and had trouble finding a job. In any case, it’s a daunting proposition to pull out the business suit, polish up the resume, and start looking for a job.
It’s not an easy task, but if you prepare appropriately, and attack the search smartly, it’s not as intimidating as you may think.
With the right Mindset, the proper downtime Approach, and some specific Strategies, you can get back out there and land work.
The Mindset
You have a gap in your resume.
So what!
There is this obsession that having a gap in your resume is a horrible sin. It’s not. The fact is, it’s incredibly common these days. Layoffs, unfortunately, are an everyday occurrence. There has been an increase in women staying home to raise their children, and work/life balance awareness has increased to the point where more people are taking time off for personal reasons.
Twenty years ago, the typical job situation had the male breadwinner getting a job out of college and spending the rest of his career working for one company until his gold-watch retirement party at age 55.
Those days are long gone.
There’s no need for you to be shy about the fact that there’s a gap in your resume. You are part of a large and growing population of job seekers that have taken time off for a variety of reasons. There’s no need to fret.
The Approach
The biggest issue that employers have with employees returning to the workforce is their perceived lack of being “out of the game.” Technology, industry trends, and job skills can all change rapidly over the course of a couple of years.
As such, you want to make sure that you can show your aptitude in some of these areas. Take computer classes, get involved with trade organizations, and stay abreast of industry happenings by reading trade publications during your time off. It does take some time, but not nearly as much as working full time.
Then when it comes time to interview you’ll be able to say something like, “I knew it would be important for me to stay current on my computer skills, so I took classes in the most recent version of Microsoft Office while I was home raising my children.”
The Strategy
Packaging your “gap” in a resume or on an interview takes careful consideration. Don’t try tricks like changing dates or writing about how you honed your managerial skills negotiating with three children under the age of 10. Recruiting Directors know what you do as a mom or as a caregiver. What they want to know is that you’re in the game and ready to contribute.
Of course, it would always be ideal to be able to tell your story in person, but often you don’t have the luxury of meeting someone face-to-face. As such, the cover letter becomes a great tool to let a potential employer know about your resume gap and why it’s not a big deal.
-Mention why you’re reentering the workforce now
“I had always wanted to return to the workplace, and now that my children are in school full-time, it’s the perfect opportunity.”
-Talk about how you stayed in the game
“I wanted to stay involved in advertising as much as I could after our company closed our office, so I’ve attended monthly meetings of the Chicago Advertising Federation and also took a class on advanced media skills.”
Ultimately, it’s not going to be easy to get back out there. But with the right game plan, it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think.