How to Relaunch Your Career After a Career Break

The reasons for a career break may be any, from family problems to no job satisfaction but no matter if the career break is of 1 year or 15 years, going back to work after that is rarely easy and finding a new job is a hurricane task. When your professional-self is a foggy memory, it’s hard to feel capable of picking up your career where you left off.

You start off by applying to a job and when you receive a negative reply stating they have selected the ones that had recent experience of the job, you get demoralized. But don’t worry, it was only plan A which failed. You need to get off for plan B. So here are some points which will help you execute that plan B successfully.

Get Ready to Return

• Make up your mind and dwell yourself in the right attitude. Be ready to face rejection but don’t take your foot back. Even if you convince the recruiters with your abilities, the chances of apprehension in their minds about you, still remains.
• Be prepared to explain your reasons for a career break. You might be bombarded like questions like- why you want to join work again? What did you do during the break? And such others. So prepare well in advance.
• Be confident on your skills and strengths, which will boost up your energy for the job search.

Build Up Your Network

• Start telling your friends and family that you are looking up for a job.
• Prepare to explain your reasons of the career break
• Research about the industry you want to get into
• Describe what you are interested in doing now.
• Tell about your pre break qualifications and achievements.
• Keep in contact with your old colleagues and employers.

These things will help you in looking for an opportunity. The more you tell others about your decision of joining work again, the more you will sell yourself. This will increase your network and you don’t know when the right job will come to you. Networking will keep you close to new openings and it will increase your chances of getting selected.

Work on You CV

• If you were unemployed during the career break then include a section of experience in the cv, so that the employer doesn’t feel that you were completely aloof from the work. A gap in the CV will not look well, only proper explanation about your break can justify it.
• Highlight all your achievements, no matter how old or of the previous jobs, after all you had achieved them.
• In the cover letter describe the reasons of your career break. Tell why you want to come back.
• If you are coming back to the same field then state the reasons. If you are joining a new filed state your interest in that.

Analyze What You Want

• Analyze your decision of joining the workforce again.
• Analyze what you are capable of handling especially if you had taken the break due to some personal reasons. Whether those reasons will be a hurdle now also?
• Also, analyze your current interest. It is not compulsory to return to the same field again. You can make a career change and enter a field of your interest.
• You can also join start ups and combine become a consultant in your area of expertise, of which you have an experience.

The Interview

• The biggest hurdle is to convince the employer about your lasting commitment i.e. you are not here to leave but to stay.
• It is importance to research about the company to show that you are not aloof from the job world.
• Don’t focus much on your break. Lay more emphasis on your past experience.
• Justify your gap and convince them that you are ready to take up that job.

So follow the above rules and relaunch your career with a bang.