What are the best ways to re-enter the workforce after a career break?

Start by introducing structure to your day. The same way you would with a new role. It allows you to see progress against your day/week/month as you search for your next opportunity. Allowing too much fluidity in your day will leave you unsatisfied with the results at days end.

Re-entering the workforce after some time may be challenging but with a little patience and some strategic planning, considering your current career goals, it is an exciting journey that with a positive mindset, will surely give way to a successful transition back into the career that you are looking for.

Few tips are necessary: 1. Stay connected to your networks. 2. Keep your relationship positive and active with peers, supervisors and likeminded people. 3. Keep writing or sharing about your skills, competencies 4. Keep learning though small yet every day. 6. Maintain your identity through your work.

First, take stock of your skills and identify any gaps. Enrol in relevant courses and certifications, especially those with a practical component, to refresh and enhance your expertise. Networking is another crucial step. Reach out to former colleagues, join professional groups, and attend industry events to make new connections. Craft your narrative to explain your career break positively, focusing on any new skills or perspectives you've gained. Be ready to articulate this in your resume and interviews. Finally, consider part-time or contract work to ease back into the professional environment. This can lead to full-time positions and reduces the perceived employment gap on your resume.

In my experience, the most important thing that takes a hit when you stop working full time or you desire to have it back when you want to resume work is your self confidence. You are not sure how the industry has gone ahead while you were stuck in your well. The best way to tackle the problem is to find out if you are ready to resume in your old work expertise field or you would like to start in a new work area. Anyway, in both cases, you need to identify the gaps between your skills and the required skills. Find a relevant upskill course online, attend workshops, read books. It is okay to start as an intern to test the waters and gain confidence.

My active online presence actually helped me to get back into the corporate workforce after a huge gap owing to motherhood and a six-year stay in the US on a dependent visa. Interim freelancing gigs and teaching professionally further helped me switch my desired career path. I signed up on LinkedIn, which helped me get back into the workforce.

After a 13-year break from full-time job, when I thought about resuming work again this year, I not only joined an online course from a reputed education brand to upskill myself, but also revamped my resume. There are many paid online resume building sites that do quite a great job. In my case, as I had pursued the course from MICA x Upgrad, the career counsellor from Upgrad helped me rebuild my resume, update my LinkedIn profile.

Expanding my network helped as I took proactive measures to connect with new people and bring in new opportunities for myself. Maybe, now I need to dig into my past and connect with old connections as I seek new goals.

It’s important to have a lot of self-belief, discernment, and patience if you have certain expectations from your work. Learning is a lifelong activity, and that’s both the fun and frustrating part if you want to grow in your career. Closing the doors on work that’s long-lived its expiry date, and looking ahead with a fresh perspective, are important. And always, always, celebrate the small and big wins along the way.

Seek Support: Reach out to career coaches, job placement services, or support groups for advice and guidance. Be Flexible: While on the break the job market changed, Be open to different job opportunities, including temporary positions or contract work, as it can be a stepping stone back into your career.

Having attained a certain height on your career ladder, don't loose the height that you have already gained. Embrace the break with positivity, keep polishing yourself skills, expand your professional networks, show your expertise through social media platforms, keep an eye on the opportunities and pitch your candidature to where you could contribute the most.

I’d like to add to never lose your enthusiasm despite the tough circumstances. Be fearless in treading new terrains, even the less travelled or unexplored ones, if you have a strong gut feeling about it. While it’s good to have a close network of people whom you can trust with discussing your career, it’s finally up to you to know what’s no longer working and decide what’s exactly right for you.