The Career Break, The Family, and The Way Forward

Preparing for an interview is just one facet of the returnship. The questions that haunt many women who look forward to returning post a break vary from how do I justify my break to why will a company hire me?
 
Mother’s Day week was celebrated by interacting with two mothers Pranoti Nayar and Ruchika who are successful career returnees themselves. Both these ladies gave us great insight into the aspects that become apprehensions in most women who wish to return to their professions and ways to overcome them.
 
In discussion Deepa N Swamy, Co-Founder of FlexiBees also shared her thoughts on how and why firms hire a career returnee.
 
The elephant in the room in terms of returning from a career break is the nagging thought of being out of work for a certain amount of time, and how does one overcome the apprehensions about the break. Women do feel under confident and nervous when they interview after a break.

DON’T LET THE BREAK, BREAK YOU

                                             
 
“Be confident and don’t apologize for the break”
 
Pranoti  says, Going through the resume, focusing on the skillset you have, helps a great deal. You  need to match the job description and talk about the same and the expertise that you have at the interview. Talking about the upskilling that you have acquired over the break and portraying it as the commitment and keenness to get back to work. Focusing on transferable skills can help widen the horizon, and also shows adaptability at work. Many firms value the maturity and experience one gets to the workplace post a career break. 
 
"Own your break, and indicate your readiness to come back from your break”
 

COMMITMENT, TIME, AND SUPPORT

                                                                
 
 Another aspect you need to work out before joining the job.
 
“To ensure that you have the number of hours you have committed to”
 
 After landing the desired job you need to make sure that you put in the number of hours that have been committed to the client. This will need support from family, be it the spouse or kids. If there seems to be a need to get external help like nannies or helpers or day-care you need to keep a lookout for it. Finalize the minor details well in advance so that things are settled before you take up the role. You can start talking to the kids and prepare them for this new role, as they need to understand your commitments.
 
 “For a mother who is returning to work-family support is a very important aspect.
The family needs to understand how important her work is to her and how it builds her confidence. A recent survey suggests how working gives women not only financial independence but also a sense of agency.” -Deepa shares her insight.
 
You need to be mentally prepared to put in a specific number of hours and be available for the client. Trying sticking to a slots of time to work, especially if the roles requires you to work in teams. It also helps others get an idea of when you are available at work. There will times when you will be needed to put in some extra time as per the role. A certain amount of flexibility in those hours helps the functioning get smooth.
 
“Building a discipline in respect of time helps.”
 
You  need to demonstrate to the client that you are fitting in the work schedule, and not taking it casually, as most interactions are happening from a distance and not in person.
 
                                                                           

THE ONE WHO HIRES

The major apprehension most women returning to work have is...
 
How can I be sure if a company would hire me after a break?
 
Some companies are willing to hire and they respect the experience that the women bring in after a break. Lots of start-ups are keen on flexible and flexible part-time hiring. Their requirement is growth and thus the flexible and part-time model works well for them. Women and mothers are a perfect fit for such models as they already have the desired experience and are looking for meaningful roles.
FlexiBees bridges this gap between clients and consultants. FlexiBees makes sure that the client is aware of the career break and that the consultant fits the profile making the interview and selection process smooth. You must focus on the skills that they bring to the table and not the number of years that you were on a break.
 
So keep all your apprehensions aside and take the plunge into the world of returnship, with the tips and insights shared by Pranoti, Ruchika and Deepa hope your journey gets easier.