Managing a career change after a break

There are plenty of reasons you might take a career break. You may have been on furlough, maternity/paternity leave, travelling, for your health, a sabbatical - the list goes on. Whatever your motivation for taking a break, you may have been inspired to discover a new career path. Or maybe it’s simply time for a big change!

When the time comes to re-enter the world of work, applying for jobs may feel daunting. Skills may feel a little rusty, and it may have been a long time since you applied for jobs or started at a new company. So what’s the best way to apply for jobs in a new industry after a break? 

Here are four tips to help you have a smooth and successful journey back into the world of work via a new direction. 

Get clearer on the new direction you want to take

If you’re not exactly sure what you want to do yet, that’s ok. We recommend avoiding putting too much pressure on yourself to find your ‘one true passion’ or your ‘dream job’. For most people, we don’t have one. We find that trying to find the one perfect thing places unnecessary pressure or unrealistic expectations on ourselves. 

The reality is that the world will change and what will sustain you for a few years will change as you do, the only move that really matters is your next one. That’s the one we want to focus on. 

Instead, explore the many things you could do and spend some time chasing your curiosities and seeing where that leads you. Take a few minutes to ask yourself what you’re curious about or interested in, spend some time researching opportunities online and reach out to your network to learn more about industries/roles which spark your interest. 

Start by being curious and thinking about what you find interesting and what you’d like to explore a bit more. Look through Escape’s job board and spend some time reading about some of the roles and organisations out there. When you’re not sure what you want next exactly, the best thing you can do is to explore and discover what your options are.

Next, you’ll want to take some time to think about what you want out of your next role. Write down the things which are non-negotiable for you, e.g. minimum salary, location or industry, and stick to them so that you’re only applying for positions you know that genuinely meet your needs. Starting a job search with your needs in mind means that you’re more likely to end up in a role that you find more fulfilling. Be clear on what you’re willing to compromise on and what is fundamentally important to you. 

Think about whether you might need additional flexibility and support. The world has changed over the past year and flexibility is more normal. Have conversations with potential employers upfront to manage expectations and avoid difficulties or challenges later on. 

If you’re nervous about returning to work, it might feel more comfortable to apply for roles that don’t tick all your boxes but where you know you have the experience to land the job. While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, it’s worth noting that any job application process is a challenge and, if you know it’s not right for you, you’ll only be redoing this exercise later down the road. 

It’s better to spend the time upfront to get clarity on what you want in your next job and then spend the time and energy creating great applications for roles you get excited about, than trying to find any job and ending up in a position where you want to leave soon after starting.

Remember, you are a true asset to an organisation just as they can be an asset to your life - job searching is a two-way street. By getting clear on what you want and applying for roles you have a genuine excitement for, you’ll have the best chance of ending up in an organisation where the balance is right. 

Confront the elephant in the room

There’s an age-old myth that potential employers will negatively look at a career break, but that isn’t the case in most progressive organisations. Increasingly career breaks, sabbaticals, and in the past year, furlough, are more common and won’t necessarily put you at a disadvantage to your peers. 

Instead of thinking of a break as something to skip over on your CV, try focusing on the positive aspects, for example, what you learned, achieved, and explored during your time away. Career breaks can be hugely valuable experiences where we can build as many skills and experiences as we would if we’d been working, think about those aspects rather than any perceived negatives. 

Own your career break in your application and explain what you did during that time. Describing how your time out led you to decide on a career change could help you stand out from other candidates and demonstrate your passion for this field of work. 

Think about the skills that your break gave you and showcase them in your applications. For example, if you became a parent, you may have developed incredible time management skills, an ability to manage multiple projects at once, and the thousand other skills you learn as a parent. If you volunteered, you might have developed excellent leadership or specialist skills. It shows self-motivation and a passion for a cause. If you travelled around the world, you might have grown your confidence by speaking to new people every day, or become adept at managing uncertainty. Don’t underestimate how these skills can help you stand out to an employer, all skills and experiences can be equally valuable in the workplace.

Showcase your skills

You might feel like you’re at a disadvantage changing careers after a break compared to other candidates who have years of experience in your chosen industry. This is an inevitable part of career-changing, but it’s not impossible by any means. It’s increasingly rare that anyone has a job for life, most of us to change career, and most of our skills are transferable across industries. Often it’s the career changers who bring the most skills and experience to an organisation by providing a new perspective or best practice from another industry or sector.

Whether it’s been a two month or a 2-year break, the most important thing is to be confident in what you can offer an organisation. Write down the skills you possess and examples of when you’ve used them to make an impact in a previous role. There are plenty of transferable skills between industries that employers look for in their candidates.

If you’re not sure what skills you have in your arsenal, try this simple exercise.

1. Make a list of all the skills you love to use and would be happy to use in a new role.
2. Make a list of the skills you don’t enjoy as much, but you know you have in your back pocket. Tip: List skills from all parts of your life that you could legitimately charge a fee for. This could include anything from baking to budgeting.
3. Take a look at each skill and ask yourself, ‘what does this say about me?’. For example, if you’re a keen artist, this could infer that you’re creative and have an eye for detail. 
4. Consider all the skills you’ve listed and think about whether you could charge a fee for them. Even things you love doing, like cooking, writing, or posting on social media. This will help you to see new directions that you may not have considered before. 
5. Look at the list again and think about times when these skills have served you or created value for others. For example:

• Did it save time, money or gain new customers?
• Did you do it more efficiently?
• Did it gain a lot of attention? 

If you found this exercise difficult, don’t stress. It’s hard to assess ourselves objectively. You could try asking the people around you questions such as ‘what do you think my best skills are?’ or ‘what are five words you’d use to describe me?’. They’re likely to uncover skills or traits you didn’t even realise were an asset to you. 

Seek professional support

As well as using Escape the City’s job board to search for new opportunities, consider whether attending a course or programme could help to give you the confidence, or grow the skills you need, to change careers. These are great additions to your CV and allow employers to see how committed you are to your career change and what you’re doing to move it forward. Check out some of the retraining programmes with our partners.  

You may also want to re-learn some of the skills which feel a little rusty. Re-familiarise yourself with the skills you had before by taking a course, attending an event, reading, or networking. You could volunteer or take relevant classes to help you freshen up your skills and get an insight into the new industry you want to work within. 

Spending a little time building up your competency in a new area will help build your confidence. Experience and knowledge you’ve acquired through your own research, proactive learning and seeking out experience are even more impressive to employers than solely paid experience. 

For more advice and inspiration about how to make a career change, check out our career change collection on the Escape resource hub.