Embracing the Break: How Women Can Turn Career Interruptions into Opportunities
Once you have a clearer picture of your ideal career path, identify the skills you might need to bridge any gaps. Online courses, volunteering in relevant fields, or attending workshops are all great options to sharpen your skillset and make you a more competitive candidate.
For many women, a career break—be it for childcare, eldercare, personal development, or any other reason—can feel like a disruption to their meticulously planned professional journeys. However, if viewed from a different perspective, this career break can serve as a catalyst for a powerful turning point in their career.
The Opportunity in a Career Break
A career break allows you to step away from the daily hustle of managing work and household responsibilities. This pause offers a unique opportunity to view your career from a distance, providing a chance to re-evaluate your priorities, values, and passions. This newfound clarity can guide you towards a more meaningful career direction, one that aligns with your passions and brings you a sense of fulfillment.
Refreshing Your Skillset
A career break can also be seen as a chance to refresh your skillset. Did you use this time to learn new things, volunteer in a different field, or finally delve into that long-neglected hobby? These experiences, even seemingly unrelated ones, can translate into valuable skills for your next role. Project management honed through volunteer work or problem-solving skills developed during a coding class – they all add depth and dimension to your resume.
Recharging Your Professional Network
Taking a break also allows you to recharge your professional network. Reconnect with old colleagues, explore new professional communities, and build relationships with people in your desired field. These connections can be invaluable when you’re ready to re-enter the workforce and leverage the power of your network to launch your next chapter.
Self-Discovery: The Key to Success
So, how do you turn your break into a springboard for success? The key lies in self-discovery. Take some time for introspection. What did you enjoy most about your previous career? What skills did you excel at and find energizing? What kind of work environment would make you jump out of bed in the morning? Journaling, personality assessments, or even seeking guidance from a career coach can be helpful tools for this stage of self-discovery.
Bridging the Gap
Once you have a clearer picture of your ideal career path, identify the skills you might need to bridge any gaps. Online courses, volunteering in relevant fields, or attending workshops are all great options to sharpen your skillset and make you a more competitive candidate.
Conclusion: Embrace the Break
Your career break is not a gap to be filled, but a valuable chapter in your professional story. By embracing the opportunity for self-discovery and skill development, you can use your break to propel yourself towards a career you love. Taking a break doesn’t have to mean taking a step back in your career. It can be an opportunity for exploration, growth, and ultimately, a more fulfilling work life. So, embrace the break, invest in yourself, and get ready to write the next exciting chapter of your career story.
Stay tuned, to PropleManager.co.in for further updates on the evolving workplace paradigm.
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resume coach. He regularly conducts workshops for females who are restarting their
career journeys after a break and has conducted over 500 workshops, aiding more than
5000 women in their career-restart journeys. Rajat also delivers lectures and workshops
on resume building and career counselling at universities.
