Should I Be Worried About My Career Gap?

Attempting to re-enter the workforce after a lengthy career break can feel overwhelming. The longer the break from paid work, the more anxiety and uncertainty you’re likely experiencing. If you want to stay confident and mindful throughout the process, keep reading!

There are many reasons for a career break including the ones below. 

Common drivers for Career Breaks

1. Raising kids

2. Being a caregiver to an elder parent

3. Illness

4. Travelling

5. Being laid off

6. Going back to school

7. Soul-searching / re-evaluating career path

How to Navigate a Career Gap

Regardless of the reason you took a break, it can be nerve-wracking when you decide it’s time to re-enter the workforce. 

But know this:

1. You are not alone- 84% of millennials* plan to take a career break at some point, many already have (*source: Manpower Group)

2. Often, you are more worried about the gap than a potential employer

3. The current job market is in your favour

4. If you avoid the common pitfalls detailed in this post— you’ll be well positioned to get your career back on track

The Current Career Climate

We are living in an era of rapid change and innovation — new industries and job functions are created every year. More and more companies see the value in non-traditional career paths and diverse perspectives. 

Because of the pandemic, and other factors that have been magnified because of it, we are seeing a record amount of employees leaving the workforce, especially in tech and healthcare . Employers are scrambling to keep people. This means they need to be more flexible on how they view career breaks in order to retain their workforce long-term. 

Not to mention, The Great Resignation will leave many vacancies to fill, forcing employers to be open-minded about talent. 

Don’t Fall Into These Traps 

Now, if you’re still stressing about your career break — make sure to avoid the common traps. 

Trap #1 — over-Focusing on Explaining the Gap   

Don’t try to hide the gap, but also don’t center your application or interview discussions around it. Women are more likely to fall into this trap. lt’s important to be honest and up front about your experience; but don’t start the process in the “confessional”. This only undermines the rest of what you write or say. 
Use a resumé format that focuses on your career objective, your cumulative experience, and skills. Don’t highlight the dates for each role. Again, don’t try to hide the gap- just don’t make it the focus.

Reframe this in your own mind as leading with the information that will empower the potential employer to choose you. Trust me, as a previous HR professional, the interviewer is rooting for you to succeed.

Remember —  your strengths and passion need to be front and centre. A career gap doesn’t take any of this away from you. In fact, I would argue it enriches your experience, providing you with a fresh perspective and energy.

Trap #2 — Undermining What You Gained During the Break 

Highlight any informal career development that took place during your career break. Ask yourself:

• What did I create during my break?

• What new skills did I learn?

• What are the ways I might apply this to my work?

Ok, I hear you- you’re saying, “Jasleen, I was changing diapers for the last 8 years; how is this relevant!?” There are so many transferable skills when you’ve been a caregiver — household management, budgeting, negotiating, project management, teaching, counselling, the list goes on! You were still working, it’s just a different kind of work. Think about your biggest challenges and be creative about sharing your growth as it pertains to your work.

If your career break didn’t allow for work, because of illness for example, you still developed skills to cope which highlights your resiliency. Be deliberate about looking for roles in industries where this transfers.

Trap #3 — Not Doing Your Market Research 

Who is hiring? Why are they hiring? Focus on the organization’s gap — not yours. How are you uniquely qualified to fill their talent gap? Before starting your search, what steps can you take to prove you understand the needs of your ideal employer? How might your experiences during your break put you more in touch with their customers and bottom line? Remember, if you’re a woman— we hold 80% of consumer power— use this as part of marketing your unique value proposition. 

Trap #4 — Believing Your Skills are Outdated 

‘Newsflash’, no one has all the skills required for the roles they are applying for. Read this blog post on why you should be applying for roles before you’re ready anyways. Of course, potential employers might have a bias that you are “out of touch” especially with tech. Follow the advice author Dorie Clark provides in Harvard Business Review:

“You may have had stellar experience in marketing, for instance, but if you left your job in 2006, you’ve missed the entirety of the social media era, and an employer might be justified in wondering if you’ve kept up. Go out of your way to prove them wrong.

Make sure you have a robust LinkedIn profile and consider using other public social media platforms, such as Twitter, to share posts regularly about your industry to show that you’ve kept pace with industry trends. In your cover letter and interviews, be sure to cite any germane volunteer experience. If you helped organize major fundraisers for your child’s school or led a search committee for your favorite charity’s new executive director, those skills are eminently transferable.”

Trap #5 — Not Preparing for the Interview 

Don’t just practice what you will say in a job application or interview but how you will say it. A career coach or trusted mentor can conduct a mock interview. Have them pay attention to if you are clearly articulating your strengths and objectives. The interview format and questions won’t matter as long as you’re clear on your underlying message and personal brand. There is more to it than that, but I’ll leave you with one example to practice:

Eliminate linguistic hedges from your answers. A hedge is an (unnecessary) word or phrase that expresses ambiguity or indecisiveness.

Examples of Hedges:

• “I was ‘just’ a stay-at-home mom”

• “This might not be relevant but…”

• “I mean, I”m not an expert but…”

• Ending with a question: “….does that make sense?”

Linguistic experts have found that women are more likely to use hedges, often because society has conditioned us to play small, to be modest. If you are worried you will come off as arrogant, or embellishing your strengths, do some deeper work to address the beliefs that underpin this discomfort. You don’t want to undermine your potential on an unconscious level.  Consider storytelling as a strategy if you can’t overcome the fear of how you may be judged; this is an excellent way to sell your strengths authentically.

Trap #6 — Assuming Your Fate Rests Solely in the Hands of the Employer

You don’t have to wait to get hired by an employer to re-enter the workforce. Your career gap ends when you decide it does. At any point, you can sign up for courses to up-skill and gain confidence. You can also become a freelancer to start closing your career gap. Even if you don’t have a full workload, it shows you are truly serious about working. There are many apps designed to connect freelancers to work, such as Upwork and Fiverr. Even if it’s not the work you are targeting, there might be jobs that have transferable skills that will bridge the gap. This will give you more clarity on your ideal next role, and where talent gaps exist in the market. It will also generate income so you don’t feel pressured into taking a permanent position that’s a lower job grade/ pay than what you are worth. Identifying your worth, is a topic on it’s own- so let me know in the comments if you want me to write a blog post about this.

Trap #7– Waiting too long

I’ve spoken to many people who are living in a state of regret when it comes to their break. They wish they had done more, and some wish they had done less with the time. If you are making a conscious choice to remain on a break — I am not speaking to you. It is ok to wait however long you want. Your value isn’t determined by your earnings or job title. At the same time, make that choice without regret. Regret is a manufactured emotion, based on (often limiting) beliefs that stem from our culture.

The “Waiting Too Long” trap is meant to address when waiting, in reality is a form of procrastination. If you’re a recovering perfectionist, like me, the waiting might be about doing all you can do to feel fully “ready”. It stems from a fear of failure and your resistance to your own core beliefs about what failure means.

We’re getting deep here, I know. But it’s important to be aware of what is manifesting for you at both a conscious and subconscious level so you’re truly taking authentic, aligned action.

Conclusion 

In summary, if you’re worried about a career gap— don’t be. Worrying about it will only impact your confidence. Instead, remind yourself of past successes, focus on your strengths and understanding the industry you’re targeting, then start building momentum. 

Momentum is the main element you’re missing when you’ve been out of “the game” for a while. So start by taking small, incremental steps and keep building on it. 

Work with a career coach who can help you elevate and market your personal brand, practice your interviewing skills, and build up confidence. Remember, in the grand scheme of your career and life, this gap is a small part of your story. And if you weave it into your carefully crafted value proposition, you will find meaningful, rewarding work before you know it!

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