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5 Reasons Companies Fear Hiring Career-break Candidates & How to Overcome Them

Career advice, Coaching and Consultancy

5 Reasons Companies Fear Hiring Career-break Candidates & How to Overcome Them

If you’ve thought about taking a career break…

… but you’re worried that companies will see you differently because of it, this article is for you.

Unfortunately, you’re not wrong to be concerned as some companies really do see candidates differently after a career break.

However, you can do something about this!

They don’t see you differently because you’re not skilled, not professional, experienced or marketable enough, but instead, it’s usually because of negative assumptions that prevent them from seeing past the career break stigma and recognise your true skills and potential value to them as a professional.

The only person who is going to make them see you real value, is you.  

We know that career breaks are increasingly popular among men and women, with two-thirds of us likely to take a one during our working lives (Harvard Business Review), usually to take care of a child or elderly person. And around 93% will want to re-enter the workplace after their time off.

Yet despite this, career breaks are not without their challenges, particularly when it comes to re-entering the job market.
Research by PWC found that in the UK, three in five professional women will return to lower-skilled or lower-paid jobs following their career breaks, often suffering an immediate salary reduction of up to one third!

However, you should know that these barriers to re-entry are starting to change!

Companies are recognising the benefits of career breaks for employees, with many even offering paid or unpaid sabbaticals. And they’re also starting to recognise the opportunity in hiring candidates who are returning to work, post career-break.

To see more on how things are changing for the better, check out this article and video.

Having said that, if we truly want to understand what is stopping companies from hiring career break candidates, we have to be open to seeing things from their point of view, don’t we?

Only then can we effectively counter these barriers and move forward together.

 

With that said, here are 5 Reasons Why Companies Fear Hiring Career-break Candidates & How to Overcome them:

 

1. Value & Priorities:

The company may be concerned that you no longer see your career, or your work with them as the highest priority, compared to other candidates who don’t have significant breaks in their career.

How to Overcome this: Highlight in your CV, cover letter and the interview how focused and dedicated you are to your career and the company you work for. Clearly express your long term ambition and your drive, and try to show evidence of this through continued professional development

2. Time, Money, Resources:

The company may fear that you’ll leave again (either for another break OR because you’re unsure of what you want professionally) and they’ll pay for that leave with their time, resources and budget spent on recruiting and training you.

How to Overcome this: Demonstrate your commitment to a long term career with them, how ready you are to work again, how sure you are about this job and, if possible, highlight previous company loyalty.

 

3. Out-of-Date:

They may be concerned that time out from your career has made you ‘obsolete’ or out-of-date in the industry, with regards to the latest industry advancements, technology and required skill sets, regardless of your previous education and experience.

How to Overcome this: Stay up to date during your time off. Complete additional training courses. Keep up to date with the industry changes and progress. Show this on your CV and demonstrate it in your interview!

 4. Adaptability:

They may fear that you lack flexibility or adaptability to learn new things or fit in, holding onto an outdated mindset.

How to Overcome this: Highlight that you are adaptable, show them evidence of this if possible, and show a flexible mindset, comfort towards change, and a willingness to learn and grow.

5. Motivation:

The company may question whether you still have the same motivation and career drive that you had prior to your career break.

How to Overcome this: Show them you’re driven, motivated, ambitious and willing to learn and grow as a professional. Do this through your interview conversation and through additional professional training courses. By having up to date industry knowledge, you’re already demonstrating career motivation and dedication. Plus, why not highlight your career goals to show your ambition and direction, so they know you’re not just ‘testing the water’ with them.

 

If you think about it from a business point of view, just for a moment, it’s possible to see that these are natural concerns to have,

But they shouldn’t limit your success!

As candidates, knowing these fears and empathising with them, actually offers you valuable insight into the employers mindset, so you can identify how to adapt professionally and neutralise these fears to land the job you want.

Every professional is responsible for developing their own business skills and their employability, to put themselves in the best position to attract great companies and great job opportunities.

Think ahead for a moment, when you rejoin the business world after a career-break, wouldn’t it be nice to feel empowered, valued, up-to-date, in demand and completely ready! With the right insight and preparation, this is easier than you may think!

Check out this article for 12 top tips on what you can do to proactively start that journey on the right path and ensure you are an in-demand candidate upon your return!

 

What’s your point of view on this? Can you think of any other fears or concerns companies may have about employing ‘career breakers’?

Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments box AND feel free to share this article with your friends and colleagues via Facebook & LinkedIn.

 

Best,

Adam 

 

P.S. If you’re looking to develop your professional skills and enhance your employability, check out our Business English Courses and Training Courses today!.

For the definitions of the highlighted words check our Glossary.  

 

 

Adam Baker

About the Author

Adam Baker is the co-Founder and Course Director at Trust Native. He’s an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, and Sport & Organizational Psychologist with professional experience in both Europe and South America.

Adam Baker

About the Author

Adam Baker is the co-Founder and Course Director at Trust Native. He’s an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, and Sport & Organizational Psychologist with professional experience in both Europe and South America.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

We’ll email you occasionally with our latest posts & most interesting news.

7 Reasons Why Relauncher Candidates could be the Perfect Hire!

Leadership

7 Reasons Why Relauncher Candidates could be the Perfect Hire!

Are you a Leader in business? 

Do you recruit new employees into your team or department?

If so, there’s a chance you might be missing out on a lucrative and mutually beneficial opportunity in the area of recruitment and selection.

Namely, Career Break Candidates, a.k.a. ‘Relaunchers‘.

Most relaunchers will suffer some kind of negative bias when it comes to recruitment and even promotions, typically losing out to candidates who haven’t taken breaks.

In fact, let me give you some quick fire statistics that might surprise you:

  • Career breaks are popular among both men and women.
  • Over 60% of us are likely to take a career break (Harvard Business Review).
  • The main reason is to care for a child or elderly person.
  • 93% will want to re-enter the workplace after their career break.
  • Three in five professional women will return to lower-skilled or lower-paid jobs following their career breaks (PWC).
  • ‘Career breakers’ are likely to suffer an immediate salary reduction of up to one third! (PWC).

 

So what’s going on?

Recruitment and selection is a two-way deal between employers and candidates, so it’s important to see both sides of the story and acknowledge the deeper reasons or fears that come naturally with this process.

Firstly, for career-break candidates, they often feel anxious about going back to work, and it’s no surprise, they’ve had a break from the chaos of the corporate environment, but they also fear how companies will see them, believing that they’re not up to date, they lack drive, or that they’re simply inferior to other candidates.

For employers and recruiters, typical fears may include that candidates are not up-to-date (technically or industry specific), may have lost motivation or career direction, don’t see the company or their work as high priority, may be inflexible or may not fit with the modern corporate culture, among other things. We’ve written more about this here.

And these fears and assumptions often mask the true potential that both employer and relauncher have by working together.

As a business professional yourself, if you took a career break, would you consider yourself less talented or driven when you decide to return to the work you’re passionate about? Probably not.

It’s not all gloom and doom, of course, there are many forward-thinking companies, like JP Morgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs, IBM, Intel and GM, to name just a few, that are already benefiting from this largely untapped pool of talent, by actively offering specific opportunities to these candidates.

In fact, some companies recognise the benefit of a career break so much that they actually offer these to their employees – Research by SHRM in 2017 suggested that up to 17% of organisations offer paid or unpaid sabbaticals.

To see more on how companies are adapting, check out this interesting article and video!

 

So, the question remains, how can companies benefit from hiring Relauncher candidates?

Here are 7 Reasons Why Career-break Candidates (aka relaunchers) could be some of the best hires for your business:

 

  1. Experience & Expertise: These candidates can have valuable professional experience, refined expertise, deep knowledge and insight, as well as education and professional training to top, which can be a huge asset to your company.
  2. Stability: Relaunchers typically have more lifestyle stability than a lot of other candidates, they’re settled and they have a long-term mindset towards work and seek stability in their jobs to match their stability at home. Something that other candidates may not be able to offer.
  3. Maturity: Their career experience and mature perspective are an asset just waiting to be engaged. They can be rational thinkers and excellent candidates for future leadership.
  4. Less Career Interruptions: Having had their career break and possibly maternity/paternity leave, these candidates are actually less likely to require more leave from work in the future as they have already passed that stage of their lives.
  5. Drive & Enthusiasm: They are excited and energetic to get back to the office, with an honest, deep rooted enthusiasm to work and develop themselves professionally, and be of value to a company. Embrace this!
  6. Flexibility: These candidates can also be ideal for part-time roles or ‘returnship’ programs, also known as re-entry programs, to help them rejoin the corporate world gradually and effectively, depending on their requirements and confidence levels. Remember, these candidates are still driven by career progression!
  7. Loyalty: They typically look for stable, steady progression opportunities instead of jumping from company to company to climb the career ladder. They want to gain experience and skills and prove they are worth investing in… because they really are worth it!

 

So, if you are struggling to find great candidates through your traditional recruitment methods, or simply want to expand the pool of top talent you attract to your company, why not consider relaunchers for your business.

Hopefully this article has given you some food for thought. For both parties to reap the rewards, both candidates and companies need to make an important mindset shift, to be more forward thinking and adaptable.

 

As an employer or recruiter, what do you think are the main fears companies have about employing career-break candidates?

Can you think of any other reasons why relaunchers might be great for businesses?

What tips would you give for professionals looking to rejoin the job market following a career break?

Let us know your ideas and experiences here in the comments box and feel free to share this article with your friends and colleagues via Facebook & LinkedIn.

 

Best,

Adam 

P.S. If you’re looking to continue to develop as a leader and professional, check out our portfolio services ranging from Business English Courses, Training Courses, Coaching and Recruitment Support today.

For the definitions of the highlighted words check our Glossary.

 

 

Adam Baker

About the Author

Adam Baker is the co-Founder and Course Director at Trust Native. He’s an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, and Sport & Organizational Psychologist with professional experience in both Europe and South America.

Adam Baker

About the Author

Adam Baker is the co-Founder and Course Director at Trust Native. He’s an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, and Sport & Organizational Psychologist with professional experience in both Europe and South America.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

We’ll email you occasionally with our latest posts & most interesting news.

12 Tips to Boss your Career Break & Return to Work in Style!

News

12 Tips to Boss your Career Break & Return to Work in Style!

It’s no secret…

…that despite the popularity of career breaks among working professionals (61% of us choose to take one), the return to work afterwards can be a challenge to say the least.

This is partly due to the fears that candidates have about re-joining the corporate chaos, topped with insecurities about marketing themselves and re-establishing themselves as in-demand professionals.

But in addition to this, other barriers from companies such as how they view career-break candidates, what they assume about their motivation, skills and how up-to-date they are following a career break, all add to the pot.

But despite all of this, it doesn’t mean you should give up on the idea of taking a career break! It can be a wonderful thing to experience and all it takes is a little extra thought and preparation to make things easier on yourself upon returning to work.

The truth is, regardless of your profession, your experience or skills, it is very normal to feel a little ‘out of touch’ and anxious after taking time out from a fast moving job or industry. It’s to be expected, in fact.

I’ve written about career-break’s before and shared different ideas and developments on this area, looking at why companies fear hiring career break candidates, as well as sharing an insightful TED Talk, but today I want to share something practical with you.

I’m talking about some actionable tips you can start doing right now to make your career break transition even smoother.

So, to help you stay at the top of your game during your time-off and maintain a modern and in-demand professional profile, here are 12 of our Top Tips!

Lead from the front! Share this article “12 Top Tips to Boss Your Career Break & Return to Work with Style!” with your colleagues and friends! 

1. GO PUBLIC WITH YOUR JOB SEARCH

Reach out to your network, that is, your colleagues, ex-colleagues, clients, friends and family. Learn how to network effectively with old and new connections.

Tell everyone you know you’ll be returning to work following your time off. While most of these conversations may not directly land you a job, a handful of these could lead to new opportunities.

Start making connections early, don’t leave it until you’re already job hunting.

2. BE CONFIDENT

Whether you’ve been away from work for a few months or a few years, getting back into the workforce can be nerve-racking.

If you’re interviewing at a new company, remember that a confident demeanour can go a long way towards making a positive and lasting impression. Or if you’re looking to return to your previous employment, they’ll remember you for the good work you did and the personality you had before your career-break, so remind yourself of those good things too!

If all else fails, consider these words from just about every coach on the planet: Fake it until you make it! Or as Amy Cuddy said it, ‘fake it until you become it!’

Act confidently and soon enough you’ll naturally begin to feel confident. If you need a little help with this, hire a coach to help you transform your confidence and achieve your goals even quicker.

 

3. KNOW YOUR STUFF

One of the biggest concerns that employers have with regards to returning professionals is that they won’t be up to date with the latest industry or technological advancements, processes and practices.

This could mean that interview questions might be a bit more difficult, as the hiring manager will look to see if you still know your stuff and if your knowledge is current.

The best way to prepare yourself is to stay connected and on top of the latest industry trends and news throughout your career break. Or go a step further and do additional courses to keep improving your professional profile (e.g. Business English). 

4. ASSESS YOUR SITUATION FIRST

Although you may feel ready to return to work, it is important that you take a step back to evaluate specifically what you are looking for, and whether your professional interests, career objectives and requirements have changed.

Also, does the job you are applying for suit your new lifestyle? Have a clear sense of what your job ‘deal breakers’ are to help you narrow down your search and avoid wasting time.

Don’t simply jump straight back into the first job you find!

 

5. TRANSLATE & MODERNISE YOUR CV & LINKEDIN 

Modernise and translate your CV and LinkedIn into 2 or even 3 languages for multinational companies. Plus, avoid leaving gaps in your CV, even if your career break was for a long period of time.

Be open about your career break, you’re not the only person returning to work. Include a ‘relevant experience’ or ‘key expertise’ and experience section that highlights how you have developed characteristics that are considered desirable within your industry.

If you are uncertain how to do this and would like some help, check out our CV & LinkedIn Service here.

6. CONSIDER ‘RETURNSHIP’ PROGRAMS 

Around the world, ‘returnships’ or re-entry programs have become increasingly popular, creating a bridge back to senior roles for experienced professionals who have taken a career break.

This is something that we are likely to see growing tremendously in the coming years.

These offer a win-win solution for both parties, giving for example, new mothers a chance to see how they will balance work and home life while giving employers an opportunity to ‘test the water’ before offering a full-time contract.

 

7. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

The workplace may not look or feel the same when you return!

Even after just a few months out, many things could have changed, from management styles, working hours, responsibilities, pay, dress code or even the entire corporate culture.

So be flexible, open minded and adaptable to the new way of working. Embrace it!

 

8. TRAIN YOUR INTERVIEW SKILLS

Returning to work after a career break is more than just finding a job vacancy online, you’ve got to impress in person, too.

First impressions really matter and they really stick! That’s why it’s crucial to practice and refine your interview skills, particularly if you’ve been out of the game for a while and even more so if you’re interview will be in a second language.

Practice, practice and practice some more, or even better, join an interview training course to perfect your skills and increase your confidence in the interview.

 

9. TRAIN YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS

From large presentations to small workshops, presentation skills are increasingly in demand in the corporate world.

Plus, employers don’t always want to wait to hire you before knowing if you have these skills. That’s why many interviews require short presentations.

So keep your skills in check and learn how how to deliver outstanding presentations using professional English!

10. GET HEADSTRONG

Returning to work can feel scary at times. That’s normal. You may feel as though you don’t fit in or simply feel a little uncomfortable rejoining the corporate world.

New beginnings are always a little daunting, so don’t be hard on yourself. Be aware that some companies may still see a career break as a negative thing, so be ready for that.

Prepare in advance how you would overcome this objection, so you can confidently and positively demonstrate why you’re as good any other candidate out there!

 

11. SEE RECRUITMENT FROM THEIR SIDE

Something we work on in our interview training course is how to see the recruitment and selection process from the employer/recruiter’s point of view.

Why? Because this gives you power in your preparation, confidence and negotiation leverage, not to mention an advantage over other candidates.

You can arrive prepared for their concerns and ready for their objections and challenges, so you can give them every reason to hire you instead of excuses not to. Make it easy for them to want you!

 

12. EXPAND YOUR OPTIONS

Be flexible. Don’t limit your options by narrowing your job search too much.

Consider these 3 variables as a minimum: Job, Salary, and Location. Decide what you want for each and how flexible you are for each.

For example, if you found the perfect job/company in the perfect location, but the salary was less than you wanted, would you accept it? Or if the salary and job were perfect but it was located in another country, would you consider moving abroad?

Remember, don’t confuse being flexible with undervaluing yourself or settling for less than you’re comfortable with!

PLUS! Be open to new industries, company types, or career paths that interest you and where possible, increase your employability by building on your professional profile with additional courses.

 

So there you have it.

12 top tips to get you started on your career break AND prepare you for your return to work.

Which of these tips do you like the most? Can you think of any other tips you would suggest for professionals looking to rejoin the job market?

Is there anything else companies could do to help candidates that are returning to work?

Share your ideas and experiences here in the comments box below!

PLUS! If this article resonated with you, or you know someone who could benefit from hearing this message, then share this article with your friends and colleagues via Facebook & LinkedIn.

 

Best,

Adam 

For the definitions of the highlighted words check our Glossary. 

*Adapted from original article at entrepreneur.com

Adam Baker

About the Author

Adam Baker is the co-Founder and Course Director at Trust Native. He’s an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, and Sport & Organizational Psychologist with professional experience in both Europe and South America.

Adam Baker

About the Author

Adam Baker is the co-Founder and Course Director at Trust Native. He’s an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, and Sport & Organizational Psychologist with professional experience in both Europe and South America.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

We’ll email you occasionally with our latest posts & most interesting news.