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.

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