Are you one of the many women who temporarily left their job and are now looking to get back to work? Well, you’re not alone. Many women drop out of the workforce for a while to care for young children. Other women leave the workplace to care for aging parents. In fact, caring for family members is the number one reason women leave the workplace for a time.

Here are some amazing tips for women who are planning to return to work after a career gap:

1. Prepare to step out of your comfort zone

No-one can deny that rejoining the workplace after an extended leave is a scary prospect, but it’s also an exciting one. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and you never know what might happen.

2. Be Honest About the Career Gap

You’re not the only person returning to work after a break, so be honest about it. Many people temporarily leave the workforce for one reason or another, some for voluntary reasons like taking care of young children or going on a six-month sabbatical, and others for involuntary reasons such as caring for a dying parent or because they are laid off. You don’t have to hide the career gap, and it will only seem odd if you try to. You only need to convey that it’s irrelevant to your seeking a job with this company. 

Be prepared to answer questions, and to be open and transparent when asked about the gap (although, do be wary of questions that get too personal should an interviewer cross the line and ask questions that are too probing). At the same time, put everything in a positive light about your career break. For example, if you took time off to be home with young children, convey your gratitude in being able to do so during such a critical time in their young lives. If you got laid off but you took advantage of that time to learn a new skill or volunteer at a local shelter, talk about that. When you show that your time away from work was positive, your potential employer is more likely to see it that way too.

3. Convey Confidence

Don’t be apologetic. Don’t be embarrassed. And don’t discount the value of your career gap. If you were taking care of young children or aging parents, that is admirable. If you were laid off and went back to school, good for you. And besides, you’re back looking for work now, right? In our society, it can be easy for a woman to think not working means not contributing, but get that thought out of your mind and replace it with self-confidence instead. Self-confidence is so important that one interview coach says it is the most important thing you can bring to a job interview! 

Just because you didn’t work straight through doesn’t mean you’re not as fit, qualified and capable as the next job candidate. And, if a potential employer judges you harshly for your career gap, you probably don’t want to work for that company anyway.

4. Rethink Your Resume

Your confidence should come across in your resume too, so rethink your resume to make sure it conveys your belief in yourself. Also, make sure it uses current industry terminologies and emphasizes any previous skill sets that are still in demand. To do so, take a look at job qualifications on a job-listing site like Glassdoor to learn what employers are looking for today and how that lines up with your past experience. Then, rewrite your resume accordingly.

5. Prepare for Your Interviews

A lot can change in an industry in just a few months, let alone years. You don’t want to come across as behind the times during your interviews, so do your homework to make sure you’re up to speed on your industry. Look for sample interview questions like this list of 50 questions for SEO analysts and managers. Doing so might give you insight into areas of your field that have changed so you’ll know where to brush up on your knowledge ahead of time. This will also help you to be more confident going to an interview if you’ve done your homework, and that confidence will come across to the interviewer as well.

Ending Quote

If you had spoken to me this time last year, I never would have believed I would be in the position I am in now.”

Charlotte