Tips for Returning to the Workforce

Whether you’ve spent time away from the workforce because you were sick, pregnant, made redundant, or for any other reason, it doesn’t matter. Returning to work can seem like a daunting prospect. You can feel completely out of sync with the rest of the working world, and may be suffering from low confidence.

Not to worry. These simple tips provided by employment experts will get you back on track.

Assess Where You’re At

If you’ve been out of work for some time, you’ll have fallen behind the pace. Trends change, and so will required skills. Be honest with yourself you need to improve your skills to catch up.

Get to Know New Contacts

LinkedIn, and other networking sites, will allow you to meet new contacts. Getting a good job is as much about who you know as it is what you know, so don’t skimp on the networking side of things.

Improve Yourself

Sitting in a job interview with a big gap on your CV will make you feel nervous. It won’t matter as much, however, if you’ve been productive during your time away from work by improving yourself. If you can sell your dedication to learning, an employer will usually be accepting of an employment gap.

Evaluate Your Goals

Before jumping back on the employment bandwagon, ask yourself where you’re heading in life. Do you want to enter into the same type of job as before? Perhaps this time you quite fancy a change. There may never be a better time for you to evaluate your life and change direction.

Respect Feedback

Being criticized is never enjoyable. But when you think about it, criticism is one of the best ways to improve. Chances are your friends and family aren’t going to tell you what you need to hear, only what you want to hear. That’s nice, but it doesn’t help you grow.

Any employer who takes the time to give you feedback is only trying to help. They didn’t have to do that, so respect them for it, and respect their advice.

Getting back into work can be difficult, but you’ll find the process more enjoyable if you’re proactive about it. Embrace the challenge, and you’ll soon remember how much fun it was to be in the game. For more insights about potential careers—and what it takes to get there—visit our Careers page.