Recently, the professional social media network LinkedIn launched a new category called Career Breaks for users who are developing their profiles on the platform. The new category helps make professionals feel normal that they are absent from the private workforce that is rapidly changing and demanding at times. The program will also encourage employers to look at professionals who were on a career break due to various reasons in a new light.
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Professionals who want to return from Career breaks can mention the reasons why they took time away from the traditional workforce and also highlight what they achieved during the career breaks such as traveling, doing some volunteering work, taking care of family, dealing with any personal crisis, etc.
The innovative idea comes at a time when employees and professionals are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic times that was quite deadly and financially and emotionally challenging for several young, middle-aged, and senior people. I have many personal experiences of people who had to quit their jobs and were even laid off from their companies due to a lack of sales and growth during the COVID-19 times. However, these people didn’t give up and used their career break to learn something new and upgrade their personal and professional selves.
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My friend Sonalika had done her graduation in business management and also had a Masters of Commerce degree in Finance. She had the experience of over 8 years in the corporate sector and was drawing a salary of up to 6 lakhs per annum. However, adversity struck her when her company moved its business from its present location to another to recover the losses that occurred due to the pandemic times.
She had to resign from her job as she was unwilling to move to another place to carry out her daily job responsibilities. She later applied for several jobs but none of them were able to give her the package she was asking for the experience that she had. But she didn’t sit idle for 2 years during her career break and instead opted for an online learning program at university that helped her upgrade her skills in finance and management.
As she was about to complete her course, she was offered a job at a renowned company that was quite impressed by her never-give-up attitude and skills. She explained her career break by not just putting the blame on her earlier company but instead taking responsibility for her career growth and explaining the opportunities she found in doing her online course. This helped her gain better points during her job interview rounds and it also eventually helped her get the job that she was dreaming from the last two years.
Career breaks can be due to various reasons for different individuals. Some may take a break from their professional lives on purpose and some due to their challenging situations while some figure out what they really want out of their lives. It is completely a personal choice and decision that needs to be explained with clarity and confidence to your prospective employer if you want to be relevant in the job market.
