For some, it starts with the tiniest spark. You may try to ignore it - to brush it aside. The weeks pass. But it builds and builds and within a few months, the flame has grown so bright that you can't help but be drawn to its warmth. The thought fills your every spare waking minute. It's time to seize the day - to return to your career. For others, it arrives ready made, almost overnight, as a raging inferno. Rocketing mortgage rates and the cost of living crisis have a habit of doing that to you, of course. Whatever form it takes, the return to work after a career break is probably exciting and nerve-wracking, in equal measure. Many of us at 9-2-3 have lived through it and we know it can be a little unsettling. In an attempt to smooth the path of our friends in the 9-2-3 community, we've put together some top tips to help you to return to work with confidence, and bag the best flexible jobs on the market in 2024. Read on for more details...
Honesty is the best policy...
Re-entering the workplace can be exhilarating, but it’s important to sit down and give some serious thought to what you really want out of a new role. Be honest with yourself - what does the flexible job of your dreams really look like? Is it a part-time job in an office near you, or a remote role where you can work from home permanently? Is it a hybrid job to support your work-life balance, or is it specifically a role for career returners, with the additional support that that might entail? It's worth mulling this over. After all, if you burn out after a year because of a lack of flex, then nobody wins, and your confidence might take a serious hit. Far better to consider in advance what arrangements you'd need to make your return to work sustainable - not just for you, but possibly for the whole family.
A new direction...
Flexible working arrangements aside, what kind of role would make you happy? Firstly, do you want to return to your old career - and if so, are there any Return to Work programmes offering roles in your professional field? If you're excited about going back to a role that's similar to that which you used to do, will you need to refresh your skills a little? This might be because you've always worked in a knowledge-based field, such as law or accountancy, or it may be because new technology has changed the ways things are typically done during the time you've been away. If you belong to a professional body, do they offer any refresher courses which you could access? If you can find seminars in your area or online about the latest developments in your professional area, they can very quickly start to get the wheels turning and remind you of the knowledge framework you feared you might have forgotten.
Alternatively, do you want to use your transferable skills to change career direction? It's more common than you'd think: according to the ONS, 10% of UK workers have made a career change in the past 10 years. You may have a vague sense of wanting a change but not quite knowing which direction would be best - but this can be a great opportunity to shape your own future role. What did you enjoy most (and indeed, least) about your previous jobs? What skills did you develop that felt most natural to you and is there a professional field which could build on these particular areas? Did you love the buzz of working with a large, client-facing team, or did you prefer to work independently? Once you have a clear idea of what makes you thrive, it can be easier to assess alternative careers. Please don't think you can't make the change - here at 9-2-3, we firmly believe that everyone has transferable skills.
On the other hand, you may decide that you want to retrain in a wholly new area. For some careers, of course, there are formalised routes to entry, requiring years of study. For others, though, the change doesn't have to be as daunting as you might think. How do you know if you need to acquire new skills in order to make a splash in your second (or third) career? Online jobs boards and their job descriptions are a great place to start. Do they list "essential" attributes which don't yet form part of your skill set? Are there some areas mentioned in which you feel you're a little rusty? Are there some requirements set out which seem to be given greater prominence than when you were last employed?
If so, don’t despair! There are lots of ways to retrain, and they don’t have to break the bank. The chances are that there might be digital courses available online in the area in which you're interested - often aimed specifically at helping people to find part-time jobs when returning from a career break. It may also be that your local university or FE college offers flexible or evening classes which can help you to acquire new skills. Volunteering can be a great opportunity to build your confidence and help you hit the ground running when the time comes to apply for a paid role - not to mention that it can help you to make valuable contacts which may be a great stepping stone to finding a new flexible, professional job.
Money, money, money...
It’s important to point out that a career break doesn't mean you have to start again at the bottom of the career ladder. If your career break has been quite extensive, it’s true that it may be tricky to walk straight back into a role at exactly the same salary level as you commanded when you last worked, 10 years ago. That said, it’s also important not to undersell yourself – you may have acquired a whole range of other skills in your time away from the workplace which can be hugely valuable for a new employer. Research current market salaries for the sort of role you're considering; our lovely 9-2-3 recruiters are always more than happy to chat to you, even if you're taking your first, very tentative steps towards a job for a career returner. Think about what sort of figure you'd need to earn, to make a new role work for you - does it have to cover associated childcare or travel costs? If you feel a little underconfident, can you find a volunteering role in your professional field to get you back up and running, to give you the confidence to ask for a higher salary when it comes to an interview for a paid role?
Showing (yourself) off...
Lots of candidates who're returning to work ask us how to write a CV for flexible, part-time or remote work, and how to showcase the new skills and experiences they've acquired since they were last employed. Often, if you've been out of the job market for some time, you might want to think about a skills-based CV. A traditional CV will focus primarily on your experience. A skills-based one will list your professional and soft skills prominently, with some very limited details of where these were acquired - and need only list your work experience, briefly, lower down your CV.
This might take a little more work than usual, but it'll be worth it - it could be the key to unlocking the best remote, part-time or hybrid jobs near you. Think about what you can bring to any organisation. Of course there are the skills and experiences you gained when you were last in employment, and your previous professional responsibilities. But a skills-based CV is more than just a list of things you can do - it can help you to shape the person you want to present to any future employer. Think about the skills and responsibilities which you're most proud of, and which gave you most pleasure. The ones you'd love to focus on more in your new role. Can you emphasise these, showing companies who are hiring for flexible or remote roles how useful you'd be to them in these areas?
If you’ve been engaged in volunteering, continuing education or you've taken on other roles of responsibility doing your career break, make sure you include the things you’ve learned from these also. Whilst we don't recommend referring to your career break on your CV with a job title of "chef, nurse and project manager", it's absolutely true that no experience is a wasted one – whether it’s acting as a school governor, running a local festival or advising a friend's start-up. These experiences may not give you formal qualifications, or a salary, but they can demonstrate that you're a proactive, interested and interesting person and that you're keen to continue growing and developing - qualities which all employers respect.
Any recruiter worth their salt will be happy to chat through your CV with you, making suggestions about how you could adjust it to showcase all your many talents - please do get in touch with us here at 9-2-3 at any time. We've seen thousands of CVs - the good, the stellar, and, indeed, those which'd benefit from a little TLC. Nothing can surprise us, we promise! It's also true that sometimes it helps to bounce ideas off a friendly, listening ear. We can suggest not only CV tweaks but also career options or ways of working you might not have previously considered. We're always delighted to talk about how to find flexible work and what flexible working opportunities might be available in your area.
Finally, whilst it may sound obvious, the old rules of CV-writing do still apply. Make sure that you've spoken to prospective referees to check that their email addresses are still correct and that they'd be happy to give you a reference, before you pass their details to any recruiter or employer. We know it can feel a bit repetitive, but you'll also need to make sure that you tailor your CV to each role for which you apply, evidencing how your skills closely match those they're requesting in the job description. A little bit of adjustment can make a really great impression when your CV lands on a potential employer's desk!
Reach out...
The chances are that by the time you're considering returning from a career break, your network will be reasonably extensive. Old colleagues and employers, friends, other parents from the school gate, possibly even people you meet in the playground - now's the time to speak to everyone you know and ask their advice about your return. Where do they work - and if it's an organisation in which you might be interested, would they recommend it, and where are new flexible roles advertised? Would they be happy to have a coffee and chat about how your industry has changed since you were last employed - are there new skills which you haven't yet acquired but which they'd now consider to be essential? Could they put you in touch with anyone they know who might have information about Return to Work programmes or volunteering opportunities at their firms? In short - don't be afraid or embarrassed to use your network. It may fall outside your comfort zone but it's often held up as the key to professional success.
Face to Face
Forget location, location, location - when it comes to interviews, it's all about preparation, preparation, preparation. This is especially the case if you haven't taken part in one for many years.
Firstly, you'll want to research the company - their core business interests, their direction and their plans for growth. Are they branching out into new fields? Are they trying to establish themselves in new geographical regions? And can you draw up a list of a few relevant questions about how their business is developing, which show that you're genuinely interested and hungry for the opportunity to add value to their team?
If you've been given the names of your interviewers, then it's reasonable to look on LinkedIn or on the company's website to see whether they've shared any details about their career paths and professional specialisms. (We're not suggesting you delve deeply into googling their personal lives, you understand, but a quick search on LinkedIn is generally considered to be socially and professionally acceptable!). Do you share an interest in a particular area of your role? Have they mentioned anything about other responsibilities related to their own positions - might they be working on ways to broaden access to your profession, for example? Are there similarities in the routes you've taken along your respective career journeys? Often, the difference between a successful interview and a tricky one is that simplest of things - human connection. Would you enjoy working with this team, and vice versa - could you collaborate happily and productively for the next few years?
The next thing we'd recommend is that you sit down with the job description for the role, and take it apart. Your target here is to make it as easy as possible for the interviewer to tick every box on his or her checklist, giving you more time to build the connection we talked about above. Think about the keywords which might feature on that list - they'll almost definitely be the ones that are set out prominently in the job description. Once you've drafted your list of keywords, put aside some time to really dive into the ways in which you meet each of the requirements set out. Can you give an example or, better still, two (because you never know when the conversation might go off-piste!) of projects you've worked on which demonstrated this responsibility, or situations you've handled well which evidenced this skill? This may seem like an obvious thing to say, but it's important to tread a fine line here. You can paint yourself in a good light professionally, but make sure you don't let this conversation descend into complaints about previous co-workers, the things they did wrong, or other people's mistakes which caused you problems. Again, you want the interviewer to think that working with you would be a pleasure! If the job description mentions any areas in which you don't yet have any experience, that's ok; the most important thing is that you're honest with an interviewer about your existing skill set. That said, it's still possible to show that you're interested in learning more about these areas, and hitting the ground running. Some internet research into exactly what this responsibility might involve, and perhaps reading up on other people's experiences of doing that role and exactly what it entailed, can help you to enter into an informed discussion about these areas, and show that you're committed to picking up new skills quickly.
Now you've done your research, it's time to take a deep breath and put in some practice time. Yes, we know. None of us find this bit very comfortable. In fact, I'd say it's not clear which is trickier - practising with your other half, a friend or the mirror. But we promise - the pain is worth it! It honestly does make a huge difference if you can reach the point where you can talk confidently about your previous roles, responsibilities, skills and experiences - whether gained from paid employment or voluntary roles. Can you practise until you feel comfortable enough that you can draw on them in a conversation to show how you've tackled difficult situations in the past and how you'd do so in the future? We've all felt that moment of sheer panic when faced with an unexpected interview question. Ultimately, if you can manage to leave those panicked facial expressions at the feet of your family and friends before the big day, you'll reap the rewards.
There are some basic questions which most interviewers are likely to ask. Many will start by asking you to tell them about yourself, and may want to know why you're returning to work at this particular moment. "Why this company, and why this role?" will almost definitely feature, in one form or another. They're very likely to ask about your strengths, and possibly your weaknesses. They'll probably want to know something about your professional hopes for the future and about what motivates you. They may well want to talk to you about difficult situations you've encountered in previous roles and how you dealt with them. Other questions might be role-dependent. They may ask questions to assess your technical knowledge in your field. They may ask you to give a short presentation. But either way, they'll almost certainly want to know whether you have any questions for them - and that's a good opportunity to show how interested you are in the role, the organisation and their future.
We're often asked by returner candidates whether, or how, they should address their career break in an interview. Whilst of course you don't have to share any more personal information than you want to, there's no need to feel awkward or shy about having taken some time away from the workplace. If we can be totally frank, potential employers are perhaps less worried about the circumstances which led you to step away from paid employment and more interested in whether you are now committed to returning to your career. They want to know what your current skills and abilities are, and whether you're confident that you can carry out the role. They won't have strong views about whether you gained those skills from previous employment or during your career break - they just want to know that they're ready to be deployed at their organisation. It always helps to talk about your long-term goals, to show that you're invested in building your career once again, over a period of years to come - and if you can relate those goals to the organisation in question, we know you'll fly!
A marathon, not a sprint...
It can take time to find the right role when you're returning to work after a career break or an extended maternity leave. Don't be too hard on yourself - if your financial situation allows, you don't have to jump into the very first role you see. Hold your nerve, and have faith that you'll find a flexible job in your area that gives you the work-life balance you need. Come and chat to us at any time - we've found numerous flexible jobs for returning mums, carers and those who've taken a career break for a variety of other reasons - and we're always delighted to welcome new career returners into the 9-2-3 community. Be brave! We see enormous potential in all our candidates. We're looking forward to supporting you on your journey, so that you can see it too.