Searching for a senior business development opportunity after a career pause.
After pausing my career to care for my infant daughter while simultaneously handling family matters related to my in-laws, who passed away while living in another state, I have been searching to re-enter my career field over the past 18 months without success.
During my career pause, I began working at a non-profit doing basic entry-level work unrelated to my career field to have at least some income. I am willing to take a less advanced role to regain my foot in the door and provide for my family.
I have applied to hundreds of opportunities that perfectly match my skill set and tailored each resume for each job posting. Additionally, I have had my resume re-written by a professional writer, and I still have not received any calls for interviews. I continually hear of companies that need qualified people to hire and wonder what I am doing wrong. I have also been networking without any luck.
I welcome all feedback.
Anonymous
09/18/22 at 7:01PM UTC
I applaud you for prioritizing your family over career. It can be difficult to reenter the workforce after a career break. I speak from experience! You are doing what career counselors and coaches suggest. Below are some additional strategies you might try.
Are you directly addressing your career gap in versions of your resume, your cover letters, online applications and your LinkedIn profile? This information is often critical to getting noticed by potential employers and hiring managers. Concise explanations of why you took a career break, what you did during your break that is relevant to what you would like to do now and what you are seeking in returning to the workforce will "connect the dots" for those who are reviewing your applications.
If you have former colleagues or supervisors who are working at organizations of interest to you, and you see suitable opportunities offered by their employers, you could ask your contacts if there are internal referral programs. If you apply with a referral, you get hired and you remain in the job for a certain period of time, your contact who referred you would be eligible for a bonus. This is a win-win scenario!
Are you willing to take an unrelated, part-time interim job while you continue your search? Or, a volunteer role? In doing so, you can demonstrate to a potential employer your time management skills. You will be working with people who can provide you with professional references. You might be able to acquire new skills and enhance existing ones.
Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Have you taken some LinkedIn skills assessments? Or, are you able to take some online courses that can be added to your LinkedIn profile and resume? Are you trying to post or share some information pertinent to your career field on LinkedIn so that you will be noticed as someone who is keeping current with trends and news in that field?
Have you heard of returnships? Returnships are geared toward people who have been out of the workforce for a specified period of time for various reasons. The sponsoring organizations offer training and paid employment, usually on a contract basis. Following the returnship, which can vary in length but is usually a minimum of 1 year, the "returners" would be better positioned to be considered for opportunities within the organization for which they worked and other similar organizations. iRelaunch and reacHIRE are two organizations that promote returnships.
If you are in the U.S., have you registered with your local job center? These are not solely for people who are receiving unemployment benefits. The centers offer a wide range of services such as assistance with resume and cover letter writing, mock interviews, career counseling, etc. If you are a graduate of a university or college program, have you inquired with your career services office?
Do you belong to any professional organizations? Membership to these groups would provide you with access to job boards as well as networking and training opportunities and newsletters.
Hope these ideas help, and hope you will find suitable employment soon.
Anonymous
09/20/22 at 3:03PM UTC
Thank you for the additional helpful information and resources. Your recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Stephanie Lekowski
750
09/17/22 at 5:19PM UTC
Sounds like you are doing all you can. You definitely did the right thing working at a non-profit to bring in income. If that job works for you, you might reconsider a job in the for-profit sector.
