There are millions of people who are reentering the workforce each year without having any recent job experience to post on their resume. For many, they feel like their hopes of finding a solid paying job will be limited due to their resume showing no recent work experience. This shouldn’t be a reason to dismay. Below we show some tips being used today by people just like you to get a new job, even after taking an extended break from the workplace.
The first step to reentering the workforce is to take an inventory on how current your skills are in comparison to the current job market, and those required by the potential employer. Do you still have enough knowledge and skills to perform the job requirements? Would you be considered in the same caliber of the others applying for this position? Answering these questions will help you to recognize any needed refreshing of your prior skill sets.
For those within technological fields, it will be even more important to ensure that you are current on all software and techy language being used in the workplace today. Other industries don’t advance as fast as technology related positions, but it can still be beneficial to review where your industry is going and what it’s current challenges and success’s are to date.
The second step to reentering the workforce is to ensure that you can “talk the talk” during your interview. The main question that will be asked will be related to you not being employed for some time. Your answer to this question will be vital. I would recommend creating a memorized response that answers the question in a format that is truthful, but also shows a unique perspective on your career strategy.
For example, let’s say that you were laid off over a year ago and haven’t been able to find a job during that time. Your career field is related to customer service or account management. If asked what you have been doing for the last year you could say, “I’ve been researching customer services methods across multiple industries.” This will be a true statement, as you are a consumer each and every day. Shopping for groceries, seeing a movie, buying shoes, gasoline, and more all make you a valuable resource for customer service. You’ve experienced from the consumer side what works and what doesn’t.
If you present this response with energy and excitement, you would be amazed how interested your interviewer will be to your comments. They don’t hear things like that each day. Now granted, you’ll want to quickly back this response up with your prior work experience, but what it does is help you bypass the dreaded question of “Why haven’t you been working for the past year?”
Once you’re hired and are officially reentering the workforce, make sure you slowly work back in to the daily grind of being at a job. You’ll already feel pretty overwhelmed by being out of the house for 8-9 hours a day. And depending on the type of work, your body will also need to get used to the daily tasks. Be sure to be open to change and willing to accommodate to the demands of others. Reentering the workforce after a long break can create a sense of selfishness, as you’ve been doing what you want to do each hour of the day. At work this all changes and it can be tough for many people.
Set simple goals for your first few weeks of work. These goals should revolve around reentering the workforce with joy. Take pictures of your family with you or images of what you want to accomplish in life. Many workers post their vision board, as a reminder that they are working for a purpose such as self reliance.
Reentering the workforce can be an easy adjustment. Knowing the current tactics to achieving a smooth transition can be of great benefit to you. Be sure to comment below on what you have experienced and how it could help out others.
To your success!
