0:00:16.079,0:00:19.616 People returning to work[br]after a career break: 0:00:19.640,0:00:21.816 I call them relaunchers. 0:00:21.839,0:00:25.696 These are people who have taken[br]career breaks for elder care, 0:00:25.720,0:00:27.536 for childcare reasons, 0:00:27.560,0:00:29.256 pursuing a personal interest, 0:00:29.280,0:00:31.480 or a personal health issue. 0:00:31.960,0:00:35.336 Closely related are[br]career transitioners of all kinds: 0:00:35.360,0:00:37.696 veterans, military spouses, 0:00:37.720,0:00:40.136 retirees coming out of retirement, 0:00:40.160,0:00:41.880 or repatriating expats. 0:00:41.960,0:00:44.895 Returning to work[br]after a career break is hard 0:00:44.920,0:00:47.936 because of a disconnect[br]between the employers 0:00:47.960,0:00:49.856 and the relaunchers. 0:00:49.880,0:00:53.856 Employers can view hiring people[br]with a gap on their resume 0:00:53.880,0:00:55.976 as a high-risk proposition, 0:00:56.000,0:00:59.856 and individuals on career break[br]can have doubts about their abilities 0:00:59.880,0:01:01.456 to relaunch their careers, 0:01:01.480,0:01:03.800 especially if they've been out[br]for a long time. 0:01:04.920,0:01:09.680 This disconnect is a problem[br]that I'm trying to help solve. 0:01:10.240,0:01:14.760 Now, successful relaunchers[br]are everywhere and in every field. 0:01:15.280,0:01:17.016 This is Sami Kafala. 0:01:17.040,0:01:19.776 He's a nuclear physicist in the UK 0:01:19.800,0:01:23.720 who took a five-year career break[br]to be home with his five children. 0:01:24.760,0:01:28.696 The Singapore press recently wrote[br]about nurses returning to work 0:01:28.720,0:01:30.776 after long career breaks. 0:01:30.800,0:01:32.816 And speaking of long career breaks, 0:01:32.840,0:01:34.120 this is Mimi Kahn. 0:01:34.720,0:01:37.896 She's a social worker[br]in Orange County, California, 0:01:38.520,0:01:41.856 who returned to work[br]in a social services organization 0:01:41.880,0:01:44.656 after a 25-year career break. 0:01:44.680,0:01:47.040 That's the longest career break[br]that I'm aware of. 0:01:47.825,0:01:50.110 Prominent people take career breaks. 0:01:50.180,0:01:52.716 Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 0:01:52.740,0:01:55.580 took a five-year career break[br]early in her career. 0:01:55.949,0:01:59.082 And then, there are[br]the fictional relaunchers. 0:01:59.115,0:02:02.075 Probably the most famos[br]is Alicia Florrick, 0:02:02.337,0:02:07.243 the character played by Julianna Margulies[br]in the TV show The Goodwife. 0:02:07.530,0:02:11.863 She's a lawyer who returns to work[br]after a 13-year career break. 0:02:12.823,0:02:15.831 Here's a real person[br]who took a 13-year career break. 0:02:15.920,0:02:18.816 This is Tracy Shapiro, and her family. 0:02:19.000,0:02:22.936 Tracy answered a call for essays[br]by the Today Show 0:02:22.960,0:02:25.376 from people who were trying[br]to return to work 0:02:25.400,0:02:27.240 but having a difficult time of it. 0:02:28.160,0:02:32.616 Tracy wrote in that she was a mom of five[br]who loved her time at home, 0:02:32.640,0:02:36.176 but she had gone through a divorce[br]and needed to return to work, 0:02:36.200,0:02:39.136 plus she really wanted[br]to bring work back into her life 0:02:39.160,0:02:40.800 because she loved working. 0:02:40.820,0:02:43.396 Tracy was doing what so many of us do 0:02:43.420,0:02:47.156 when we feel like we've put in[br]a good day in the job search. 0:02:47.180,0:02:50.156 She was looking for a finance[br]or accounting role, 0:02:50.180,0:02:52.876 and she had just spent[br]the last nine months 0:02:52.900,0:02:56.196 very diligently researching[br]companies online 0:02:56.220,0:02:58.980 and applying for jobs with no results. 0:02:59.420,0:03:03.156 I met Tracy in June of 2011, 0:03:03.180,0:03:06.716 when the Today Show asked me[br]if I could work with her 0:03:06.740,0:03:08.900 to see if I could help her[br]turn things around. 0:03:09.460,0:03:12.916 The first thing I told Tracy[br]was she had to get out of the house. 0:03:12.940,0:03:15.676 I told her she had to go public[br]with her job search 0:03:15.700,0:03:19.540 and tell everyone she knew[br]about her interest in returning to work. 0:03:19.980,0:03:23.756 I also told her, "You are going[br]to have a lot of conversations 0:03:23.780,0:03:25.356 that don't go anywhere. 0:03:25.380,0:03:28.636 Expect that, and don't[br]be discouraged by it. 0:03:28.660,0:03:30.236 There will be a handful 0:03:30.260,0:03:33.100 that ultimately lead[br]to a job opportunity." 0:03:33.980,0:03:36.596 I'll tell you what happened[br]with Tracy in a little bit, 0:03:36.620,0:03:39.049 but I want to share with you[br]a discovery that I made 0:03:39.073,0:03:40.796 when I was returning to work 0:03:40.820,0:03:44.916 after my own career break of 11 years[br]out of the full-time workforce, 0:03:44.940,0:03:50.180 and that is, that people's view of you[br]is frozen in time. 0:03:50.620,0:03:54.276 What I mean by this is,[br]when you start to get in touch with people 0:03:54.300,0:03:57.036 and you get back in touch[br]with those people from the past, 0:03:57.060,0:04:00.316 the people with whom you worked[br]or went to school, 0:04:00.340,0:04:03.076 they are going to remember you as you were 0:04:03.100,0:04:04.916 before your career break, 0:04:04.940,0:04:08.436 and that's even if your sense of self[br]has diminished over time, 0:04:08.460,0:04:10.556 as happens with so many of us 0:04:10.580,0:04:14.476 the farther removed we are[br]from our professional identities. 0:04:14.500,0:04:17.196 So for example,[br]you might think of yourself 0:04:17.220,0:04:18.700 as someone who looks like this. 0:04:19.100,0:04:23.396 This is me, crazy after a day[br]of driving around in my minivan. 0:04:23.420,0:04:25.620 Or here I am in the kitchen. 0:04:26.060,0:04:28.596 But those people from the past, 0:04:28.620,0:04:30.836 they don't know about any of this. 0:04:30.860,0:04:33.396 They only remember you as you were, 0:04:33.420,0:04:37.596 and it's a great confidence boost[br]to be back in touch with these people 0:04:37.620,0:04:41.260 and hear their enthusiasm[br]about your interest in returning to work. 0:04:42.740,0:04:46.836 There's one more thing I remember vividly[br]from my own career break, 0:04:46.860,0:04:50.235 and that was that I hardly kept up[br]with the business news. 0:04:50.259,0:04:51.876 My background is in finance, 0:04:51.900,0:04:54.316 and I hardly kept up with any news 0:04:54.340,0:04:57.276 when I was home caring[br]for my four young children, 0:04:57.300,0:05:00.676 so I was afraid I'd go into an interview 0:05:00.700,0:05:04.060 and start talking about a company[br]that didn't exist anymore. 0:05:04.100,0:05:07.636 So I had to resubscribe[br]to the Wall Street Journal 0:05:07.660,0:05:11.116 and read it for a good six months[br]cover to cover before I felt 0:05:11.140,0:05:14.872 like I had a handle on what was going on[br]in the business world again. 0:05:14.920,0:05:18.536 I believe relaunchers[br]are a gem of the workforce, 0:05:18.560,0:05:20.296 and here's why. 0:05:20.320,0:05:22.136 Think about our life stage: 0:05:22.160,0:05:25.816 for those of us who took career breaks[br]for childcare reasons, 0:05:25.840,0:05:27.816 we have fewer or no maternity leaves. 0:05:27.840,0:05:29.336 We did that already. 0:05:29.360,0:05:32.696 We have fewer spousal[br]or partner job relocations. 0:05:32.720,0:05:35.176 We're in a more settled time of life. 0:05:35.200,0:05:37.016 We have great work experience. 0:05:37.040,0:05:39.056 We have a more mature perspective. 0:05:39.080,0:05:42.656 We're not trying to find ourselves[br]at an employer's expense. 0:05:42.680,0:05:46.896 Plus we have an energy,[br]an enthusiasm about returning to work 0:05:46.920,0:05:49.840 precisely because we've been[br]away from it for a while. 0:05:50.600,0:05:53.216 On the flip side, I speak with employers, 0:05:53.240,0:05:55.776 and here are two concerns[br]that employers have 0:05:55.800,0:05:57.696 about hiring relaunchers. 0:05:57.720,0:06:00.776 The first one is, employers[br]are worried that relaunchers 0:06:00.800,0:06:02.840 are technologically obsolete. 0:06:03.400,0:06:04.656 Now, I can tell you, 0:06:04.680,0:06:08.256 having been technologically[br]obsolete myself at one point, 0:06:08.280,0:06:09.960 that it's a temporary condition. 0:06:10.520,0:06:16.656 I had done my financial analysis[br]so long ago that I used Lotus 1-2-3. 0:06:16.680,0:06:19.616 I don't know if anyone[br]can even remember back that far, 0:06:19.640,0:06:21.856 but I had to relearn it on Excel. 0:06:21.880,0:06:24.960 It actually wasn't that hard.[br]A lot of the commands are the same. 0:06:25.600,0:06:27.816 I found PowerPoint much more challenging, 0:06:27.840,0:06:30.000 but now I use PowerPoint all the time. 0:06:30.960,0:06:35.815 I tell relaunchers that employers[br]expect them to come to the table 0:06:35.840,0:06:39.336 with a working knowledge[br]of basic office management software, 0:06:39.360,0:06:41.096 and if they're not up to speed, 0:06:41.120,0:06:43.496 then it's their[br]responsibility to get there. 0:06:43.520,0:06:44.720 And they do. 0:06:45.160,0:06:48.776 The second area of concern[br]that employers have about relaunchers 0:06:48.800,0:06:52.000 is they're worried that relaunchers[br]don't know what they want to do. 0:06:52.640,0:06:55.856 I tell relaunchers that they need[br]to do the hard work 0:06:55.880,0:06:59.376 to figure out whether their interests[br]and skills have changed 0:06:59.400,0:07:00.976 or have not changed 0:07:01.000,0:07:02.816 while they have been on career break. 0:07:02.840,0:07:05.096 That's not the employer's job. 0:07:05.120,0:07:09.696 It's the relauncher's responsibility[br]to demonstrate to the employer 0:07:09.720,0:07:11.640 where they can add the most value. 0:07:11.760,0:07:15.040 Back in 2010 I started noticing something. 0:07:15.600,0:07:19.736 I had been tracking[br]return to work programs since 2008, 0:07:19.760,0:07:23.056 and in 2010, I started noticing 0:07:23.080,0:07:26.976 the use of a short-term[br]paid work opportunity, 0:07:27.000,0:07:29.456 whether it was called[br]an internship or not, 0:07:29.480,0:07:31.816 but an internship-like experience, 0:07:31.840,0:07:34.976 as a way for professionals[br]to return to work. 0:07:35.000,0:07:37.776 I saw Goldman Sachs and Sara Lee 0:07:37.800,0:07:41.096 start corporate reentry[br]internship programs. 0:07:41.120,0:07:45.560 I saw a returning engineer,[br]a nontraditional reentry candidate, 0:07:46.320,0:07:50.136 apply for an entry-level[br]internship program in the military, 0:07:50.160,0:07:52.520 and then get a permanent job afterward. 0:07:53.080,0:07:56.776 I saw two universities[br]integrate internships 0:07:56.800,0:07:59.840 into mid-career executive[br]education programs. 0:08:00.400,0:08:03.216 So I wrote a report[br]about what I was seeing, 0:08:03.240,0:08:06.216 and it became this article[br]for Harvard Business Review 0:08:06.240,0:08:08.136 called "The 40-Year-Old Intern." 0:08:08.160,0:08:10.776 I have to thank the editors[br]there for that title, 0:08:10.800,0:08:12.176 and also for this artwork 0:08:12.200,0:08:16.536 where you can see the 40-year-old intern[br]in the midst of all the college interns. 0:08:16.560,0:08:19.736 And then, courtesy of Fox Business News, 0:08:19.760,0:08:22.936 they called the concept[br]"The 50-Year-Old Intern." 0:08:22.960,0:08:24.894 (Laughter) 0:08:24.918,0:08:28.918 And just last month, a movie came out,[br]called "The Intern", 0:08:29.180,0:08:32.203 that brought us the 70 year old intern. 0:08:32.227,0:08:33.942 (Laughter) 0:08:34.092,0:08:38.061 Robert De Niro plays the role[br]of a 70 year old retiree 0:08:38.109,0:08:39.815 who comes out of retirement 0:08:39.863,0:08:43.596 to become the intern for the CEO[br]of a fast growing company, 0:08:43.673,0:08:45.273 played by Anne Hathaway. 0:08:46.220,0:08:49.434 I haven't seen very many[br]70 year old interns. 0:08:49.546,0:08:53.946 But these non-traditional internships[br]are not just in the movies. 0:08:54.500,0:08:57.635 Five of the biggest[br]financial services companies 0:08:57.680,0:09:01.816 have reentry internship programs[br]for returning finance professionals, 0:09:02.240,0:09:05.536 and at this point,[br]hundreds of people have participated. 0:09:05.560,0:09:07.336 These internships are paid, 0:09:07.360,0:09:10.096 and the people who move on[br]to permanent roles 0:09:10.120,0:09:12.800 are commanding competitive salaries. 0:09:13.580,0:09:17.036 And now, seven of the biggest[br]engineering companies 0:09:17.060,0:09:21.356 are piloting reentry internship programs[br]for returning engineers 0:09:21.380,0:09:25.100 as part of an initiative[br]with the Society of Women Engineers. 0:09:25.760,0:09:29.600 Now, why are companies embracing[br]the reentry internship? 0:09:30.640,0:09:33.616 Because the internship allows the employer 0:09:33.640,0:09:37.656 to base their hiring decision[br]on an actual work sample 0:09:37.680,0:09:39.734 instead of a series of interviews, 0:09:39.758,0:09:43.496 and the employer does not have to make[br]that permanent hiring decision 0:09:43.520,0:09:46.320 until the internship period is over. 0:09:46.840,0:09:50.736 This testing out period[br]removes the perceived risk 0:09:50.760,0:09:54.336 that some managers attach[br]to hiring relaunchers, 0:09:54.360,0:09:57.016 and they are attracting[br]excellent candidates 0:09:57.040,0:09:58.880 who are turning into great hires. 0:09:59.440,0:10:01.400 Think about how far we have come. 0:10:01.760,0:10:04.736 Before this, most employers[br]were not interested 0:10:04.760,0:10:07.096 in engaging with relaunchers at all, 0:10:07.120,0:10:10.616 but now, not only[br]are programs being developed 0:10:10.640,0:10:13.176 specifically with relaunchers in mind, 0:10:13.200,0:10:15.696 but you can't even apply[br]for these programs 0:10:15.720,0:10:18.400 unless you have a gap on your resume. 0:10:19.040,0:10:21.136 This is the mark of real change, 0:10:21.160,0:10:23.416 of true institutional shift, 0:10:23.440,0:10:26.976 because if we can solve[br]this problem for relaunchers, 0:10:27.300,0:10:30.596 we can solve it for other[br]career transitioners too. 0:10:30.620,0:10:32.556 In fact, an employer just told me 0:10:32.580,0:10:35.076 that their veterans return to work program 0:10:35.100,0:10:38.476 is based on their reentry[br]internship program. 0:10:38.507,0:10:43.175 And there's no reason why there can't be[br]a retiree internship program. 0:10:43.358,0:10:45.453 Just like in the movie "The Intern". 0:10:45.540,0:10:48.020 Different pool, same concept. 0:10:48.900,0:10:51.356 So let me tell you[br]what happened with Tracy Shapiro. 0:10:51.380,0:10:53.775 Remember I told her 0:10:53.807,0:10:55.855 that she had to tell everyone she knew 0:10:55.880,0:10:57.880 about her interest in returning to work. 0:10:58.200,0:11:02.376 Well, one critical conversation[br]with another parent in her community 0:11:02.400,0:11:04.496 led to a job offer for Tracy, 0:11:04.520,0:11:07.296 and it was an accounting job[br]in a finance department. 0:11:07.320,0:11:08.640 But it was a temp job. 0:11:09.200,0:11:11.656 The company told her[br]there was a possibility 0:11:11.680,0:11:15.216 it could turn into something more,[br]but no guarantees. 0:11:15.240,0:11:17.600 This was in the fall of 2011. 0:11:18.120,0:11:21.136 Tracy loved this company,[br]and she loved the people 0:11:21.160,0:11:24.216 and the office was less[br]than 10 minutes from her house. 0:11:24.240,0:11:26.456 So even though she had a second job offer 0:11:26.480,0:11:29.376 at another company[br]for a permanent full-time role, 0:11:29.400,0:11:32.616 she decided to take her chances[br]with this internship 0:11:32.640,0:11:34.400 and hope for the best. 0:11:35.720,0:11:38.776 Well, she ended up blowing away[br]all of their expectations, 0:11:38.800,0:11:41.296 and the company not only[br]made her a permanent offer 0:11:41.320,0:11:43.416 at the beginning of 2012, 0:11:43.440,0:11:46.056 but they made it even more[br]interesting and challenging, 0:11:46.080,0:11:48.200 because they knew what Tracy could handle. 0:11:48.800,0:11:51.256 Fast forward to 2015, 0:11:51.280,0:11:52.856 Tracy's been promoted. 0:11:52.880,0:11:55.296 They've paid for her[br]to get her MBA at night. 0:11:55.320,0:11:58.640 She's even hired another relauncher[br]for work for her. 0:12:00.240,0:12:03.616 Tracy's temp job was a tryout, 0:12:03.640,0:12:05.296 just like an internship, 0:12:05.320,0:12:10.560 and it ended up being a win[br]for both Tracy and her employer. 0:12:12.000,0:12:16.376 Now, my goal is to bring[br]the reentry internship concept 0:12:16.400,0:12:19.136 to more and more employers, 0:12:19.160,0:12:20.976 but in the meantime, 0:12:21.000,0:12:24.216 if you are returning to work[br]after a career break, 0:12:24.240,0:12:30.256 don't hesitate to suggest an internship[br]or an internship-like arrangement 0:12:30.280,0:12:35.896 to an employer that does not have[br]a formal reentry internship program. 0:12:35.920,0:12:38.216 Be their first success story, 0:12:38.240,0:12:41.880 and you can be the example[br]for more relaunchers to come. 0:12:42.320,0:12:43.536 Thank you. 0:12:43.560,0:12:46.480 (Applause)