0:00:02.181,0:00:05.617
People returning to work[br]after a career break:

0:00:05.617,0:00:08.125
I call them relaunchers.

0:00:08.125,0:00:11.747
These are people who have taken[br]career breaks for elder care,

0:00:11.747,0:00:13.883
for childcare reasons,

0:00:13.883,0:00:15.602
pursuing a personal interest,

0:00:15.602,0:00:18.295
or a personal health issue.

0:00:18.295,0:00:21.708
Closely related are career[br]transitioners of all kinds:

0:00:21.708,0:00:24.146
veterans, military spouses,

0:00:24.146,0:00:26.515
retirees coming out of retirement,

0:00:26.515,0:00:29.556
or repatriating expats.

0:00:29.556,0:00:32.853
Returning to work[br]after a career break is hard

0:00:32.853,0:00:35.500
because of a disconnect[br]between the employers

0:00:35.500,0:00:37.613
and the relaunchers.

0:00:37.613,0:00:41.700
Employers can view hiring people[br]with a gap on their resume

0:00:41.700,0:00:43.906
as a high-risk proposition,

0:00:43.906,0:00:47.760
and individuals on career break[br]can have doubts about their abilities

0:00:47.760,0:00:49.455
to relaunch their careers,

0:00:49.455,0:00:52.427
especially if they've been out[br]for a long time.

0:00:52.427,0:00:57.605
This disconnect is a problem[br]that I'm trying to help solve.

0:00:57.605,0:01:02.690
Now, successful relaunchers[br]are everywhere and in every field.

0:01:02.690,0:01:04.570
This is Sami Kafala.

0:01:04.570,0:01:07.380
He's a nuclear physicist in the UK

0:01:07.380,0:01:12.070
who took a five-year career break[br]to be home with his five children.

0:01:12.070,0:01:16.250
The Singapore press recently wrote[br]about nurses returning to work

0:01:16.250,0:01:18.827
after long career breaks,

0:01:18.827,0:01:20.476
and speaking of long career breaks,

0:01:20.476,0:01:22.147
this is Mimi Kahn.

0:01:22.147,0:01:25.537
She's a social worker[br]in Orange County, California,

0:01:25.537,0:01:28.741
who returned to work[br]in a social services organization

0:01:28.741,0:01:31.597
after a 25-year career break.

0:01:31.597,0:01:34.453
That's the longest career break[br]that I'm aware of.

0:01:34.453,0:01:36.984
Supreme Court Justice[br]Sandra Day O'Connor

0:01:36.984,0:01:40.653
took a five-year career break[br]early in her career.

0:01:40.653,0:01:42.789
And this is Tracy Shapiro,[br]who took a 13-year career break.

0:01:42.789,0:01:48.060
Tracy answered a call for essays[br]by the Today Show

0:01:48.060,0:01:51.937
from people who were trying[br]to return to work

0:01:51.937,0:01:54.375
but having a difficult time of it.

0:01:54.375,0:01:58.648
Tracy wrote in that she was a mom of five[br]who loved her time at home,

0:01:58.648,0:02:02.061
but she had gone through a divorce[br]and needed to return to work,

0:02:02.061,0:02:05.311
plus she really wanted[br]to bring work back into her life

0:02:05.311,0:02:07.749
because she loved working.

0:02:07.749,0:02:10.095
Tracy was doing[br]what so many of us do

0:02:10.095,0:02:13.926
when we feel like we've put in[br]a good day in the job search.

0:02:13.926,0:02:16.967
She was looking for a finance[br]or accounting role,

0:02:16.967,0:02:19.800
and she had just spent[br]the last nine months

0:02:19.800,0:02:23.074
very diligently researching[br]companies online

0:02:23.074,0:02:26.023
and applying for jobs with no results.

0:02:26.023,0:02:29.947
I met Tracy in June of 2011,

0:02:29.947,0:02:33.221
when the Today Show asked me[br]if I could work with her

0:02:33.221,0:02:36.146
to see if I could help her[br]turn things around.

0:02:36.146,0:02:39.861
The first thing I told Tracy[br]was she had to get out of the house.

0:02:39.861,0:02:42.415
I told her she had to go public[br]with her job search

0:02:42.415,0:02:46.688
and tell everyone she knew[br]about her interest in returning to work.

0:02:46.688,0:02:50.496
I also told her, "You are going[br]to have a lot of conversations

0:02:50.496,0:02:52.237
that don't go anywhere.

0:02:52.237,0:02:55.372
Expect that, and don't[br]be discouraged by it.

0:02:55.372,0:02:58.111
There will be a handful[br]that ultimately lead

0:02:58.111,0:03:00.758
to a job opportunity."

0:03:00.758,0:03:03.220
I'll tell you what happened[br]with Tracy in a little bit,

0:03:03.220,0:03:05.727
but I want to share with you[br]a discovery that I made

0:03:05.727,0:03:07.422
when I was returning to work

0:03:07.422,0:03:11.718
after my own career break of 11 years[br]out of the full time workforce,

0:03:11.718,0:03:17.314
and that is, that people's view of you[br]is frozen in time.

0:03:17.314,0:03:21.121
What I mean by this is,[br]when you start to get in touch with people

0:03:21.121,0:03:24.047
and you get back in touch[br]with those people from the past,

0:03:24.047,0:03:27.019
the people with whom you worked[br]or went to school,

0:03:27.019,0:03:29.782
they are going to remember you as you were

0:03:29.782,0:03:31.663
before your career break,

0:03:31.663,0:03:35.424
and that's even if your sense of self[br]has diminished over time,

0:03:35.424,0:03:37.375
as happens with so many of us

0:03:37.375,0:03:41.322
the farther removed we are[br]from our professional identities.

0:03:41.322,0:03:44.387
So for example, you might[br]think of yourself as someone

0:03:44.387,0:03:45.826
who looks like this.

0:03:45.826,0:03:50.215
This is me, crazy after a day[br]of driving around in my minivan.

0:03:50.215,0:03:52.908
Or here I am in the kitchen.

0:03:52.908,0:03:55.300
But those people from the past,

0:03:55.300,0:03:57.668
they don't know about any of this.

0:03:57.668,0:04:00.362
They only remember you as you were,

0:04:00.362,0:04:04.309
and it's a great confidence boost[br]to be back in touch with these people

0:04:04.309,0:04:08.976
and hear their enthusiasm[br]about your interest in returning to work.

0:04:08.976,0:04:11.785
There's one more thing I remember vividly

0:04:11.785,0:04:13.666
from my own career break,

0:04:13.666,0:04:16.940
and that was that I hardly kept up[br]with the business news.

0:04:16.940,0:04:19.053
My background is in finance,

0:04:19.053,0:04:22.280
and I hardly kept up with any news[br]when I was home caring

0:04:22.280,0:04:23.998
for my four young children,

0:04:23.998,0:04:27.040
so I was afraid I'd go into an interview

0:04:27.040,0:04:31.196
and start talking about a company[br]that didn't exist anymore.

0:04:31.196,0:04:34.679
So I had to resubscribe[br]to the Wall Street Journal

0:04:34.679,0:04:38.232
and read it for a good six months[br]cover to cover before I felt

0:04:38.232,0:04:43.154
like I had a handle on what was going on[br]in the business world again.

0:04:43.154,0:04:47.589
I believe relaunchers[br]are a gem of the work force,

0:04:47.589,0:04:49.214
and here's why.

0:04:49.214,0:04:51.234
Think about our life stage:

0:04:51.234,0:04:54.926
for those of us who took career breaks[br]for childcare reasons,

0:04:54.926,0:04:56.969
we have fewer or no maternity leaves.

0:04:56.969,0:04:58.455
We did that already.

0:04:58.455,0:05:01.892
We have fewer spousal[br]or partner job relocations.

0:05:01.892,0:05:04.191
We're in a more settled time of life.

0:05:04.191,0:05:06.187
We have great work experience.

0:05:06.187,0:05:08.161
We have a more mature perspective.

0:05:08.161,0:05:11.644
We're not trying to find ourselves[br]at an employer's expense.

0:05:11.644,0:05:16.070
Plus we have an energy,[br]an enthusiasm about returning to work

0:05:16.070,0:05:19.599
precisely because we've been[br]away from it for a while.

0:05:19.599,0:05:22.409
On the flip side, I speak with employers,

0:05:22.409,0:05:24.940
and here are two concerns[br]that employers have

0:05:24.940,0:05:26.867
about hiring relaunchers.

0:05:26.867,0:05:29.955
The first one is, employers[br]are worried that relaunchers

0:05:29.955,0:05:32.277
are technologically obsolete.

0:05:32.277,0:05:33.763
Now I can tell you,

0:05:33.763,0:05:37.431
having been technology[br]obsolete myself at one point,

0:05:37.431,0:05:39.382
that it's a temporary condition.

0:05:39.382,0:05:41.936
I had done my financial analysis

0:05:41.936,0:05:46.022
so long ago that I used Lotus 1-2-3.

0:05:46.022,0:05:48.669
I don't know if anyone[br]can even remember back that far,

0:05:48.669,0:05:51.084
but I had to relearn it on Excel.

0:05:51.084,0:05:54.613
It actually wasn't that hard.[br]A lot of the commands are the same.

0:05:54.613,0:05:56.796
I found PowerPoint much more challenging,

0:05:56.796,0:05:59.884
but now I used PowerPoint all the time.

0:05:59.884,0:06:04.876
I tell relaunchers that employers[br]expect them to come to the table

0:06:04.876,0:06:08.243
with a working knowledge[br]of basic office management software,

0:06:08.243,0:06:09.984
and if they're not up to speed,

0:06:09.984,0:06:12.422
then it's their[br]responsibility to get there.

0:06:12.422,0:06:13.932
And they do.

0:06:13.932,0:06:17.647
The second area of concern[br]that employers have about relaunchers

0:06:17.647,0:06:21.524
is they're worried that relaunchers[br]don't know what they want to do.

0:06:21.524,0:06:24.752
I tell relaunchers that they need[br]to do the hard work

0:06:24.752,0:06:28.211
to figure out whether their interests[br]and skills have changed

0:06:28.211,0:06:29.837
or have not changed

0:06:29.837,0:06:31.694
while they have been on career break.

0:06:31.694,0:06:33.993
That's not the employer's job.

0:06:33.993,0:06:38.033
It's the relauncher's responsibility[br]to demonstrate to the employer

0:06:38.033,0:06:40.625
where they can add the most value.

0:06:42.692,0:06:46.314
Back in 2010 I started noticing something.

0:06:46.314,0:06:50.725
I had been tracking[br]return to work programs since 2008,

0:06:50.725,0:06:53.488
and in 2010, I started noticing

0:06:53.488,0:06:57.714
the use of a short term[br]paid work opportunity,

0:06:57.714,0:07:00.849
whether it was called[br]an internship or not,

0:07:00.849,0:07:02.939
but an internship-like experience,

0:07:02.939,0:07:05.794
as a way for professionals[br]to return to work.

0:07:05.794,0:07:08.441
I saw Goldman Sachs and Sara Lee

0:07:08.441,0:07:11.971
start corporate reentry[br]internship programs.

0:07:11.971,0:07:16.522
I saw a returning engineer,[br]a non-traditional reentry candidate,

0:07:16.522,0:07:20.933
apply for an entry-level[br]internship program in the military,

0:07:20.933,0:07:23.812
and then get a permanent job afterward.

0:07:23.812,0:07:27.713
I saw two universities[br]integrate internships

0:07:27.713,0:07:31.312
into mid-career executive[br]education programs.

0:07:31.312,0:07:33.982
So I wrote a report[br]about what I was seeing,

0:07:33.982,0:07:37.187
and it became this article[br]for Harvard Business Review

0:07:37.187,0:07:39.160
called "The 40-Year-Old Intern."

0:07:39.160,0:07:41.784
I have to thank the editors[br]there for that title,

0:07:41.784,0:07:44.863
and also for this artwork[br]where you can see the 40-year old intern

0:07:44.863,0:07:47.254
in the midst of all the college interns.

0:07:47.254,0:07:50.621
And then, courtesy[br]of Fox Business News,

0:07:50.621,0:07:54.127
they called the concept[br]"The 50-Year-Old Intern."

0:07:54.127,0:07:57.471
(Laughter)

0:07:57.471,0:08:01.743
So five of the biggest[br]financial services companies

0:08:01.743,0:08:05.737
have reentry internship programs[br]for returning finance professionals,

0:08:05.737,0:08:09.010
and at this point, hundreds of people[br]have participated.

0:08:09.010,0:08:10.961
These internships are paid,

0:08:10.961,0:08:13.608
and the people who move on[br]to permanent roles

0:08:13.608,0:08:16.928
are commanding competitive salaries.

0:08:16.928,0:08:20.272
And now, seven of the biggest[br]engineering companies

0:08:20.272,0:08:24.590
are piloting reentry internship programs[br]for returning engineers

0:08:24.590,0:08:29.699
as part of an initiative[br]with the Society of Women Engineers.

0:08:29.699,0:08:34.565
Now, why are companies embracing[br]the reentry internship?

0:08:34.565,0:08:37.351
Because the internship allows the employer

0:08:37.351,0:08:39.557
to base their hiring decision

0:08:39.557,0:08:41.693
on an actual work sample

0:08:41.693,0:08:43.690
instead of a series of interviews,

0:08:43.690,0:08:47.312
and the employer does not have to make[br]that permanent hiring decision

0:08:47.312,0:08:50.632
until the internship period is over.

0:08:50.632,0:08:54.626
This testing our period[br]removes the perceived risk

0:08:54.626,0:08:58.132
that some managers attach[br]to hiring relaunchers,

0:08:58.132,0:09:00.733
and they are attracting[br]excellent candidates

0:09:00.733,0:09:03.264
who are turning into great hires.

0:09:03.264,0:09:05.678
Think about how far we have come.

0:09:05.678,0:09:08.488
Before this, most employers[br]were not interested

0:09:08.488,0:09:10.996
in engaging with relaunchers at all,

0:09:10.996,0:09:14.107
but now, not only are programs[br]being developed

0:09:14.107,0:09:16.870
specifically with relaunchers in mind,

0:09:16.870,0:09:19.587
but you can't even apply[br]for these programs

0:09:19.587,0:09:22.466
unless you have a gap on your resume.

0:09:22.466,0:09:25.182
This is the mark of real change,

0:09:25.182,0:09:27.388
of true institutional shift,

0:09:27.388,0:09:30.848
because if we can solve[br]this problem for relaunchers,

0:09:30.848,0:09:34.284
we can solve it for other[br]career transitioners too.

0:09:34.284,0:09:37.210
In fact, an employer just told me[br]that their veterans

0:09:37.210,0:09:38.673
return to work program

0:09:38.673,0:09:42.086
is based on their reentry[br]internship program.

0:09:42.086,0:09:46.939
And there's no reason why there can't be[br]a retiree internship program.

0:09:46.939,0:09:50.561
Different pool, same concept.

0:09:50.561,0:09:53.138
So let me tell you what happened[br]with Tracy Shapiro.

0:09:53.138,0:09:55.390
Remember that she had to tell[br]everyone she knew

0:09:55.390,0:09:57.898
about her interest in returning to work.

0:09:57.898,0:10:01.938
Well, one critical conversation[br]with another parent in her community

0:10:01.938,0:10:04.283
led to a job offer for Tracy,

0:10:04.283,0:10:06.930
and it was an accounting job[br]in a finance department.

0:10:06.930,0:10:08.463
But it was a temp job.

0:10:08.463,0:10:11.295
The company told her[br]there was a possibility

0:10:11.295,0:10:14.964
it could turn into something more,[br]but no guarantees.

0:10:14.964,0:10:17.820
This was in the fall of 2011.

0:10:17.820,0:10:20.653
Tracy loved this company,[br]and she loved the people

0:10:20.653,0:10:23.880
and the office was less than[br]10 minutes from her house.

0:10:23.880,0:10:26.225
So even though she had[br]a second job offer

0:10:26.225,0:10:29.081
at another company[br]for a permanent full-time role,

0:10:29.081,0:10:32.053
she decided to take her chances[br]with this internship

0:10:32.053,0:10:35.188
and hope for the best.

0:10:35.188,0:10:38.508
Well, she ended up blowing away[br]all of their expectations,

0:10:38.508,0:10:41.108
and the company not only[br]made her a permanent offer

0:10:41.108,0:10:43.152
at the beginning of 2012,

0:10:43.152,0:10:45.915
but they made it even more interesting[br]and challenging,

0:10:45.915,0:10:48.376
because they knew what Tracy could handle.

0:10:48.376,0:10:51.000
Fast forward to 2015,

0:10:51.000,0:10:52.486
Tracy's been promoted.

0:10:52.486,0:10:54.947
They've paid for her[br]to get her MBA at night.

0:10:54.947,0:10:59.544
She's even hired another relauncher[br]for work for her.

0:10:59.544,0:11:03.422
Tracy's temp job was a tryout,

0:11:03.422,0:11:05.163
just like an internship,

0:11:05.163,0:11:10.146
and it ended up being a win[br]for both Tracy and her employer.

0:11:11.702,0:11:15.974
Now, my goal is to bring[br]the reentry internship concept

0:11:15.974,0:11:18.784
to more and more employers,

0:11:18.784,0:11:20.711
but in the meantime,

0:11:20.711,0:11:23.868
if you are returning to work[br]after a career break,

0:11:23.868,0:11:27.537
don't hesitate to suggest[br]an internship

0:11:27.537,0:11:29.929
or an internship-like arrangement

0:11:29.929,0:11:35.455
to an employer that does not have[br]a formal reentry internship program.

0:11:35.455,0:11:37.916
Be their first success story,

0:11:37.916,0:11:42.188
and you can be the example[br]for more relaunchers to come.

0:11:42.188,0:11:43.697
Thank you.

0:11:43.697,0:11:48.323
(Applause)