How to get back to work after a career break
-
0:02 - 0:06People returning to work
after a career break: -
0:06 - 0:08I call them relaunchers.
-
0:08 - 0:12These are people who have taken
career breaks for elder care, -
0:12 - 0:14for childcare reasons,
-
0:14 - 0:15pursuing a personal interest
-
0:15 - 0:18or a personal health issue.
-
0:18 - 0:22Closely related are
career transitioners of all kinds: -
0:22 - 0:24veterans, military spouses,
-
0:24 - 0:26retirees coming out of retirement
-
0:26 - 0:28or repatriating expats.
-
0:30 - 0:33Returning to work
after a career break is hard -
0:33 - 0:36because of a disconnect
between the employers -
0:36 - 0:38and the relaunchers.
-
0:38 - 0:42Employers can view hiring people
with a gap on their resume -
0:42 - 0:44as a high-risk proposition,
-
0:44 - 0:48and individuals on career break
can have doubts about their abilities -
0:48 - 0:49to relaunch their careers,
-
0:49 - 0:52especially if they've been out
for a long time. -
0:52 - 0:57This disconnect is a problem
that I'm trying to help solve. -
0:58 - 1:02Now, successful relaunchers
are everywhere and in every field. -
1:03 - 1:04This is Sami Kafala.
-
1:04 - 1:07He's a nuclear physicist in the UK
-
1:07 - 1:11who took a five-year career break
to be home with his five children. -
1:12 - 1:16The Singapore press recently wrote
about nurses returning to work -
1:16 - 1:18after long career breaks.
-
1:18 - 1:20And speaking of long career breaks,
-
1:20 - 1:22this is Mimi Kahn.
-
1:22 - 1:25She's a social worker
in Orange County, California, -
1:25 - 1:29who returned to work
in a social services organization -
1:29 - 1:31after a 25-year career break.
-
1:31 - 1:34That's the longest career break
that I'm aware of. -
1:34 - 1:37Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
-
1:37 - 1:40took a five-year career break
early in her career. -
1:41 - 1:45And this is Tracy Shapiro,
who took a 13-year career break. -
1:45 - 1:49Tracy answered a call for essays
by the Today Show -
1:49 - 1:52from people who were trying
to return to work -
1:52 - 1:54but having a difficult time of it.
-
1:54 - 1:59Tracy wrote in that she was a mom of five
who loved her time at home, -
1:59 - 2:02but she had gone through a divorce
and needed to return to work, -
2:02 - 2:05plus she really wanted
to bring work back into her life -
2:05 - 2:07because she loved working.
-
2:08 - 2:10Tracy was doing what so many of us do
-
2:10 - 2:14when we feel like we've put in
a good day in the job search. -
2:14 - 2:17She was looking for a finance
or accounting role, -
2:17 - 2:20and she had just spent
the last nine months -
2:20 - 2:23very diligently researching
companies online -
2:23 - 2:26and applying for jobs with no results.
-
2:26 - 2:30I met Tracy in June of 2011,
-
2:30 - 2:33when the Today Show asked me
if I could work with her -
2:33 - 2:36to see if I could help her
turn things around. -
2:36 - 2:40The first thing I told Tracy
was she had to get out of the house. -
2:40 - 2:42I told her she had to go public
with her job search -
2:42 - 2:46and tell everyone she knew
about her interest in returning to work. -
2:47 - 2:50I also told her, "You are going
to have a lot of conversations -
2:50 - 2:52that don't go anywhere.
-
2:52 - 2:55Expect that, and don't
be discouraged by it. -
2:55 - 2:57There will be a handful
-
2:57 - 3:00that ultimately lead
to a job opportunity." -
3:01 - 3:03I'll tell you what happened
with Tracy in a little bit, -
3:03 - 3:06but I want to share with you
a discovery that I made -
3:06 - 3:07when I was returning to work
-
3:08 - 3:12after my own career break of 11 years
out of the full-time workforce. -
3:12 - 3:17And that is, that people's view of you
is frozen in time. -
3:17 - 3:21What I mean by this is,
when you start to get in touch with people -
3:21 - 3:24and you get back in touch
with those people from the past, -
3:24 - 3:27the people with whom you worked
or went to school, -
3:27 - 3:30they are going to remember you as you were
-
3:30 - 3:32before your career break.
-
3:32 - 3:35And that's even if your sense of self
has diminished over time, -
3:35 - 3:37as happens with so many of us
-
3:37 - 3:41the farther removed we are
from our professional identities. -
3:41 - 3:44So for example,
you might think of yourself -
3:44 - 3:45as someone who looks like this.
-
3:46 - 3:50This is me, crazy after a day
of driving around in my minivan. -
3:50 - 3:52Or here I am in the kitchen.
-
3:53 - 3:55But those people from the past,
-
3:55 - 3:58they don't know about any of this.
-
3:58 - 4:00They only remember you as you were,
-
4:00 - 4:04and it's a great confidence boost
to be back in touch with these people -
4:04 - 4:08and hear their enthusiasm
about your interest in returning to work. -
4:09 - 4:14There's one more thing I remember vividly
from my own career break. -
4:14 - 4:17And that was that I hardly kept up
with the business news. -
4:17 - 4:19My background is in finance,
-
4:19 - 4:21and I hardly kept up with any news
-
4:21 - 4:24when I was home caring
for my four young children. -
4:24 - 4:27So I was afraid I'd go into an interview
-
4:27 - 4:31and start talking about a company
that didn't exist anymore. -
4:31 - 4:35So I had to resubscribe
to the Wall Street Journal -
4:35 - 4:38and read it for a good six months
cover to cover before I felt -
4:38 - 4:42like I had a handle on what was going on
in the business world again. -
4:44 - 4:48I believe relaunchers
are a gem of the workforce, -
4:48 - 4:49and here's why.
-
4:49 - 4:51Think about our life stage:
-
4:51 - 4:55for those of us who took career breaks
for childcare reasons, -
4:55 - 4:57we have fewer or no maternity leaves.
-
4:57 - 4:58We did that already.
-
4:58 - 5:02We have fewer spousal
or partner job relocations. -
5:02 - 5:04We're in a more settled time of life.
-
5:04 - 5:06We have great work experience.
-
5:06 - 5:08We have a more mature perspective.
-
5:08 - 5:12We're not trying to find ourselves
at an employer's expense. -
5:12 - 5:16Plus we have an energy,
an enthusiasm about returning to work -
5:16 - 5:19precisely because we've been
away from it for a while. -
5:20 - 5:22On the flip side, I speak with employers,
-
5:22 - 5:25and here are two concerns
that employers have -
5:25 - 5:27about hiring relaunchers.
-
5:27 - 5:30The first one is, employers
are worried that relaunchers -
5:30 - 5:32are technologically obsolete.
-
5:32 - 5:34Now, I can tell you,
-
5:34 - 5:37having been technologically
obsolete myself at one point, -
5:37 - 5:39that it's a temporary condition.
-
5:40 - 5:46I had done my financial analysis
so long ago that I used Lotus 1-2-3. -
5:46 - 5:49I don't know if anyone
can even remember back that far, -
5:49 - 5:51but I had to relearn it on Excel.
-
5:51 - 5:54It actually wasn't that hard.
A lot of the commands are the same. -
5:55 - 5:57I found PowerPoint much more challenging,
-
5:57 - 5:59but now I use PowerPoint all the time.
-
6:00 - 6:05I tell relaunchers that employers
expect them to come to the table -
6:05 - 6:08with a working knowledge
of basic office management software. -
6:08 - 6:10And if they're not up to speed,
-
6:10 - 6:12then it's their
responsibility to get there. -
6:12 - 6:14And they do.
-
6:14 - 6:18The second area of concern
that employers have about relaunchers -
6:18 - 6:21is they're worried that relaunchers
don't know what they want to do. -
6:21 - 6:25I tell relaunchers that they need
to do the hard work -
6:25 - 6:28to figure out whether their interests
and skills have changed -
6:28 - 6:30or have not changed
-
6:30 - 6:32while they have been on career break.
-
6:32 - 6:34That's not the employer's job.
-
6:34 - 6:38It's the relauncher's responsibility
to demonstrate to the employer -
6:39 - 6:40where they can add the most value.
-
6:43 - 6:46Back in 2010 I started noticing something.
-
6:46 - 6:51I had been tracking
return to work programs since 2008, -
6:51 - 6:54and in 2010, I started noticing
-
6:54 - 6:58the use of a short-term
paid work opportunity, -
6:58 - 7:00whether it was called
an internship or not, -
7:00 - 7:03but an internship-like experience,
-
7:03 - 7:06as a way for professionals
to return to work. -
7:06 - 7:09I saw Goldman Sachs and Sara Lee
-
7:09 - 7:12start corporate reentry
internship programs. -
7:12 - 7:16I saw a returning engineer,
a nontraditional reentry candidate, -
7:17 - 7:21apply for an entry-level
internship program in the military, -
7:21 - 7:23and then get a permanent job afterward.
-
7:24 - 7:28I saw two universities
integrate internships -
7:28 - 7:31into mid-career executive
education programs. -
7:31 - 7:34So I wrote a report
about what I was seeing, -
7:34 - 7:37and it became this article
for Harvard Business Review -
7:37 - 7:39called "The 40-Year-Old Intern."
-
7:39 - 7:42I have to thank the editors
there for that title, -
7:42 - 7:43and also for this artwork
-
7:43 - 7:47where you can see the 40-year-old intern
in the midst of all the college interns. -
7:47 - 7:51And then, courtesy of Fox Business News,
-
7:51 - 7:54they called the concept
"The 50-Year-Old Intern." -
7:54 - 7:58(Laughter)
-
7:58 - 8:01So five of the biggest
financial services companies -
8:01 - 8:06have reentry internship programs
for returning finance professionals. -
8:06 - 8:09And at this point,
hundreds of people have participated. -
8:09 - 8:11These internships are paid,
-
8:11 - 8:13and the people who move on
to permanent roles -
8:14 - 8:16are commanding competitive salaries.
-
8:17 - 8:20And now, seven of the biggest
engineering companies -
8:20 - 8:24are piloting reentry internship programs
for returning engineers -
8:24 - 8:28as part of an initiative
with the Society of Women Engineers. -
8:30 - 8:33Now, why are companies embracing
the reentry internship? -
8:34 - 8:37Because the internship allows the employer
-
8:37 - 8:41to base their hiring decision
on an actual work sample -
8:41 - 8:44instead of a series of interviews,
-
8:44 - 8:47and the employer does not have to make
that permanent hiring decision -
8:47 - 8:50until the internship period is over.
-
8:51 - 8:55This testing out period
removes the perceived risk -
8:55 - 8:58that some managers attach
to hiring relaunchers, -
8:58 - 9:01and they are attracting
excellent candidates -
9:01 - 9:03who are turning into great hires.
-
9:03 - 9:05Think about how far we have come.
-
9:06 - 9:09Before this, most employers
were not interested -
9:09 - 9:11in engaging with relaunchers at all.
-
9:11 - 9:14But now, not only
are programs being developed -
9:14 - 9:17specifically with relaunchers in mind,
-
9:17 - 9:19but you can't even apply
for these programs -
9:20 - 9:22unless you have a gap on your résumé.
-
9:23 - 9:25This is the mark of real change,
-
9:25 - 9:27of true institutional shift,
-
9:27 - 9:31because if we can solve
this problem for relaunchers, -
9:31 - 9:34we can solve it for other
career transitioners too. -
9:34 - 9:36In fact, an employer just told me
-
9:36 - 9:39that their veterans return to work program
-
9:39 - 9:42is based on their reentry
internship program. -
9:42 - 9:47And there's no reason why there can't be
a retiree internship program. -
9:47 - 9:50Different pool, same concept.
-
9:50 - 9:53So let me tell you
what happened with Tracy Shapiro. -
9:53 - 9:55Remember that she had to tell
everyone she knew -
9:55 - 9:57about her interest in returning to work.
-
9:58 - 10:02Well, one critical conversation
with another parent in her community -
10:02 - 10:04led to a job offer for Tracy,
-
10:04 - 10:07and it was an accounting job
in a finance department. -
10:07 - 10:08But it was a temp job.
-
10:09 - 10:11The company told her
there was a possibility -
10:11 - 10:15it could turn into something more,
but no guarantees. -
10:15 - 10:17This was in the fall of 2011.
-
10:18 - 10:21Tracy loved this company,
and she loved the people -
10:21 - 10:24and the office was less
than 10 minutes from her house. -
10:24 - 10:26So even though she had a second job offer
-
10:26 - 10:29at another company
for a permanent full-time role, -
10:29 - 10:32she decided to take her chances
with this internship -
10:32 - 10:34and hope for the best.
-
10:35 - 10:38Well, she ended up blowing away
all of their expectations, -
10:38 - 10:41and the company not only
made her a permanent offer -
10:41 - 10:43at the beginning of 2012,
-
10:43 - 10:46but they made it even more
interesting and challenging, -
10:46 - 10:48because they knew what Tracy could handle.
-
10:48 - 10:51Fast forward to 2015,
-
10:51 - 10:52Tracy's been promoted.
-
10:52 - 10:55They've paid for her
to get her MBA at night. -
10:55 - 10:58She's even hired another relauncher
to work for her. -
11:00 - 11:03Tracy's temp job was a tryout,
-
11:03 - 11:05just like an internship,
-
11:05 - 11:10and it ended up being a win
for both Tracy and her employer. -
11:12 - 11:16Now, my goal is to bring
the reentry internship concept -
11:16 - 11:19to more and more employers.
-
11:19 - 11:21But in the meantime,
-
11:21 - 11:24if you are returning to work
after a career break, -
11:24 - 11:30don't hesitate to suggest an internship
or an internship-like arrangement -
11:30 - 11:35to an employer that does not have
a formal reentry internship program. -
11:36 - 11:38Be their first success story,
-
11:38 - 11:41and you can be the example
for more relaunchers to come. -
11:42 - 11:43Thank you.
-
11:43 - 11:48(Applause)
- Title:
- How to get back to work after a career break
- Speaker:
- Carol Fishman Cohen
- Description:
-
If you've taken a career break and are now looking to return to the workforce, would you consider taking an internship? Career reentry expert Carol Fishman Cohen thinks you should. In this talk, hear about Cohen's own experience returning to work after a career break, her work championing the success of "relaunchers" and how employers are changing how they engage with return-to-work talent.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 12:01
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz accepted English subtitles for How to get back to work after a career break |