Returning to work after a career break

[Anonymous]

Mom of two little kids here. Took a career break for 18 months and have been doing a little bit of independent consulting for the last 18 months.

I'm ready to return to FT work but scared about my prospects, having left the workforce. I'm an MBA grad from a top university with work experience across well-known corporate and non-profit organizations. I have held roles in corporate finance, strategy, sales, and partnerships. But, no recruiters have reached out to me on LinkedIn since I announced my career break on LinkedIn.

How should I think about trying to do a FT job search right now? I'm willing to start again at a level below I left, and a meaningful pay cut if I have to. But I am scared about having luck finding a place I want to work that also wants me, with such a supply glut of unemployed talented professionals in this area right now.

[Anonymous]

18 months is not long. I would apply like one normally would.

[Anonymous]

Why would recruiters reach out to you? Literally tens of thousands of white collar workers have been fired or are going to be fired. Amazon, Target, Goldman Sachs, etc.

You need to hustle, get coffee with folks, and apply far and wide. You have fierce competition.

[Anonymous]

18 months is nothing - are you linked with former colleagues on LinkedIn? Switch your status to Open to Work, and tell your former colleagues that you want to get a job as an X, so if they hear of anything you might be a good fit for, let you know.

[Anonymous]

Good luck, this is a terrible time to get a job. Use your network, seems to be the only thing breaking through

[Anonymous]

Reach out to all of your contacts and reconnect with former bosses and coworkers you were close with before. Ask them how they are doing and explain your situation. See if they have any job leads or suggestions on where you can relaunch. There are jobs out there, you have to go find them. This is doable, think positive and start today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would recruiters reach out to you? Literally tens of thousands of white collar workers have been fired or are going to be fired. Amazon, Target, Goldman Sachs, etc.

You need to hustle, get coffee with folks, and apply far and wide. You have fierce competition.

Yeah, the “recruiters haven’t reached out to me” jumped out at me too. I’m sorry OP, but that shows a complete misunderstanding of the current job market (e.g. today’s article in the WSJ: “Too Much Experience Hurts You in Today’s Tough Job Market”). You are going to have to do the reaching out, and rather aggressively too. Good luck, it is really tough.

[Anonymous]

This is why we tell women not to quit!!!

But so many never listen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why we tell women not to quit!!!

But so many never listen.

Oh, please. She probably would’ve been laid off anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reach out to all of your contacts and reconnect with former bosses and coworkers you were close with before. Ask them how they are doing and explain your situation. See if they have any job leads or suggestions on where you can relaunch. There are jobs out there, you have to go find them. This is doable, think positive and start today.

+1 I took a 7-yr break, freelancing occasionally throughout. Reconnecting with colleagues was helpful in building my confidence and mindset to return to work and they did refer me for some jobs. In the end I found a job just via a job posting that was a perfect fit. 18 mos is nothing. Good luck!