More Professionals Are Taking Long Career Breaks

Work breaks, which were once considered taboo or frowned upon in the workplace, are no longer necessarily frowned upon. The way these breaks are perceived is changing as a result of the pandemic and its consequences, and as perceptions shift, so do the values of the working world.

Illness, burnout, bereavement, parental leave, or career change, there are numerous reasons to put one's career on hold, some of which are out of one's control. But how does an employee explain this gap in their resumé to a recruiter when they return to the job market?

They should not feel embarrassed; talking about it may even make recruiters more likely to hire them.

 

Changing perceptions on career breaks

Based on a study by Censuswide on LinkedIn's behalf of more than 22,000 employees and 4,000 managers globally, more than half of workers have already taken a break from their professional careers.

Women are more likely than men to put their careers on hold, with nearly 64% taking a break for medical, parental, or mental health reasons.

Camilla Han-He of Linkedin said that the good news is that perceptions toward career breaks are changing for the better. 46% of hiring managers think that candidates with career breaks are an untapped talent pool. 

Taking a career break to care for one's physical or mental health, work on personal projects, or devote one's time to humanitarian work was previously frowned upon because the hierarchy did not perceive it well.

Based on a practical point of view, a timeline with no gaps avoids being "blacklisted" by the AI applications that sort through resumes nowadays.

However, a closer examination of this phenomenon reveals that recruiters, like workers, appear to be breaking free from this taboo.

 

How the pandemic affected us all

The pandemic has impacted the business world, with several studies revealing an increase in burnout or employees who are dissatisfied with their jobs. 

Some sectors, such as the hotel and restaurant industry, as well as the hospital sector, have seen massive departures worldwide.

While corporate attitudes, as well as those of recruiters, are evolving toward better awareness and understanding of the need for employee wellbeing. Perhaps the need for sabbaticals and time for personal projects will be viewed more positively and better integrated into a career.

Several indicators suggest that change is in the air in this regard. On March 1, LinkedIn launched a new feature that allows users to report and specify a "career break." Users can now add this mention in the same way they would any other work experience at a company.

Users provide details for recruiters by describing the reasons for this break: 

• Taking care of children, 

• Thinking about a career change, or simply 

• Taking care of themselves.

Managers also advise dealing with the problem. According to the Linkedin study, 52% of hiring managers believe candidates should discuss their break during the interview and explain what they learned.

Many employers are interested in candidates who have taken a career break. Wells Fargo Bank recently made headlines by launching Glide-Relaunch, a programme designed to relaunch the careers of workers with at least seven years of experience who had voluntarily stopped working for two years or more.

 

Source: FMT