The Stigma of Career Breaks
Je-An Aquino - Ovilla
Safe Workplace | People-centricity | Inspiring Leadership
When I heard of LinkedIn add an option for career breaks, it was such a major signal towards normalizing this phenomenon.
Being in HR for more than a decade, I have been in the hiring side of the fence, screening countless resumes and also shortlisting from various job postings.
Recruiters are taught to have a quick scan of the CV, try to understand the person's career trajectory, and in the "old school" way, try to spot what we call gaps in the resume, take note of these gaps on paper and ensure to probe deeply during the actual interview to assess if the person's reason is acceptable or not.
My recruitment mindset changed when I myself took a career break a few years ago, burned out from work and wanting to re-assess whether the career path I was taking, or was in at that time, was truly meant for me.
We work 80 to 85% of our lives and invest so much in it, that it is just but fair to give ourselves time to really think about what kind of work we wish to invest a majority of our lives in, emotionally and professionally.
This short break gave me what my mind and body needed at the time - time to rest and think.
It was only a few months (the practical need for continuous income catches up to you) but it gave me the energy and the time I needed to think. It boosted my motivation to go back to the corporate race but this time with renewed energy, re-vitalized and ready for the challenges ahead.
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The break allowed me to gain more understanding and empathy when hiring people whose CVs that I come across are dotted with career breaks. I no longer take it as a negative sign.
The stigma that goes with taking breaks will still be there and will always remain to be subject to the hiring manager or hiring team taking it for what it is, or just choosing candidates without any gaps in their resume for it looks better and makes you feel more secure on candidate stability and longevity.
But it may also be losing out to some really good people, great talents and strong contributors who are equally fit for the role but whose profiles are seen as 'blemished'. I don't blame hiring managers for the world is one, big competitive talent marketplace and we have a lot of people and profiles to choose from.
All we ask (as someone who took a career break herself), are for these 'breaks' to no longer be seen as liabilities but invaluable assets for it allows the person to come back to the workplace refreshed, re-energized and ready to take on the world of work ahead.
So the next time you see these 'spotted' resumes, I hope it becomes more acceptable, and seen more as the norm.
For sometimes and often, these career breaks are really "life breaks" the individual needs to survive, rest, reflect, discern to be able to eventually thrive in the competing demands of work and life ahead.
Transformational Healthcare Leader | Business Growth & Market Expansion | Strategic Partnerships & P&L Management
2 年Taking the time to “sharpen the saw” is vital
Country Head | Commercial | Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing | Passion for OD in Workplace | Follower of Jesus | Women As Leaders Cohort 32 China Run
2 年Interesting! I like the article Je-An!
Continuous Improvement
2 年Thanks for sharing. Personally, I wouldn't want to be in an organization that doesn't understand that life happens.
CEO at Advanced CompetencyDev Center Inc
2 年Career breaks maybe a necessity nowadays!
Services Operations Manager @Philips Health Systems
2 年A career break doesn't have to be a career breaker. In fact, in can be a career breakthrough for some and a better career change for others who have the good reasons and intentions. When a recruiter, HR, or hiring manager asks for the reasons, just be honest to tell them why and how you are so ready to take on the challenges of work (from rest). Break, pause, or rest (in Hebrew selah) is a musical notation signifying a rest to the singers and/or instrumentalists who performed the psalms; perhaps to take a breath, to sing a cappella, or to let the instruments play alone. Perhaps they were pausing to praise the One about whom the song was speaking, perhaps even lifting their hands in worship. This theory would encompass all these meanings—“praise,” “lift up,” and “pause.” these often neglected breaks brings about better and even bigger breakthroughs.