8 Tips for Job Hunting Success after a Career Break.
In this article discover the advice we often give legal support staff when they are looking to return to the workforce after a career break.
February and March is a time when we are often approached by candidates wanting to resume their role in the workforce after a career break. The long summer school holidays are over and the timing feels right to head back into paid work. You may have taken longer than usual maternity leave or been out of the workforce for several years whilst you managed young children through kindergarten and primary school. You may even have been lucky enough to be travelling Australia or the world, taking time out to volunteer, or simply taking longer than usual between roles.
Returning to the workforce after a career break can be a challenging idea, particularly when you are very likely to be a completely different person from the one who walked out of an office several years ago. Your priorities may have changed and your skill set will have developed over time or possibly need updating.
It is a good time to consider the support you are going to need at home to transition back into the workforce. This may include childcare, administrative support or help with ageing parents. It all helps make a success of a new job.
These are the tips from our specialist legal recruitment team for maximising your job hunting success when heading back into the workforce after a career break.
- Update Your Skills
Do you need to head back to study? (eg. Advanced Diploma of Legal Practice) Consider whether there is a publicly available conference, seminar or webinar that you can attend that will help you. Subscribe to relevant industry news such as the ALPMA blog.
Consider carefully your technology skills and whether you need a refresher on in-house software packages, cloud computing or document management systems. You may also need to ensure you are familiar with video conferencing systems or current practice management systems.
- What Role do you want?
Are you looking for a full time role? Is something part time more suitable whilst you ease back into the workforce? It can be quite the transition heading back to work whilst still juggling your other commitments. At Legal People we are finding that Law firms are starting to embrace flexible working arrangements for the right talented candidates. We will continue to watch this space in our industry with interest.
- What have you learned?
Spend some time thinking about what you have learned during your time away. Has your time management, proactivity and productivity improved? Maybe you ran a small business or managed renovation projects while you were away from the industry. Maybe your organisational skills thrived during your time away. You may have been juggling competing priorities and many moving parts during your career break. Re-entering the workforce is an excellent time to consider your current strengths and weaknesses and how they have changed over time.
- Update your CV and Resume
We recommend being honest in relation to your career break in a short paragraph on your CV. It might say “during this period, I took time out of the workforce to raise my young family”
Consider any new skills and duties you took on during your time out of the workforce. You may have served time on a committee, volunteered for a NFP or assisted a family business in some way.
- Network with Former Colleagues
Spend some time catching up with former colleagues either in person or online and bring yourself up to date with what is going on in the industry. Ensuring they know the type of role you are looking for will not do any harm either as new roles are often not advertised. This way you will be front of mind when something comes up at their firm.
- Update your LinkedIn Profile
Ensure you have a professional looking profile picture and that your headline includes relevant industry key words. Your LinkedIn career summary should include your career highlights and aspirations. Take a moment to check that your career history is accurate and includes all of your achievements.
- Practice your Interview Techniques
You are most likely to be asked directly about your career break in a job interview. Practice how you are going to answer this question succinctly and with confidence. Highlight how the career break has helped you become a better employee!
- Speak to a Specialist Recruiter to get Industry Insights
At Legal People we spend a lot of time giving people career advice! We have helped tweak CVs and cover letters, ensuring that candidates represent themselves in the best possible light and have realistic expectations about returning to workforce. We understand that career breaks happen and that skills can be developed and honed during time away from the paid workforce. We also know the clients that are open to considering candidates that have been out of the industry and have experience in negotiating flexible working arrangements.
If the time is right for you to head back into the workforce and pick up where you left off in your legal support career, then Legal People is your gateway to the best legal career opportunities.
We are specialists in the Legal Industry and recruit Lawyers, Support staff and HR professionals in Melbourne, Australia. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can follow our Company Page on LinkedIn for regular updates. And if we can help you take the next step in career, then get in touch!
