"The majority of women (64%) have experienced a career break with the top reasons including parental and medical leave."

-LinkedIn

Getting back into the IT industry after a career break can be daunting, but it's not impossible! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's not unusual for today's engineers to have another reason they may have been between jobs.

A Times of India article reports that the former stigma that surrounded career breaks are now disappearing. Employers and the tech industry recognize valid reasons that an individual may not be able to work. The pandemic demonstrated that furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcy, and viruses among other reasons can force engineers to take a career break, whether they want to or not.

Why Do Engineers Take a Career Break?

Whether engineers take a sabbatical to travel, find themselves, take care of physical and mental health issues, take a step back to "breathe", or go for a career pivot, they may utilize a career break to find a job better suited for them. Women usually take career breaks to nurture their new families, children, and take care of themselves. The IT industry takes well to engineers, especially women, returning to the workforce after their break.

Many corporations recognize the need for a career break and will support potential employees who demonstrate the skill set needed for the job and environment. Some companies, however, may require engineers to upskill themselves and update their expertise to provide value to the organization.

Steps to Return After a Career Break

Planning

A Forbes article says that engineers looking to return to the IT industry after a short or long career break must first understand what their goal is. Do they want to return to their old company, start working at a new place, or is this a career pivot? Once they get a feel for where their career path is headed, they can identify their current skill set.

Identify Skill Set

Engineers may plan to work in a new industry, or perhaps get a foot back into their industry of choice - tech. They need to identify their current skill sets against their goal roles & responsibilities for the job they want and find out what skills they need in order to work at the job of their choice

Upskill or Learn Relevant Skills

When applying for a job, engineers need to simultaneously upskill - learning the relevant skills they need. This can be done by taking free or paid online or in-person courses that will cover new skills that the engineers may have missed during their career break. Upskilling helps engineers stay up to speed with the latest work styles, trends, and career needs. Engineers should be sure to update their resumes with the new skills to show potential employers.

Explain Career Break

One of the hardest steps is to explain to potential employers about the career break. A LinkedIn article states that engineers must be as truthful as possible when talking about their career break. When a potential employer knows about the situation, they will provide their employee with the support and assistance they need to thrive and perform at their optimum.

Future of Career Break in IT

Engineers who want to work in IT again, or for the first, post a career break can utilize the steps mentioned above. In addition, networking provides a useful way to learn about job opportunities and helps them get a leg up in the tech industry.