Having taken a year off myself in 2001 after spending 11 years in one Tech Recruiting firm, I know the amount of prep it can take – both coming and going!
Jessica Lockhart, a journalist writing for Simplii Financial, interviewed me (while travelling the world herself and while I was jumping on a plane to Iceland!).
My advice on how to handle speaking about a “Gap Year” when getting back into the workforce
“Everyone keeps asking, ‘Oh, have you found a job yet?’, which would infer that I’m looking.
But I’m not looking. I’m not interested”
(This is what I told Jessica):
Toronto-based career expert Fiona Bryan says this is a common response to career breaks.
“Everybody’s got an opinion … You hear it all when you take time off,” she says. She notes that the biggest challenge is answering questions once you embark upon a new job search.
“You have to think of how to explain it when you’re ready to come back to work,” says Bryan.
“Give [potential employers] the cookie crumbs that led to your decision. Even if you say, ‘My company was going through a major change, and I decided it was a great time for me to do X,’ that will give them context.”
Having a one-liner prepared for this inevitable interview question is a simple but highly effective strategy for when you’re ready to re-enter the job market.
The secret is not to be caught unprepared for when you are asked the question of why there is a gap in your resume.
You want to keep your response simple and easily understood by the listener. Ideally speak to how your time away from your work has added value to what you bring to the table. When you are
Gap years are becoming quite common
There are even resources that support people taking gap years.
The Canadian Gap Year Association and American Gap Association provide support and planning for as well as discuss the benefits of taking a gap year from school. Yet an adult gap year or a mid career break might often need some support from bank managers or from maybe even a severance packages.
Several of my career coaching clients have decided to pursue their travel, their art or further their education interests. Many times this has come after taking a package from their corporate jobs. One client created a hand-made concrete table, adopted a child, traveled to family abroad. He also finally started enjoying networking and connecting to people he had not see/spoken to in decades since his degree program.
Be careful of your WHY
In my year off, I won’t say that it was stress free or inexpensive. I traveled to 14 countries on an around-the-world airfare. I explored new cultures, ate weird and wonderful food, and scuba-dived many of the great dive sites. Yet I would have to say that the only thing that was FREE, was the air that I breathed.
You should try to be prepared for anything and everything. Make sure you know why you are taking a gap year/ mid-career break. Also plan that it could take you much longer to re-launch yourself back into your career.
Make it worth it – because you are worth it!