Returning to work after a long absence can sometimes feel challenging. Some hiring managers will be sympathetic to time away from the workforce, but others may need a bit more convincing.

Your talents, as well as your CV and interview skills, may need to be updated. If you’re finding it difficult to feel confident and qualified, Seetec Ireland is here to help.

We are fully trained to help you positively explain any gaps in your CV both for you and your future employer.

1. Assess Your Transferable Skills

We’re learning all the time, even when we think we aren’t. If you’re a parent or carer, there are a host of transferable skills you’ll have picked up: multi-tasking, empathy, negotiation, communication and much more. Caring for anyone teaches you to anticipate the needs of others. All these soft skills make you a better employee.

2. Work Out What You Need from Your Next Position

Consider what you want to receive out of a job and why you want to work again (apart from financial concerns). Keep in mind your criteria, whether they’re pay requirements, flexible hours, or something else entirely. This will keep you focused on the benefits returning to work will bring.

3. Refresh Your Knowledge

During your research into the sector, you may come across a whole new world of jargon. New programs may be required. Perhaps the tools are the same, but you haven’t used them in a while. Before you go out on interviews or send out cover letters, we help you to brush up on your skills. This will help you feel more secure as a candidate.

4. Continuous Learning

There are lots of ways you can work on your skills that future employers will appreciate and that can help you grow in confidence.

 Volunteer: Volunteering, even if it’s unrelated to your work experience, can help you re-acclimate to a structured atmosphere, which employers value. If volunteering develops or retains talents that potential employers seek in candidates, it’s definitely a plus!

 Consider taking a class (whether in person or online): There may be new items or programs available that you are unfamiliar with. Once you’ve mastered the new skill, you can add it to your CV’s skills section. We can help you access training that suits your ambitions.

5. Work on Your Job Search Skills

If you can’t remember the last time you applied for a job, your CV needs updating. We can help you to de-emphasize any gaps in your career history. At Seetec Ireland, our employee advisors are skilled at helping you present yourself in the best possible light.

We can also help you practice interviewing. This includes going through your responses to popular interview questions and putting together interview attire. We can give you pointers on how to reply to interview queries regarding being unemployed. Or help you explain an employment gap on your CV.

6. Explaining Your Career Break

It helps to look for the positives in your time of unemployment, what you’ve learned from the experience, what it has made you realise about yourself and what you want from a new job.

However, keep your explanation succinct. Whatever your reason for being absent, try to condense it into a single sentence, and then return the conversation to the work you were doing before your absence. Even though some time has gone by, your experience is still relevant.

These are some examples:

• Caring for a sick relative.
• Staying at home with a child until they started school.
• Taking lessons or retraining.
• Volunteering.
• Travelling to improve language skills.

Help Is at Hand!

Our employee advisors are experts in preparing you for the job market. Confidence building is at the core of everything we do.