Career After College

Returning To Work

Changing Careers

Career Center Services

Returning to Work

Returning to the work force after an absence can seem daunting. How do I structure my resume to account for the gap in employment? How do I compete against people who have not taken time off? How can I balance my professional and personal life? These are common concerns of individuals seeking employment after taking time off from work.

At Career Outside the Cube, we understand your concerns. The key to returning to a career after an absence is to stay focused on your goal. Looking forward, not back is the key to managing your progress. Another important aspect of returning to work is being able to explain your transferable skills in the language an employer can relate to. For example, if you were treasurer of your local parent-teacher organization, you can explain your role in terms of managing budgets and deadlines. If you volunteered for your local town government, you can describe your work in terms of measurable outcomes. After being out of the work force, it’s easy to forget that you have valuable skills and capabilities to offer to an employer. Career Outside the Cube will help you bring those skills into focus, and enable you to market them in an effective, work-related way.

Our services for people returning to the work include the following:

Step One – Self Assessment

  1. Qualifications appraisal
  2. Identification of interests, strengths and weaknesses
  3. Transferable skills identification
  4. Evaluating work/life priorities
  5. Identify retraining needs

Step Two – Evaluating Options

  1. Building and maintaining a network
  2. Informational interviewing
  3. Job function and industry identification

Step Three – You are the Brand: Promoting Yourself

  1. Creating a target list of companies and contacts
  2. Winning resumes and compelling cover letters
  3. "Two-minute" drill
  4. Interview preparation
  5. Tracking progress

Step Four – Negotiating and Accepting the Offer

  1. Negotiating the offer
  2. Maintaining contacts
  3. Handling follow-up interviews