How many times have you wanted to take a break from your work to go explore some continent, learn a new skill or just spend more time with your family or with yourself? Isn’t it almost every day that we dream of doing more of the things we have always wanted to do but are stopped by the ‘career’ we are ‘building’?

Let’s say you mustered some courage and took that break! Now, you’re considering restarting your career after being away for close to a year. What do you do? Where do you start? It can all seem so daunting! So here’s a little help you can appreciate.

1) Work on upskilling yourself

Probably the single-most-important task for you to do is to keep learning and mastering new skills. If you’re in the IT space, then not being technically abreast can spell trouble for you. Even if you’re not practically applying them, pick up skills that can assist you with upgrading your job when you do decide to resume work. It also provides a productive use of your time in terms of career.

2) Keep building your network

Your network is your net worth. So, invest in creating a network of like-minded people who can come to your rescue, if needed. A good network has so many benefits. So, during your break, continue to meet people online and offline. Spend some time attending conferences (you could pick one that is away from home to travel), workshops and other industry events to gain more exposure and meet new people.

3) Keep your CV updated

When it’s time to restart your career, your CV must reflect the break you took. It doesn’t have to be bad news to show a break on your CV. You can be honest and still be hired for a good job that you actually like.

Tip: Take care to mention what you did during this break- be it working on a startup, skill development, volunteer work, or even traveling. 

4) Before you do all of this, assess your situation

While the above-mentioned steps must be taken regardless, another important thing for you to do is to assess your situation. Be certain about what you want to do. Is it the same as before you took the break? Or do you now want to do something else altogether? Ask yourself whether you’re even ready to go back to work. Delve deeper into your mind and understand what runs through it. Once you have a clear answer, get ready to restart your career.  

5) Explore a new career- Career Counselling!

Sometimes, you may take a break to explore an alternative career. If you’re someone who has some of the following qualities

  • Good communication skills
  • Empathy and acceptance
  • Large appetite for knowledge and information

then, you must consider career counselling. In India, there is a dearth of about 1.4 million career counsellors for schools and it is a highly lucrative profession today.

How can you go about exploring?

  1. You can start by enrolling for a career counsellor certification course. A great one is the Global Career Counsellor Certification program It is an online certification course that consists of 15 modules with a test at the end of every module. Once you clear all the modules, you are good to go!
  2. The next step is to find work as a career counsellor. Here is where your network will come in handy. Tap your network and let them know that you’re looking out. In fact, you can even start by helping the children/relatives of your own friends and slowly expand your business from there. The opportunities are endless!
  3. Once you have started offering career guidance, you will know what you think and feel of it. If you prefer your original profession, you could always go back to it and you will also have a certification training program to your credit. However, if you end up liking career counselling, you could consider starting off your own agency or guidance centre by upskilling yourself through a program like Super Counsellor!

A career break doesn’t necessarily have to mean a full stop to all your work-related activities. Keep working on certain things in the background that can help you restart your career after a break. Organizations around the world are very accommodating and looking for diversity in their workforce. A solid plan and confidence can help you with resuming work and chart the right career path after a break.

 

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