Recently I recorded a short video for those pausing or stepping away from their career to spend time with their kids. It can be an amazing time for your family but it can also bring some trepidation about what happens if you decide to get back into the workforce later on.
๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐:
1๏ธโฃ Will this hurt my career?
2๏ธโฃ What if I don't want to return to the career I had, then what can I do?
3๏ธโฃ Will I be able to step back into my career where I left off?
4๏ธโฃ How do I handle the gap on my resume?
And so many other questions.
What I tell my clients can vary because honestly it depends on the industry, the number of years you have been in your career, what level you are at, etc.
But one of the best things you can do while pausing your career is to volunteer.
๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ.
๐ฏ It shows ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ, that you are ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ and ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ in contributing to the community.
๐ฏ It will help you ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ or ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ that are relevant to your career.
๐ฏ Skills that can be enhanced or developed range from ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ just to name a few.
๐ฏ It also helps ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ in your employment history. Employers love candidates and employees that volunteer.
๐ฏ It provides opportunities to ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ which could lead to new career opportunities in the future.
๐ฉ๐ผ๐น๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด can be a ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ and demonstrate your committment to your community and professional development.
Your kid's school, local community opportunities and churches are great places to start to volunteer.