Naga Vijaya Lakshmi Ijjada took a 12-year break from her career in tech when health issues coincided with a family move from India to the US. However, Naga always intended to return to her career. “I love to work and I love to code, so I couldn’t just give it up,” she says. When she started her job search, Naga soon realized that it would be difficult to find a…
The official Path Forward networking motto is, “Who you know is what you know.” Networking is a key part not just to landing a new job, but figuring out what job you’d like to do in the first place. Talking with friends, old colleagues, classmates, and acquaintances can broaden your perspective on what the job market looks like, what skills are in demand, and the different roles that exist in…
Sure, technical skills are important. But it’s actually the so-called “soft skills” that are often the hardest to master and also the most in demand by employers For mid-career roles especially, a high level of communication, teamwork, and management abilities are crucial. Here’s the good news: the skills you gained from your previous work experience are still there. Plus, you’ve almost certainly honed these skills even further during your career…
When it comes to returning to the workforce, many job seekers ask the same thing: “How do I stand out?” While you can and should practice telling your story, consider that to be just one piece of your return-to-work strategy. Showcasing your skills online, rather than just talking about them, is a great way to create a compelling case for yourself. Creating and curating online content gives your skills new…
Every person who steps foot in a job interview has a career story to tell, weaving together the strands of where they’ve worked, what they’re doing now, and where they’re looking to go next. If you’re applying for a job or returnship after a career break, your story is probably going to be a bit different from a traditional candidate’s story. You might think that puts you at a disadvantage,…
More and more companies are using video interviews to talk with job applicants. If you’re trying to rejoin the workforce after many years away, video interviewing may be unfamiliar, adding stress to your interview prep. Here is our advice for how to put your best (virtual) foot forward! 1. Find your space and manage interruptions (or be transparent if you cannot). If you don’t have a home office, making do…
You’ve decided it’s time to return to the workforce. But you haven’t decided on the type of job you want to pursue. It’s “I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up” and is more common than you might think! The reasons vary. Perhaps you see this as a chance to pivot into an entirely different career than the one you had before. Or maybe your previous…
Sandra Norris took a 17-year break from her career in program management when she realized that her busy, travel-filled job didn’t give her enough time to spend with her child. During her break, she supported her family through nine moves and volunteered extensively. When Sandra was ready to return to the workforce, she completed a returnship at Dell, where she now works full-time as a project manager. She talks about…
Isabela Quitzau Conceicao worked as a Product Engineer at a foundry in Brazil when she took a career break to support her family’s move to the United States, and to care for her newborn child. When she was ready to return, Isabela found a returnship role at PepsiCo that would be a perfect match for her skills, and jumped on the opportunity. She returned to work as a Process Improvement…
Sandy Goodwin took a 12 year break to spend more time with her children. When she was ready to return to work, Sandy completed a returnship at CDK Global, where she now works full-time as a Design Operations Lead. Sandy talks about her return to work experience, finding work-life balance in her post-break career, and how being a robotics coach for her kids helped boost her own technical skills. What…
