How to Overcome Career Breaks with Confidence

I've recently suffered a major career setback. Since I teach about high performance and career growth, I want to share how I am addressing it. One day you will need this recipe yourself! My goal in my current "career" is to reach as many people as I can, and to help them achieve career success and satisfaction. For the last three years, the way to do this has been through LinkedIn. Unfortunately, LinkedIn recently made some unknown changes to their algorithm. Other Top Voices and I have noticed a drop of 70% to 80% in the reach of our posts. Since my goal is to share my knowledge with more people, that means my goal just took an 80% hit. In general, setbacks in performance are either due to: A) Something we did Or B) Something external, outside our direct control Mistakes, poor decisions, and missed deadlines are examples of A. They are in our control. Things like Covid, high interest rates, and reorganizations at work are examples of B, outside our control. LinkedIn's change is also case B, outside my control. When a setback comes from something in your control, you know clearly what you did wrong and what you need to change to restore your performance and progress. Fixing your own issues may take time and be difficult, but you know what to do. When the setback is due to something outside your control, you do not know how to fix the issue. So, how can we react when our performance is shattered and we do not know why? Here is my recipe: 1. Allow yourself a fixed amount of time to grieve (and complain if you wish). Emotions are real, and before you can move on you will need to sit with those emotions. But, do not get stuck in them. Curse your bad luck, pout for a minute, etc. Then, move to the next step. 2. Refocus on your core value. Whatever happened, go back to how you define high performance to ensure it is still relevant. I admit, I slipped into defining my own performance by how many people viewed my LinkedIn posts. This was a mistake. My mission is to help others, so getting views is a proxy, not a result. And, using LinkedIn is just a method for the mission, not the mission itself. 3. Adapt your core value if you must (if its value has decreased). In my case, the value of what I offer hasn't changed, the external delivery system has. 4. Once you adapt and/or increase your value, find new ways to deliver it if necessary. Luckily, I have other options for reaching people: my Substack newsletter, YouTube, etc. Since Substack has been such a good partner recently, I will start there. I have also refocused how I write on LinkedIn to make every post focused on my goal. 5. Test, measure, adapt, repeat! Really, this step is everything. Once you get past the grief, jump into action in this loop. Nothing can stop you if you keep working to refine, deliver, and showcase your core value. Comments? Here's my newsletter, which is my next area of investment: https://lnkd.in/gXh2pdK2

3 ways to talk about your career gap without sounding defensive. Stop apologizing for being human. I see this constantly. Smart professionals turning their career breaks into elaborate justification stories. You're not on trial. Here's what actually works: Way 1️⃣ - Own it upfront on your resume. Don't bury it. Don't over-explain it. Instead of: "Seeking new opportunities after organizational restructuring" Write: "Career transition - 2023 to 2024" Or: "Sabbatical for family priorities - 6 months" Be direct. Professional. Done. Way 2️⃣ - Flip the narrative in interviews. Never bring it up first. When they ask, lead with what you gained. Don't say: "I was unfortunately let go and struggled to find something" Say: "I took time to evaluate my next career move strategically. During this period, I refined my skills in X and Y, which makes me even more qualified for this role." Way 3️⃣ - Use transition language. Replace defensive words with intentional ones. "Unemployed" becomes "In transition" "Laid off" becomes "Part of organizational changes" "Gap" becomes "Career pivot period" "Struggling to find work" becomes "Being selective about my next opportunity" I had a client who was worried about her 8-month gap after having a baby. She kept saying "I was just on maternity leave." Just? You grew a human and managed a household. That's project management on steroids. We reframed it: "I took planned time for family expansion, during which I enhanced my multitasking and priority management skills." She got the job. Your career gap isn't a flaw to hide. It's a chapter that shaped who you are today. What story are you telling yourself about your transition?

📲 I received this question over text: 𝘐'𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘱? When the school supplies hit store shelves, 'tis the season for paid work re-entry. When you sense your career break is at its end and paid work is the goal, look forward (not backward) when determining your career direction. And once you know the role(s) you're after, position yourself as THE must-have candidate. Remember: Your career break is an asset, not a liability. 4 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: ❶ 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 Use a “Related Experience” heading in your resume to list experiences that matter for your job target. This simple trick allows you to demonstrate skills, wins and roles that translate to your ideal role. Consider including volunteer experience, leadership positions and side hustle (or freelance work). ❷ 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 This tactic is a great way to create continuity from a collection of experiences. Group like experiences and roles together, delineating the experiences in a summary section. Then, focus on the successes in your bullet points. Share the data of your efforts as it relates to the work you want to do going forward. Think money raised, the number of committees led, results of new programs built, etc. ❸ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 If you have a short gap as a mid-career professional, you can use an easy formatting fix: Delete the months on your resume to eliminate your short gap. For gaps longer than a year, use the date sandwich method. Instead of formatting dates to the right-hand side of your file, create a sandwich 🥪. The bread is the company name on one side and the location on the other, with the employment dates in the middle of the sandwich. This way the focus is being taken off the years out of the workforce and focusing more on your job title and the value you brought to the position. ❹ 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 These are one-line statements sharing the WHY behind your paid employment exit. Research shows applicants who disclose the reason behind their work gap were 60% more likely to receive a call back for an interview than those who didn't. Your exit line is a straightforward statement, not a novel. It can be placed in the line of the job title. For example: Product Manager | 2015 – 2022 | Left for a 2-year stint to care for children OR your exit line could read: Left position to get MBA If you have an extensive break consider a one-liner between roles in your work experience, like: Career sabbatical to care for family ❓What else?

One of the questions I get most frequently from job seekers is how to navigate a career gap on their resume… Personally, I say address it head-on. Lots of people, particularly over the last 4-5 years, have experienced unexpected breaks in employment. It’s understandable and perfectly acceptable! But if you don’t address it proactively, employers might begin to imagine unfounded and unfair red flags about you and your work history. So don’t give them the chance! I always recommend incorporating a “career break” entry into your resume. In this type of section, you have the opportunity to: 1️⃣ Tactfully and succinctly explain the reason for this break in your employment history while avoiding going into unnecessary details 2️⃣ Frame things in a positive light and showcase your resiliency, rather than just leaving a missing date range in your experience section 3️⃣ Explain relevant activities you may have engaged in during your break like volunteering, upskilling, or working in a part-time or freelance capacity 4️⃣ Highlight the alignment of skills you potentially gained or honed during this time to the job for which you are applying 5️⃣ Showcase your excitement for returning to a specific role or field, addressing baseless concerns about your commitment or work readiness This approach is strategically beneficial because it allows you to be honest and transparent, while also giving you the opportunity to control your own narrative! #careerbreak #careergap #resumewriting

I focus on taking intentional career gaps. But that's not always reality. In fact, 291,000 of our peers were forced into one through a layoff in the last year. How do you make the most of a forced gap? (Especially in a competitive and saturated market) Here are some ideas: 1) Build a reputation - Create support groups for others like you. - Start connecting with others in your industry. - If you feel brave, share your expertise on LinkedIn. 2) Uplevel your skills - Attend workshops, webinars, read books - Listen to podcasts or take a course This keeps you current within the industry and helps you interview well. Always sharpen the saw. 3) Consult Layoffs are especially tough financially. If you are lucky to receive some runway, use that time to put feelers out for contract opportunities. This can give you some income + experience. 4) Mentor someone Volunteer to teach someone new in the industry. Create how-to's and guides to distribute. 5) Volunteer This is a chance to do something meaningful. Volunteer at a charity of your choice or for a cause you're passionate about. Perhaps, offer your skill set to organizations who might not otherwise be able to afford you. 6) Have some fun If you're anything like me, you never took time to just relax or (God forbid) have fun. The first thing I did on my career break was travel. 7) Purpose-setting Get in touch with your values and interests: Maybe it's time for a career change. If you took a career break (intentional or not), can you share some things you used it for?