Digital Marketing for Women after a Career Break? You might have to take a break due to various reasons, we will not dwell on that in this blog but YES, how Digital Marketing as a career can help you reboot your career.
A core tenet of closing the gender gap is increasing the number of women in the workforce. However, consistency on their career path may prove to be difficult for multiple social reasons. There are two apparent reasons for women to take a break, either their marriage or motherhood. If you are one of them congratulations on the new journey.
Let me also tell you that the inspiration to write this comes from various enquiries from homemakers who took a break in their career to set up a family and then look forward to restarting their careers later, these enquiries are very common to us.
Very recently, something similar had happened and a couple had come to meet me to check out how the digital marketing course at Digital Market Academy could help the young lady (a mother of two) who is an industrial production engineer reboot her career by learning Digital Marketing. Hence, this post.
Sabbaticals due to vacations, further education and short term family reasons may not hinder your career path as these breaks are usually small. On the other hand, long breaks may be problematic if you wish to resume your career. However, worry not. There are still opportunities you can explore post a long career break if you are looking to join back in the workforce. It’s natural for you to then wonder about how to go about the same.
Since you will be joining after a long break, you will be worried about whether your skills are a little rusty, will you quickly get a job, or will the employer accept you? Don’t worry; you are not alone. There is around 36 per cent of women taking a break from their job.
Don’t get anxious, as I said earlier there are many like you who are worried, but the below-mentioned tips have helped them find their dream job. These are some best practices I advise when I get enquiries at our Digital Market Academy.
But before that, let me make you aware of the challenges you might face when getting a job and how to deal with them.
● Challenges Housewife Face When Resuming Career After A Break
These are some common challenges that I have seen my friends and family members (especially women) face when they wish to resume their careers:
→ Company Doubts on Skills
Getting a job in an ever-evolving world is not a cakewalk. As technologies update daily, it becomes even more difficult for women who want to get back to the career ladder after a break. As the industry evolves, so does the working pattern and methodologies. These are the reasons companies think of hiring someone active and well-versed with the recent changes in work.
While hiring, companies usually look to see if you are updated on the knowledge front. Being professionally inactive during your break time can prove to be disadvantageous.
→ Clash of Personal & Professional Life
A newly married woman or one who is embracing motherhood usually finds it difficult to manage time in the wake of the new responsibilities. You may want to spend time with your partner or the little one who is just about to crawl or play in your lap.
That’s the reason it becomes difficult to manage both personal and professional life. Besides, you may want a company that understands you and allows you to work from home at times. This is where you will find challenges since not all companies are flexible.
→ Unclear in Explaining the Gap
To be honest, companies are least concerned about why you took a break. All they want to know is whether you are professionally active or not. If you fail to state your answer or reason clearly, you may end up searching for another job after the interview. Or if you get the job, the salary would not be matching your expectations.
In simple words, you will be treated as a fresher even though you have years of experience. So what to do now? How do you restart your career?
Keep on reading!
● 7 Do-Follow Tips for Housewives/Homemaker to Get Your Dream Job After A Break
1. Analyze Your Situation
Since time and circumstances have changed, what once was the best match for you may not be right for you now. You need to understand that and plan accordingly.
Many women accept the first offer they get and end up switching jobs one after the other. Sometimes, the employer may notice or analyze the uncertainty about your future and may not continue with further rounds.
Therefore, decide what you want to do and why you want to do it. Also, check whether the job is the best fit according to your post-break environment.
2. Updated Your CV with Career Break
Do you think a gap in the CV can make a significant difference?
It can if you make good use of the time to update yourself professionally. Trust me, showing a gap in the CV will not ruin your career unless you have done no learning during your career break.
Following are some of the skills that you can acquire during your break. For instance,
● Learning new technologies (Up-skilled yourself with Digital Marketing can be one of them)
● Exploring the world and boosting confidence with networking
● Learning leadership skills
It can make you stand different from others and also double the chances of you getting hired.
3. Always Stay Active & Get Connected on Job Portals
I would suggest being in touch with your friends and exploring social media platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, and Quora. Ask your friends to look for jobs and keep you posted about vacancies. Moreover, various online platforms list ample opportunities that you could apply to and thereby, help you land your dream job after a career break.
Also, stay in touch with your colleague or HR as these connections may save your time searching for a job and help you find one as soon as possible. Also, these people will keep you up-to-date with the latest trends. Therefore, stay connected and active on all job portals.
4. Keep Learning
You cannot rule out learning when on a career break since it makes it easier to get a job post-career break. Get detailed knowledge about Digital Marketing (one of the competitive skills where there is a great demand for good professionals), softwares, products, or skills that are essential in the respective industry you want to get hired in.
You can also attend webinars, seminars, training programs, learning programs, and networking programs.
5. Be Well Prepared for Your Interview
Never attend an interview without preparation. Since you have a break in your career, the first question your interviewer is going to raise is; why did you take a break, and what did you do?
Always remain honest and tell them what you did during the career break. If you studied or enrolled in a course, tell your interviewer how the course and acquired skill can benefit the organization. Besides, you can also proactively tell your interviewer what is driving you to re-join the career ladder. This way, the interviewer will be clear and will have no doubts related to stability.
6. Enrol in Career Return Program
You can also enrol in a career return program to make yourself ready for the job. Deloitte and JP Morgan are two organizations running schemes to prepare both men and women for their comeback in corporate life after a career break. We at Digital Market Academy also spend considerable time helping our students with live projects/internships so that they get comfortable in a corporate working environment before they join a full-time job.
7. Stay Confident
No matter how long you stay away from corporate culture, getting back to the hiring process can be tedious and intimidating. During this phase, you must remain calm and must not lose confidence.
Note down your strengths and the achievements you have earned in your previous work on a piece of paper and keep them handy. If you are unsure of these, you can ask your parents, friends, family or closely work with your mentor at Digital Market Academy. It will pump up your confidence, and you will not miss out on an opportunity just because of a lack of confidence.
If you feel that you have started losing your skill, enrol in a refresher course and look at the employer’s website or channel. Grab as much information as you can from all possible sources to remain updated and confident at the time of the interview.
● Conclusion
Since societies have traditionally burdened women with more responsibilities as compared to men and have then also attached STIGMA to career breaks, women find it difficult to resume their career post-break. Contrary to popular belief, it’s quite common to have a break, and there is nothing wrong with it. What matters is how well you manage your break time and become a learner. Many women take off from their office routine to learn, explore, or enjoy their marriage or motherhood.
Digital Marketing is a dynamic field and there is ample scope for you to take any topic in the same such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing, E-mail Marketing, Content Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Freelancing (how to get projects)………more, learn in-depth and reboot your career.
If you left a job a few months or years ago and want to resume, the 7-tips given above will help you get your desired role and job. Just remember these tips and prepare yourself.
Finally, wishing and saluting every woman who helps make a great family.
