Facing Career Gaps: How Do You Re-enter the Job Market After 18 Months Away?

Dear All,

I am a Training and Management Professional with more than 13 years of work experience. Last year, due to personal reasons, I had to quit my job. Later, because of medical conditions, I had to stay away from full-time employment for close to 18 months. However, during this period, I was occupied with part-time work. Now that I am back to an active life, it seems very difficult to start over again.

Not only is justifying the gap a tough task, but also the cold or no response from consultants is haunting me. Any suggestions or tips would be highly appreciated.

Regards,
Vijai

It depends on what kind of positions you are looking for and whether there is a demand for them in the market. When you receive a call from HR or recruiters, make sure to mention the gap in your employment history. You need to be patient and vigilant in exploring all opportunities to advance yourself. Visit consulting firms, submit your resume, and reach out to companies to inquire about any available positions.

Mr. Vijai, as you have a really good experience and are more senior to me, I can just share myself with you. You don't need to worry about anything as you have already found the solution to your problem. The issue seems to lie in the fact that you are not recognizing it and are lacking confidence due to this gap that has been bothering you lately.

You mentioned that this gap in your services/career arose due to a medical problem. Therefore, you can easily explain this to your new employer and recruiters. Gaps typically concern individuals who are new to the workforce, but with 13+ years of experience, your knowledge, experience, and understanding of your work speak for themselves.

Could you please share more about the difficulties you are facing in returning to your normal work life?

If I'm not mistaken, you haven't experienced any recent interviews, yet you are lacking confidence and feeling confused and worried. You are concerned about how to explain this gap to recruiters when they ask, and this worry is indeed affecting you.

I would suggest that until you face an interview, present your confidence and provide a valid reason for this 18-month gap to the recruiters, you won't be able to gain the actual confidence you need for this new phase in your work life.

From my expression above, it's clear that I don't have as much experience as you do; however, with my six years of experience and four years of membership at this place, along with numerous discussions on the same topic, my knowledge and understanding allow me to advise you to GO AND FACE THE INTERVIEW without hesitation, armed with your confidence and valid reason for the gap.

I am certain that you will learn many things from this experience that will truly benefit you in your life or new beginning.

Furthermore, I would like to learn more about the problems/difficulties you are facing to provide more specific solutions to your issues.

Why not try to approach some training companies? There are some small setups as well where you can offer your services. You can tie up with some training groups on LinkedIn/Yahoo groups. In fact, we see so many opportunities here on citehr.

Though getting started can be a little difficult, if you approach the right sources, you will shortly be rewarded. Don't approach corporates as of now. They will get into the documentation process, which at times becomes difficult to explain.

Training is like cycling; you cannot forget it. A little brushing up, and you are on.