Starting Again
The front door is the hardest way back in
Applying through job portals with a gap on the resume is the route most returners try first and many find hardest. This session sets out the alternatives — returnships, contract and project work, referrals, former employers and colleagues — what each involves, and how to choose the ones that fit your situation.
Explore this page6 sections
A gap changes which doors open easily.
A resume with a gap is easy to pass over in a long list of applicants. The same person introduced by a former colleague, or applying to a programme designed for returners, is read differently. The route can change the odds more than polishing the document does.
Each route has costs. Returner programmes are limited and competitive. Contract work can be insecure. Referrals depend on a network that may have gone quiet. Knowing the trade-offs is what makes a sensible plan.
The routes, and what each involves
27 topics across 6 areas. Six parts: five routes, then how to choose among them.
ReturnshipsPaid, time-bound roles designed for people coming back.5
A returnship is a structured, paid placement for people returning after a break, usually for a fixed period, often with mentoring or training, and sometimes leading to a permanent role. Several large employers in India run programmes of this kind, many aimed at women returning after a break. Terms, eligibility and whether a programme is open change often, so check the employer's own careers page.
- What a returnship usually involves
- Who it is aimed at, and the eligibility rules
- Whether there is a path to a permanent role
- How to find them: careers pages and search terms
- Questions to ask before applying
No genuine programme charges a fee to apply, train or join.
Contract and Project WorkA bridge, if it is chosen deliberately.5
- Fixed-term contracts
- Freelance and project work
- Work for a former employer or client
- What it adds to a resume
- The trade-offs: security, benefits and pay
Part-Time and Flexible RolesFewer hours, the same standard of work.3
- Where part-time roles exist in your field
- How to ask about flexibility in a full-time role
- The risk of accepting less than the work is worth
Referrals and Your Old NetworkThe people who already know your work.5
- Former managers and colleagues
- Clients, suppliers and peers from earlier roles
- Alumni groups
- A short, specific message
- Asking for advice before asking for a role
Going Back to a Former EmployerSometimes the shortest route.4
- Whether the door is open: alumni networks and former managers
- What has changed since you left
- Coming back at the right level
- When it is not a good idea
Choosing Among the RoutesUsually more than one at once.5
- How long you can afford to search
- How much flexibility you need
- How strong your network still is
- How far your field has moved
- A weekly plan across two or three routes
Questions to ask about any returner programme
- Is it paid, and how much?
- How long is it, and what happens at the end?
- What work will I actually do?
- Is there mentoring or training?
- How have earlier participants moved on?
Warning signs
- A fee to apply, train or join
- No named employer
- A vague description of the work
- Pressure to decide immediately
- An offer that arrives without an interview
How the session runs
People who came back by different routes — a returnship, a contract role, a referral, a former employer — each describe how theirs worked and what it cost them. Participants then map their own options and write a weekly plan across two or three routes, including the first messages they will send.
What your students leave with
- An understanding of what a returnship is, and is not
- Where to look for returner programmes, and how to judge one
- Contract and part-time work used as a deliberate bridge
- A list of people to contact, and what to say to them
- A view on going back to a former employer
- A search plan that uses several routes at once
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Use more than one door.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.