Your Return October 24

Issue 6 I October 2024

Support and inspiration for career returners

Welcome!

Welcome to our October edition! This month, we’ve been enjoying the change of season and watching the leaves turn a beautiful hue of red and orange. For many of us, October provides more space as we settle back into the rhythm of life post summer, and we hope this has provided you with an opportunity to kick start your return to work action plan.

This month, we’re focussing on those who are looking to return to work after ill health – and in particular cancer. Our blog takes you through some initial steps, as well as signposts you to some key resources detailing your workplace rights. We’d love to hear your experiences at coach@careerreturners.com – of any barriers you’ve encountered and the support you’d value, or if you’ve successfully returned to work the advice you’d share as to what helped. This is the first in our series of blogs in this area and we’re looking to add to this in the coming months.

Contributors

If you’ve been on an extended career break and don’t know how and where to start reconnecting with your strengths, take a look at our ‘Ask the Coaches’ section for top tips and advice on how to recognise and remember all those strengths, skills and experience you’ve built over the course of your career and career break. And for a dose of inspiration, read Jumana’s Success Story about returning to work at BlackRock after her 9 year career break. Jumana’s recent shortlisting as a finalist in the Women in Investment Awards 2024 ‘Most Inspiring Returner’ category is proof that you can return and thrive in your career, however long your career break is!

Karen Danker Head of Coaching

Liz Mearns Deputy Head of Coaching

Lauren Wilson Senior Coach

Faith Ruto Senior Coach

If you’d love to do something completely different on your return to work, take a listen to our latest podcast episode with Dee Carswell. After a three year career break caring for her daughters with additional needs over Covid, Dee successfully made the move from her 25 year career in the corporate and medical sectors to the charity sector. A six month charity placement via The Well Placed helped Dee along the way into her chosen path. If this appeals to you, you can register your interest for their May 2025 placements here Finally, the coaching team enjoyed a brilliant day together a few weeks ago, planning for our year ahead. We were delighted to welcome Faith Ruto – our newest member of the coaching team – and you can read a little more about Faith and what inspires her in our ‘Meet Faith’ article!

Happy reading!

Career Returners Coaching Team Karen Braakman Senior Coach

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Your Return Brought to you by:

Contents

Sponsored by:

OCTOBER 2024

3 Returning to Work After Cancer Returning to work following ill-health can be challenging but it may also be a time for reflection, growth and renewal. We share ways to help you reset and create a fulfilling professional life

6 Meet Faith Our new Senior Coach tells us about how her return to work journey inspired her to help others cultivate their self-confidence and shares her top tips for navigating workplace transitions

7 Jumana’s Return to Work Success Story

9 Ask the Coaches How do you reconnect with your professional strengths after a long career break? What if you can’t even remember what they were? We offer our top tips on how to get started!

10 New Podcast Episode Hear our inspiring chat “Flying High with Skylarks” with Dee Carswell as she discusses moving into the charity sector and finding a rewarding role very close to her heart

Jumana shares how she overcame imposter syndrome and realised the value of her skills to return to a successful, award-winning career following bereavement and thyroid cancer

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“By focusing on what truly matters to you, you may start to see a way forward that feels both energising and meaningful.”

Advice BLOG

A cancer diagnosis can be life-changing in so many ways which go

beyond the physical. The period of time through treatment and recovery can bring profound shifts in your values, beliefs, and priorities. For some, once the treatment phase is over, a new challenge emerges: how do you return to work after having a career break to recover from cancer. This phase can be daunting, but it may also provide an opportunity for reflection, growth, and renewal.

A Time to Reflect, Reprioritise, and Reset

perspective, and motivation. These "new skills" are invaluable, both in life and the workplace.

After any career break, it’s normal to question what the next chapter of your life should look like. What do you want to achieve personally and professionally? What brings you fulfilment now which has perhaps changed? Many returners recovering from long term illness find that that their outlook on life such as what matters most and where they want to focus their energy, has fundamentally altered.

Here are a few questions to help you reflect:

However, going back to work after this time isn’t always about resuming your old routine. It may also involve navigating a new version of yourself. This period of transition can be seen as an opportunity to reset, to reprioritise, and to realign your professional journey with the new values and goals that have emerged from your experience.

Reconnecting With Your Strengths As you prepare to re-enter the workforce, take some time to reflect on your key strengths and skills you already possess. It’s also worth recognising the power of your cancer experience. It may have provided you with greater insight into your resilience, tenacity,

What have I learned about myself throughout this experience?

What personal qualities or strengths have been reinforced or developed?

How can I integrate these into my professional life?

Setting New Priorities Work-life balance, fulfilment, and personal wellbeing may feel more important than ever before. As you consider returning to work, think about the roles, sectors, employers and environments which will align with your values.

Are there industries or employers that inspire you? By focusing on what truly matters to you, you may start to see a way forward that feels both energising and meaningful.

Realistic Optimism It’s important to acknowledge that returning to work after cancer will come with its own set of challenges. There may be days when fatigue, emotions, or doubts creep in. However, it’s

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Advice

BLOG

equally important to trust in your ability to overcome these hurdles. Realistic optimism is about facing challenges head-on while knowing you have the strength and resilience to navigate them.

Returning to work will require some introspection, patience, and self-compassion.

This phase is more than a return to the workforce; it’s a chance to create a new narrative for yourself, both in your career and in your life. By reconnecting with your strengths, setting new priorities, and approaching the future with optimism, you can create a professional life that aligns with your new sense of purpose and fulfilment.

We are looking to build our support for those returning to work after career breaks for ill health. If you’ve recently returned to work after/with cancer, we’d love to hear from you.

Please get in touch with us at coach@careerreturners.com to share your experience and let us know what helped you in your return. Equally, if you’re looking to return but coming up against various barriers, do let us know what support you’d value most.

Additional Resources Work and Cancer Programme: guidance on returning to work, managing work during and after treatment, and understanding your rights as an employee.

Work Support Service: one-on-one support with work-related issues, including job-seeking advice after cancer.

Macmillan Work Support

Employment Advice: information on rights at work, making decisions about returning to work, and dealing with employers.

Cancer Research

Employment Support: advice for those affected by breast cancer, including information on returning to work and understanding your rights.

Breast Cancer Now

Read more in our Back to Your Future Blog 5

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Meet Faith

Career Returners

TEAM

Our new Senior Coach tells us how her own experiences sparked her journey into coaching and her tops tips for navigating workplace transitions.

Tell us a little bit about your professional background?

workplace culture, technology and processes that have evolved. The world of work has changed significantly. From remote working to having teams sometimes located in different countries. For returners navigating these changes can be stressful and can generate a lack of confidence in oneself.

I have 22 years of experience which started at Shell and span from leading global IT programmes to implementing change programmes across different functions.

What are your top tips for navigating these?

Whilst at Shell, I enjoyed leading digital transformation across Europe, Africa and the US. In 2013, I took a career break to look after my two children. I retrained as a coach with a focus on supporting professionals and leaders. For several years, I enjoyed designing and delivering coaching programmes to help organisations retain female talent.

My passion lies in empowering returners to have confidence and resilience to thrive during their transition back to work. I am delighted to join Career Returners Coaching team as a Senior Coach.

What sparked your journey into the world of coaching?

My coaching journey commenced in 2011, right after my return from maternity leave. During this time, I became acutely aware of my lack of self-confidence, a trait that seemed foreign to me, given my naturally outgoing and assured disposition. Seeking guidance through coaching proved to be an immensely fulfilling and transformative experience for me.

A few years later, I found myself at a crossroads in my career. After carefully examining my strengths

and passions, I unearthed a deep desire to help individuals, mainly women, cultivate their selfconfidence. This realisation led me to pursue further training as a career and executive coach to offer a comprehensive coaching approach to professionals navigating workplace transitions.

What do you love about coaching?

Coaching is my true calling and purpose. I find joy in listening to diverse problems and guiding individuals to their solutions.

Witnessing a mindset shift and the returners' newfound confidence is what truly inspires me.

What are some of the typical themes you see coming up for returners as they return to work?

As a coach, I see various themes from returners as no one returner is the same. The number one theme I see often is how to integrate and adapt quickly to change in

I completely understand the importance of approaching your return with a positive mindset.

Embracing change as an opportunity to gain experience can be truly empowering. It's okay to feel uncertain, so don't hesitate to ask questions and seek support.

Finding a buddy and scheduling weekly check-in calls in the early days of your return can provide a safe and supportive space for you to navigate your way back to work.

When you're not working, what are we likely to find you doing?

I enjoy engaging in various activities and traveling with my family. I make it a point to go for walks or short runs in the local countryside every day. Being outdoors has a positive impact on my mental well-being and physical fitness. I also look forward to my weekly Zumba class and meeting up with friends for a Chai Latte. I also love sharing my passion for cooking with my teenager daughter.

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Jumana’s Success Story “Through the process of returning, I realised (despite my self-doubt) just how marketable I was and how much I had to offer, because of my break!”

Jumana Kapadia Investment and Product Content Marketing, BlackRock 9 year career break

I began my career with Merrill Lynch as part of their graduate programme and was lucky enough to intern with them during my 3 years of under-graduate studies, firstly in Mumbai, then in London and finally, in my third year Geneva. This gave me a real opportunity to get to know the business before joining the team. I then went on to join the graduate programme and enjoyed a 6-year career with Merrill Lynch working across different areas of private wealth management, portfolio management and hedge funds and private equity funds across EMEA.

In 2009 I had my first baby and decided that I wanted to take a break and spend time with my little one however my manager was keen to keep me on, so we negotiated a 3-day a week role and a job share which was great and certainly not the norm at the time! Around this time, I also experienced some huge life challenges with the loss of both my parents and my own health challenges with thyroid cancer. I decided it was time to step away from the corporate world and I also fell pregnant with my second child. During my career break I started my own food business as a tribute to my parents and a constructive way to channel my grief as both parents were passionate foodies.

“It’s very easy to think you can’t get back to work after a long break, but you can… you just need to reframe your mindset and believe in yourself and know that you have the skills to take it on”

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Inspiration SUCCESS STORY

I returned to my professional career via the BlackRock returner programme, after a 9-year break having realised I really missed the buzz of the corporate world. My children were a bit older and started school and I missed the discipline of going into a workplace and meeting like-minded people. Through the process of returning, I realised (despite my self-doubt) just how marketable I was and how much I had to offer, because of my break!

“After a 9-year break I really missed the buzz of the corporate world” I’d upskilled during my break and many of the skills developed in running my own successful business were relevant and transferable and valued by employers.

It’s very easy to think you can’t get back to work after a long break, but you can… you just need to reframe your mindset and believe in yourself and know that you have the skills to take it on.

“Fear will always be there when you do something new, and I had to overcome my own imposter syndrome” Fear will always be there when you do something new, and I had to overcome my own imposter syndrome. However, with coaching and support, you’ll find your confidence quickly returns!

“With coaching and support, you’ll find your confidence quicky returns!”

My advice for others is to stay connected to people, events and things you enjoy doing.

Keep in touch with your previous colleagues or reconnect and pick up new conversations with them – ask them what they’ve been up to, what's been happening, what’s changed. My career break gave me a fresh perspective on things which in turn made me more efficient when I came back in, so do value your break.

“My career break gave me a fresh perspective which in turn made me more efficient when I came back in, so do value your break” Taking a career break has only made me a better version of myself! I was thrilled when this was recognised recently when I was shortlisted as a finalist in the Women in Investment Awards 2024 ‘Most Inspiring Returner’ category – proof to all those considering returning after an extended break that you can return and go on to thrive in your career, however long your career break is!

Read more inspiring stories in our Success Story Library

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Advice

ASK THE COACHES

Our coaching team is on hand to answer your questions!

I haven't worked for around 15 years so can't even remember what my strengths were in my job – I was previously a Marketing Director.

When you have had a long career break the biggest step can often be reconnecting with your professional identity. It can feel hard to remember who you were before your break, let alone what you were good at, and your confidence may have slipped a little! However, knowing and reconnecting with your strengths and expertise will help you to feel courageous about applying for roles. Here’s where to start: Revisit old CVs and reviews from your ‘pre break’ career. Spend some time going through them to remind you of the experience you’ve built and the skills and strengths you demonstrated.

Consider your career break and any positive reviews or feedback received on projects or voluntary work undertaken during this time.

Reach out to contacts from your previous professional career, even if that was 15 years ago, to remind yourself of past roles or projects you were involved in together.

Do be brave - people are generally happy to help, and you never know where this may lead in terms of picking up your old network again.

Search online for a role profile for what you used to do, to reacquaint yourself with those key sought after strengths and skills that you most likely have! A quick search for Marketing Director brings up skills in sales, communication, leadership, and a keen eye for detail. Do any of these resonate for you?

Complete an online strengths profile such as Gallup StrengthsFinder to gain further insight. You can also simply search for an online strengths list to get you started with ideas. Reflect on examples of when you used these strengths to help you get specific about the detail.

All of these exercises will help you to reconnect with who you are professionally. Even after a long break your strengths and skills are still there, and you will no doubt have built upon them through the activities pursued during your career break.

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Inspiration PODCAST

The Podcast to #InspireYourReturn

“I have to say I'm in a role that is probably my favourite role that I've ever had in my working career” We’re thrilled to bring you the second episode of our new mini-series of our Career Returners Podcast on career change in midlife!

This episode features the brilliant Dee Carswell who successfully moved into the charity sector, after a twenty five year career in the corporate and private medical

Listen to Dee’s clip

sectors. After a three year career break during the pandemic to care for her daughters with additional needs,

Dee fortuitously came across Charity Interns (now called The Well Placed), which offers six month placements in the charity sector to help attract those from the corporate sector wanting to make the switch. Dee successfully gained a placement at the Alzheimer’s Society which was a fantastic learning experience and proved a brilliant springboard into her new career as Head of Fundraising at Skylarks, a London based charity very close to her heart, which supports children with additional needs and their families.

Listen to the full episode

“I really felt quite strongly that I wanted to work in the charity sector as I had spent quite a lot of time as a carer. I felt I wanted to bring that experience with me, but I also felt I had so much other

A big thank you to longer lives thinktank Phoenix Insights for sponsoring this mini-series and for convening the Careers can change campaign.

Career Returners is proud to be part of the Careers can change campaign, aiming to inspire people to see that their careers can change successfully, in many different ways.

experience that was so transferable that I'd really hope to bring all that with me.”

Catch up on previous episodes in our Career Returners Podcast

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